Redhawks lose Terrell for season

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - When a football team is having a rough season it is hard to imagine things getting any worse.

For the Southeast Missouri State University football team things got worse on Saturday while at Tennessee State University.

After an 18-yard run early in the game, junior running back Levi Terrell was forced to leave the game early, with what turned out to be a broken collar bone.

Coach Tony Samuel said the team doesn’t have time to have a bad attitude about losing its second leading rusher.

"We just had a very good practice. We're going to get ready with whoever steps in, you know, that’s how you handle things," Coach Samuel said. "Everybody that plays this game understands that, there’s no down morale or anything like that. If anything we need to focus on getting ready for a really tough game, and in my mind a game we need to go and win."

Terrell, in his first year at Southeast, entered Saturday’s game with back-to-back 100 yard rushing games, and had 320 yards on 47 carries with 3 touchdowns on the season.

Samuel said there are two or three guys who can step in and fill Terrell’s position, including Lennies McFerren and Renard Celestin.

The Redhawks next game is Saturday October 15 at 2 p.m. at Eastern Kentucky.

Drew Yount, KRCU

Read More

Cape Girardeau businesses gain from winning teams

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - It’s no secret college athletics can supply an injection of money into the local economy. And that’s especially true when the teams are winning.

Downtown businesses are anxiously awaiting this weekend’s football home opener between Southeast Missouri State University and Southern Illinois University.

Chuck Martin, Executive Director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, says certain events, like homecoming and family weekend, tend to draw bigger crowds.

"Certainly we see a big uptick in the amount of people that are staying in our hotels, eating in the restaurants, filling their tanks at our gas stations, and shopping at our shops," Martin says. "So there is a very direct correlation, with those bigger events, especially."

Martin says certain rivalries, such as Murray State or SIU, can generate more revenue because they bring a bigger fan base.

However, this spike in fans only helps certain businesses because fans from schools like Southern Illinois do not stay in hotels.

Drew Yount, KRCU

Read More

Lady Redhawks soccer team look to improve on so-so start

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Southeast Missouri State University women’s soccer team has started their season 2-2, but they’re looking to improve as the season continues.

After a number two finish last season and a heartbreaking loss in the semi-finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, the women’s soccer team is hoping to continue their dominance on the soccer pitch this season.

They are ranked second in the OVC in preseason polls, but are on track to finish higher.

Coach Heather Nelson says the team has several returning players who will help lead the team.

"In midfield we have, I think, one of the best players in the OVC back, and that’s Vanessa Hart," Nelson says. "She’s a nice holding center midfielder, she can buy time for the forwards to make runs, but she can also play quickly and she’s also an attacking threat herself."

Nelson says returning players are a strong part of the team, and some new faces are making an impact.

"We’ve been able to create a lot of offense, probably the most that we’ve actually done in years with this program. That’s a credit to some of our newcomers that have definitely shown to be threats, Jessie Crabtree, transfer from the University of Missouri, and also Erin Shulman, a freshman of the Springfield, Illinois area," coach Nelson said.

The lady Redhawks will face off at Evansville on September 2.

Drew Yount, KRCU

Read More

Samuel says Redhawks match up well against SIU

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - When the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks face off against the Southern Illinois Salukis on Saturday, it could boil down to a battle between the two defenses.

Coach Tony Samuel says the Redhawks have experience in key defensive players Tylor Brock and Bryan Blanfort, who are capable of containing the Salukis’ dynamic quarterback Paul McIntosh.

"We’ve got some good defensive linemen. If you look at our two safeties, Blanfort missed last year, but he was a guy that was doing some good things the year before he was hurt, and he’s back at full strength. Brock had a great season last year," Samuel says.

Coach Samuel says that Southern Illinois will be strong and that they have a lot of threats on the field.

"They are a very good football team, you know, they have some returners. They’re very strong on the offensive line. I think they have the team speed on defense, the quarterback is back. This is his third year as a starter. He started some games last year...the year before, and it looks like now he’s the definite starter," Samuel says.

Samuel says while the Salukis have a strong offensive unit the Redhawks’ defense will be able to hold up against them.

Southeast Missouri State University opens their season at home this Saturday at 6pm.

Drew Yount, KRCU

Read More

Tony Samuel confident in Redhawks running game

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Southeast Missouri State University football team is trying to build on last season’s record- setting campaign. 

The Redhawks won the Ohio Valley Conference last season but pre-season polls show Jacksonville State is the favorite to win the conference this year. The Redhawks are picked to finish fourth.

Coach Tony Samuel says his team isn’t looking at the big picture just yet.

"We’re basically preparing ourselves for this first game. We’ve got a lot of new people. There are some new coaches, new players, and we’re just trying to put everything together for that moment," Samuel says.

The team lost several of last season’s starters to graduation, including running back Henry Harris.

Coach Samuel says Harris was a big part of last season's success. But there are several players who are stepping up to fill his shoes this season.

"We’ve got about 3 or 4 kids, I think, that can carry the weight at the halfback position and we’ve got some new fullbacks as well, but we’ve got about 2 or 3 kids that are starting to show up," Samuel says. "Lennies McFerren is one of them. Levi Terrell is another one. There are a couple other kids that are starting to show up, but we’re gonna use about 2 or 3 running backs."

The Redhawks host Southern Illinois in the season opener Saturday, September 3, at 6pm.

Drew Yount, KRCU

Read More

Moses named to 2011 College Baseball Lineup

Southeast Missouri State University’s Redhawks third baseman Trenton Moses was named to the 2011 College Baseball Lineup.

The 40-man roster consists of the best players in college baseball. Each conference is represented by a minimum of one player. Moses was the only Ohio Valley Conference player chosen for the honor.

Moses had a breakout season for the Redhawks, batting .395 with 53 RBIs and 11 homes runs. He was named the OVC Player of the Year and was named to the Louisville Slugger All-American Team earlier this month.

Read More

Redhawks Athletics Director John Schafer retires

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Southeast Missouri State University’s Athletic Director announced his retirement on Thursday.

John Schafer came out of retirement to helm the Redhawks’ athletic program in 2008. During his tenure, the football team won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, the baseball team continued its success, the gymnastics team won two conference championships, and the Redhawks swept the men’s and women’s shot put and weight throw titles at the OVC Indoor Championships.

Interim Associate Director of Athletics Brady Barke says that Schafer’s personality will be difficult to replace.

“He did such a wonderful job of creating camaraderie within the department and the university. But then also bringing back people in the community that we really needed,” Barke said.

The university will conduct a nationwide search to fill the position. Cindy Gannon will serve as interim athletics director.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Southeast names new head women's basketball coach

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Southeast Missouri State University women’s basketball team has a brand new coach. 

The Athletics Department introduced Ty Margenthaler to the community yesterday.

Margenthaler has been an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin for the past five years. He comes from a family steeped in coaching tradition: both his father and brother are coaches at the collegiate level.

Flanked by his wife, two sons, parents, and in-laws, Margenthaler thanked Southeast President Ken Dobbins and Athletic Director John Shafer for selecting him as the new coach. But Margenthaler plans to hit the ground running in his new job.

“I’m excited about the outreach to the local communities in recruiting efforts. That’s going take place, quite honestly, right away. I’m hitting the road tomorrow to going up to Chicago to start the recruiting process. So I’m really looking forward to that.”

Margenthaler signed a four year contract for just over 82 thousand dollars per year.

The university declined to extend the contract of last year’s head coach, John Ishee, after a disappointing 8-21 season.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Ishee will not return as Redhawks women's basketball coach

John Ishee will not return as the women’s basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University.

Ishee’s contract will expire April 30 and it will not be renewed after a disappointing 8-21 season.

Ishee coached the Redhawks for five years. He led the team to Ohio Valley Conference Championships in 2006-2007, as well as 2007-2008. His overall record is 77 and 74.

Marcus Payne will fill in as acting head coach while the university conducts a nationwide search.

Read More