Dean, Hayes, Rowland named to All-Region team

PERKINSTON — Three Mississippi Gulf Coast players have been named to the 2016 NJCAA All-Region 23 football team: linebacker Reggio Dean, offensive lineman D'Marcus Hayes and kicker Joshua Rowland.

Dean, a sophomore from Northeast Jones, piled up 36 tackles, 26 assists, nine tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions and ran one of those back for a touchdown. He was a second-team All-MACJC South Division player as a freshman and was named MACJC Defensive Player of the Week three times during his career.

"Reggio was the glue to our defense," Gulf Coast coach Chad Huff said. "He was a two-year starter and played with passion. He played the game the way it was supposed to be played."

Hayes, a sophomore from Madison Central, stepped right into the starting lineup in perhaps the most important position on the line when he came to Perkinston two seasons ago.

"He's been our starting left tackle the last two years," Huff said. "He's a leader and has brought value to the O-line and our program last two years."

Rowland, a sophomore from Madison Central, made 9 of 12 field goals this season and 32 of 33 point-afters. A second-team NJCAA All-American selection last year, he was twice named MACJC Special Teams Player of the Week this year and earned NJCAA weekly honors once.

"He was an All-American kicker last year who was solid against this year," Huff said. "He's a great kicker who was always steady. He helped us in special teams more than you can imagine."

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