Booker in the spotlight for Wildcats

8/29/2012 12:13:00 AM RISING RECEIVER Booker in the spotlight for Wildcats

In his first year of varsity football, Ninety Six High School’s Ryan Booker emerged as one of the most prolific wide receivers in the Lakelands in 2011. (Matt Walsh | Index-Journal) By BEN BREINER NINETY SIX -- Chris Liner wasted little time getting to a central point when he started talking about his top wide receiver, Ryan Booker. The Ninety Six High School football coach said Booker no longer had the opportunity to work behind departed, productive players such as Dante Pride, Karl Mingo or Corey Downs. They no longer surround him on offense, and as the No. 1 receiver, Booker has to be "that guy." "This year, he's kind of in the spotlight," Liner said. "We talked about that a lot in our team meeting on Sunday, how we've got some guys now that they're the Dante, they're the Karl, they're some of the ones that we've depended on over the years to make a lot of plays for us. "That's a whole different mindset for a kid that's never been the focal point before." Booker certainly has the tools to be a focal point of Ninety Six's rebuilt offense, and he emerged late last season as one of the top receiving threats in the area. Although his role has increased, the soft-spoken junior hardly seemed to take ownership of it when asked how his responsibilities increased. "I'm sure it has," Booker said. "Probably being a go-to wide receiver. People may see me as a threat, so I'm sure my role has grown." He's coming off a season where he started as the team's third receiver, but had the promise to do far more. He took the 2010 season, his freshman year, off from football, and when he came out, he offered his quarterbacks a big, speedy 6-foot-2 target. SEE MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL. www.indexjournal.com