Friday, November 13, 2009

Ratliff All-Region 23, All-MACJC for 2009
Four other Wildcats earn post-season football accolades

     POPLARVILLE — Pearl River Community College sophomore wide receiver Desmond Ratliff earned All-Region 23 and All-MACJC accolades for the 2009 football season, while four other Wildcats also copped post-season honors.
      Other honorees included freshman placekicker Travis Bradley of Pascagoula High, freshman defensive end Daniel Hayden of New Orleans, La., sophomore runningback Rashod Henry of Lumberton High, and sophomore offensive lineman Matt Matranga of St. Stanislaus.
      Ratliff, a sophomore who prepped at Canton High, set the all-time school record in receptions with 85 in 2009's nine-game season, besting former Wildcat Larry Brackins’ 55-catch mark set in 2004's NJCAA national championship and MACJC state championship 12-game season. Ratliff’s 1,055 receiving yards for the year was 62 yards shy of Brackins’ 1,117 single season yardage mark also set in 2004.
      Ratliff managed 40 catches for 501 yards during his 2008 freshman campaign, bringing his career total to 125 receptions for 1,556 yards in 20 games, while Brackins finished his two-year River stint with 100 catches for 1,889 yards in 23 games.
      “Desmond is definitely a gamer,” eighth-year PRCC head coach Tim Hatten said. “He had only two games that were under the 100-yard mark and put up 196 against Northeast and 172 against Northwest.”
      Ratliff, who also had a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD against Copiah-Lincoln, also set the all-time Wildcat record for catches in a game with his 13-catch, 112-yard effort against Jones County. He was also the team’s leading scorer with 68 points.

Here, in capsule form, are the remaining honorees:

• TRAVIS BRADLEY: Bradley was named to the All-MACJC South Division squad as a placekicker after hitting on 35 of 36 extra point attempts (97.2 percent) and eight off 11 field goal attempts (72.7 percent).
• DANIEL HAYDEN: Hayden, who prepped at John Eret High School in New Orleans, was named to the All-MACJC South Division squad as a defensive end after recording a second-team-best 60 tackles (29 solos, 21 assists), including 14 tackles for losses and 10 quarterback sacks — both No. 1 on the team.
• RASHOD HENRY: Henry was named to the All-MACJC South Division squad as a running back and kick returner, even though his season came to abrupt end in the first quarter of week No. 7 against Co-Lin when he tore his ACL. He finished the season with 691 yards on 84 carries (8.23 yards per attempt) and averaged 98.7 yards a game. Henry was the team’s second-highest scorer with seven touchdowns (42 points). As a kickoff returner, he had 15 attempts for 452 yards (30.1 yards per attempt).
• MATT MATRANGA: Matranga was named to the All-MACJC South Division squad as an offensive lineman.