Dedicated athletes

The Southeast Missouri State University football team's season ended earlier this month with a heartbreaking loss to Murray State.

The Redhawks, coming off last year's historic run that led to the program's first OVC championship and playoff berth, didn't have the strongest of records this year. However, there were some positives.

Senior quarterback Matt Scheible finished his record-setting college football career, a tenure that included 36 consecutive starts dating back to his freshman year. Scheible was named to the second-team all-OVC team and finished his collegiate career with 7,436 yards of total offense (2,595 rushing and 4,841 passing). This school record is even more impressive when you consider that no other Southeast player has ever achieved 6,000 yards of total offense.

Scheible ranks in the top 10 in several other Southeast single season and career categories. He was also recognized with the OVC Player of the Week Award and nationally with the College Football Performance Awards Football Championship Subdivision National Performer of the Week for Oct. 2.

Junior linebacker Blake Peiffer, a Jackson High School graduate, set a single-season school-record with 151 tackles this year. Peiffer's season total led the OVC and was second in the nation. Named to the first-team all-OVC team, Peiffer had 10 tackles in 10 of 11 starts this season.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver/return specialist Spencer Davis also received conference honors. Davis was named to the all-newcomer OVC team.

Congratulations to these Southeast players.