Mules get three first-teamers, 10 total on All-MIAA football team

      Fresh off their 83-21 drubbing of conference-rival Pittsburg State University, the Central Missouri State University Mules got some more good fortune, as 10 CMSU gridders were named by the conference coaches to the All-MIAA Football Team.

The Mules had three first teamers in senior wide receiver Delanie Walker, senior offensive tackle Darryl Grace, and sophomore free safety Kendall Ricketts. Central Missouri added two players on the second team defense (junior defensive tackle Maurice White and sophomore punter Matt Frankel), and five honorable mention picks.

Walker, a second-team pick in 2004 as a receiver and return specialist, set a Central Missouri State record with 61 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 240 pound native of Pomona, Calif. ranks among the league leaders in receptions, receiving yards, all-purpose yards, and kickoff returns. He is also 21^st in NCAA Division II in kickoff returns (435 yards on 17 returns with one touchdown and a 25.6 yard average) and is 28^th in receptions. Walker also had 16 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown on the year and returned three punts 47 yards for a total of 1,257 all-purpose yards.

Part of the reason for his success was the play of Grace, a 6-foot-2, 308 pounder from Captain Cook, Hawaii. Grace was a first-team All-MIAA pick and honorable mention All-American in 2003 before missing almost all of the 2004 campaign after suffering a serious knee injury. He came back this year to help CMSU average 189.7 rushing yards, 229.8 passing yards, and 419.5 yards of total offense per game while racking up 40.0 points per game. Three times in 2005 the Mules scored at least 69 points, and twice went for 83. Grace led the Mules with an average high “A” grade of 75 percent in 2005 and totaled eight pancakes and 22 knock-down blocks.

Ricketts keyed the Mules’ defense which is ranked No. 1 in the MIAA in rushing, scoring, and total defense, first in turnover margin, second in pass defense, and third in pass efficiency defense. Individually, the 5-10, 182 pound Raytown, Mo. native led the Mules with 96 total tackles (60 solo) and seven pass break ups. He also had an interception return for a touchdown (giving him a school-record three for his career), two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. He is third in the MIAA (first among defensive backs) in tackles and ninth nationally (tied for third among DBs) in solo stops.

Second-teamers White and Frankel also ranked among the MIAA leaders in their respective disciplines.

White, a 6-foot-4, 281 pounder from Detroit, Mich., tallied 41 tackles (12 for losses totaling 92 yards) and eight sacks. He leads the MIAA in tackles for losses, and was second in the conference (and 17^th in NCAA-II) in sacks.

Frankel, a 6-foot, 200 pounder from Overland Park, Kan. ranks third in the conference in punting average at 38.3 yards and helped the Mules post a net average of 32.8 yards, second-best in the MIAA. He also had 17 punts inside the opponent’s 20 (11 inside the 10 and seven inside the five) with a long effort of 64 yards.

Named to the honorable mention accolades went to quarterback Toby Korrodi (6-foot-4, 220 pound junior from San Antonio, Texas), running back Will Caldwell (5-foot-9, 220 pound junior from Springfield, Ohio), wide receiver Micah Hefner (5-foot-11, 184 pound senior from Blue Springs, Mo.), offensive guard Jon Books (6-foot-5, 270 pound sophomore from Williamsburg, Mo.), and defensive end Danny Tuttle (6-foot, 245 pound senior from California, Mo.).

Korrodi shared time the first three games of the season, but then went on a tear through the MIAA. He completed 74.6 percent of his passes for 2,066 yards and 23 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He set a school and conference record with 182 consecutive passes without an INT, and leads the MIAA in pass efficiency with a rating of 176.85, a number that ranks third nationally.

Caldwell capped his season with a record-setting performance vs. Pittsburg State, rushing for 276 yards and five touchdowns. He finished the year with 971 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing, 155 yards and three touchdowns on 22 receptions, and 1,126 all-purpose yards. He ranks fifth in the MIAA in rushing, eighth in all-purpose yards, and tied for third in scoring.

Hefner was the perfect complement to Walker. He led the Mules with 743 yards and seven touchdowns on 41 receptions, ranking fourth in the MIAA in receiving yards and sixth in receptions.

Books joined Grace in anchoring the offensive line. A tight end in 2004, he moved inside and registered 37 knockdown blocks and an “A” grade of 73 percent for the year.

Tuttle started 21 straight games at defensive end for the Mules, dating back to last season, and led the Mules with seven quarterback hurries. He notched 22 tackles, three tackles for losses, and a sack, and also intercepted a pass while recovering two fumbles and forcing one.

The Mules finished the 2005 campaign with a record of 7-3, 5-3 and fourth in the MIAA. It was an unprecedented eighth consecutive winning season for the Mules, also the eighth with at least seven wins.