Lewis among those who left Redhawks football team

With college football teams having such large rosters, it's pretty much a given that several underclassmen leave programs for various reasons each year.

One of the more notable younger players, at least from a regional perspective, missing from the 2012 Redhawks will be Trey Lewis, the Sikeston, Mo., native who would have been entering his sophomore season.

Lewis came to Southeast as a quarterback and showed promise during limited action in 2011 while serving as the true freshman backup behind record-setting senior Matt Scheible. Lewis was moved to wide receiver in the spring and participated in spring workouts.

Southeast officials would not disclose the reason for Lewis' departure but did confirm that he is no longer on the squad.

I thought Lewis had the potential to be Southeast's quarterback of the future when he signed with the Redhawks but obviously that didn't work out.

Lewis' loss as a wide receiver probably won't be overly significant, at least not for this season, although he certainly had the athletic ability to contribute at the position.

Here's hoping everything works out for Lewis because the several times I spoke to him he seemed like a nice kid with a bright future.

Among other true freshmen contributors from 2011 no longer in the program is speedy tailback A.J. Cobb. He had his redshirt lifted midway through last season after Levi Terrell was injured. Cobb provided a spark by rushing for 144 yards and averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He left well before spring ball began.

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Someone on the website semofans.com recently posted that the Redhawks' men's basketball team's second "money" game will be at Missouri.

Southeast coach Dickey Nutt told me that's not a done deal, but the Redhawks are talking to MU about a matchup, which would be the second in two years between the programs.

Nutt said Southeast also has been in negotiations with Arkansas. It appeared for a while like the Redhawks would face the Razorbacks this season, but that is up in the air right now. It's looking more and more like MU might be the best option.

It already had been confirmed that the Redhawks' first "money" game this season will be the Nov. 9 season opener at Kansas as part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

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I had a chance to cover some of last week's Missouri Senior Babe Ruth state tournament in Charleston and continue to be amazed by how nice of a facility Hillhouse Park is.

Sparked by constant efforts from Charleston High School and Charleston Senior Babe Ruth coach Michael Minner -- a Cape Girardeau native and 1998 Central High School graduate -- along with many others, Hillhouse ranks among the region's top baseball venues.

Minner has done a remarkable job rejuvenating the baseball program at Charleston High School while working relentlessly to develop Charleston's Senior Babe Ruth program into a state and regional power.

And what a state tournament by Minner's Fighting Squirrels. They fell into the losers bracket during their second game but stormed back to post six straight wins for their second consecutive state title and regional berth.

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The local Senior American Legion baseball season is winding down with playoff time just about here.

Jackson Post 158 will host the four-team District 14 tournament Friday through Sunday, followed by Ford & Sons Cape Girardeau Post 63 hosting the five-team Zone 4 tournament next week for the third straight year.

The district champion earns a berth in the zone tournament. Since Cape automatically will be in the zone as the host squad, the district runner-up also would qualify for zone play if Post 63 wins the district.

Dunklin County finished with the best regular-season district record and is the top seed for the district tournament. Jackson is second, Cape third and Sikeston fourth.

While Sikeston did not win a district game and is a huge long shot to capture the tournament, the other three teams all have a legitimate chance.

Marty Mishow is a sports reporter for the Southeast Missourian.