KARNS CITY — Multi-tasking is a specialty often used by Karns City High School athletes.

Dalton Callihan took it to the extreme this fall — and has been named District 9 Lineman of the Year as a result.

The Gremlins’ 6-foot-2, 216-pound senior was named first team all-conference at guard and defensive tackle this year in helping KC attain an 11-2 record and another Class AA district championship.

“Dalton excelled on both sides of the ball,” Karns City coach Ed Conto said. “He’s very deserving of this.

“To do so well as a two-way lineman shows how hard he worked at it.”

Karns City’s offense generated 419 yards per game this season, including 282 on the ground. Defensively, Callihan had 55 tackles — including 19 solos — and five quarterback sacks.

Not bad for a 216-pound tackle.

“When you play multiple sports, it’s tough to find a way to develop your body for strictly one,” Conto said. “After this year, Dalton will have the opportunity to do that if he chooses to play college ball.”

Callihan has received overtures from a few Division III schools, including Westminster, Geneva and Washington & Jefferson, but is uncertain of his destination after high school.

“Once I sort out my major, what I want to study, I’ll see where I wind up,” Callihan said. “If I do play ball in college, it will definitely be football.

“I’ve been playing the game for 10 years. It’d be hard to give it up.”

The Lineman of the Year award covers the entire district, all divisions.

“There aren’t many big schools in our district and Karns City football has been pretty dominant,” Callihan said. “To be given this award is a big deal for me because we have so many good players on our team.

“Coach Conto was named Coach of the Year, too, so we were well represented.”

Callihan shrugged off the preparation he went through to become a standout two-way lineman.

“It’s pretty easy when you love to play,” he said. “The workouts and practice were fun. It’s all part of football.”

Conto said Callihan’s performance in the Gremlins’ 35-31 loss to Class AAAA DuBois went a long way toward him getting recognized as the district’s top lineman.

“The two positions he played for us ... It’s hard for a kid to stand out,” the coach said. “But Dalton had an outstanding game against DuBois and that opened a lot of eyes.”

Other than playing fullback and linebacker for a season years ago, Callihan has always been a lineman.

“Even the year I played fullback, all I did was block,” he said. “When you’re playing the same position year after year, you just work to get better.”

That work ethic is something Conto appreciated.

“Dalton was all-conference at both positions his junior year, too,” the coach said. “But he never rested on those laurels.”

Callihan has already made the transition to basketball, scoring 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the Gremlins’ season opening win against Deer Lakes Saturday.

He’s already missing the family atmosphere of Karns City football.

“The friends I made on that football team will be my friends for the rest of my life,” Callihan said. “The coaches really are father figures. We’re serious when we need to be and we can joke around with them and they’ll joke back.

“There was just a feeling of ease and confidence every day at practice that I’ll never forget.”