LANCASTER, Pa. – A total of 11 Ursinus football players were named to the All-Centennial Conference football team, announced by the conference on Wednesday morning.
The 11 selections for the Bears are the most players named to the team since they had 13 back in the 2011 season. 10 of the 11 players earned All-Centennial honors for the first time in their collegiate careers. Senior running back Samuel Ragland and senior offensive lineman Matthew Bevan headlined the selections by earning first team honors. Junior defensive lineman Ethan Belville, sophomore defensive lineman Ryan Bodolus, junior linebacker Brett Gross, and senior offensive lineman Kevin Hahn all earned second team honors for Ursinus. Senior wide receiver Octavious Carter, junior tight end Billy Cook, senior offensive linemen Brandon Derby and Brett Johnson along with sophomore defensive back Ryan DiVergilis rounded out the selections on the honorable mention team.
Ragland capped off his decorated career in Collegeville by earning his third-straight first team selection and has now been named to the All-Centennial team in all four seasons on the team. He has already set a career-high in rushing yards for a season with 1,060 as he leads the conference with that mark along with his average of 106.0 yards per game. He became the first Bear to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Garry Sheffield in 2002 and became the second player in program history to cross the 3,000-career yard plateau. Ragland ranks second in the Centennial with 14 rushing touchdowns and has caught 35 passes for 298 yards along with two touchdowns. The senior has recorded five 100-yard rushing yard performances in the 2021 season.
Bevan earns his first All-Centennial nod in his career after a dynamic season helping anchor the Ursinus offensive line. Starting at center, Bevan powered an offensive line that led a rushing attack which ranked third in the Centennial at 132.1 yards per game.
Hahn also earned his first All-Centennial honor after a dominant season starting at right tackle. He started all 10 games on the Bears offensive line after not seeing any varsity action during the 2018-19 season. Hahn's steady play helped Ursinus rank third in the Centennial in total offensive yards at 391.4 per game.
A breakout season at defensive end for Bodolus garnered him All-Centennial honors in his first collegiate season. He capped the 2021 regular season by setting a new single-game program record with six sacks against Dickinson last Saturday. His efforts also garnered him D3football.com team of the week and Centennial Conference defensive player of the week honors. He now ranks second in the Centennial with 9.5 sacks which is also tied for eighth all-time in a single season for the Ursinus program history. Bodolus has posted 42 tackles (26 solo) and is tied for third in the Centennial with 17.0 tackles for loss.
Belville anchored the other side of the defensive line for the Bears and set career-highs in every defensive front seven category. He ranked second on the team with five sacks and registered 41 total tackles (23 solo) and ranked fifth in the Centennial with 14 tackles for loss. Belville paced the Centennial with five forced fumbles with two coming against Juniata in early November.
Gross led the Bears linebackers to a strong 2021 season after leading the team and tying for fourth in the Centennial with 75 total tackles (33 solo). He recorded 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions as well for Ursinus. Gross has posted three double-digit tackling performances during the 2021 season and registered a career-high 14 tackles against Dickinson last Saturday.
Carter earned his first Centennial nod following setting career-highs with 33 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. His eight touchdowns have tied him for fifth in the Centennial and he caught at least one touchdown in five different games. Carter set the tone for the Bears season in their opener against Alvernia by hauling in a career-best three touchdown passes.
Derby and Johnson both started all 10 games so far this season for the Bears to help gain consistency on the line of scrimmage. The duo paved the way for a strong Bears running game and helped keep junior quarterback Jack Psenicska upright to have the third-highest passing attack in the conference at 255.5 yards per game.
Cook garnered his first Conference postseason accolade after posting career-highs as the starting tight end on offense. He caught 20 passes for 215 yard and two touchdowns on the season. Cook caught touchdown passes in each of the first two games of the season. He also served as the Bears primary punter and averaged 38.4 yards per punt on 39 attempts.
DiVergilis rounded out the selections after a strong first season in the Bears secondary. He ranked third on the team with 61 total tackles (32 solo), posted 5.5 tackles for loss, and intercepted two passes. DiVergilis also tied for the team lead with five pass break-ups and recovered one fumble on the season for Ursinus.
The Bears will close out their season on Saturday, November 20th as they will take on Lycoming in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series at 12:30 p.m.