Local athletes get in one last bit of work before it gets real

The official start of MSHSAA football season is actually Monday, but there isn’t a high school football program in the state that hasn’t spent this summer in preparation for the 2023 regular season, which gets underway Aug. 25.

For the Kennett and Sikeston High School football programs, one of the final activities of the off-season before entering this past week, which was a mandated moratorium week by MSHSAA, was for their athletes to measure themselves against some of the best athletes in the five-state region at a “Prospect Camp,” which was run by the Southeast Missouri State football program recently.

“We get a lot out of this,” Kennett football coach Andrew Webster said while he observed his players competing through drills. “For the kids who are, eventually, on SEMO’s radar, they get a great experience to get looked at.”

That isn’t some far-fetched scenario put out there by Webster.

Two years ago, former Indian players, Latrevion Thompson and Jordan Jarrett were both offered scholarships by the Redhawk coaching staff, and both eventually signed with SEMO.

Last summer, former Kennett player Daniel Boatman attended this camp and eventually signed to play at NAIA program Culver-Stockton College.

“It is just a good experience to be here,” Webster explained. “We brought a lot of kids who are younger this year. They can see how the drills work. They can see other players.”

For the Kennett athletes, they compete in the very-challenging SEMO Conference, however, they don’t often get the opportunity to see how good the athletes are from throughout the Mid-South region.

“It’s important that they see all kinds of players,” Webster said. “We only compete against certain players. But SEMO has kids from all over this state and other states.

“There are going to be some big-time prospects here.”

Redhawk football coach Tom Matukewicz said over 250 athletes attended this camp, which “is the biggest that we’ve had since I’ve been here (in 10 years).”

The SEMO coaching staff is actively recruiting over 10 percent of those athletes who attended the camp and were evaluating every athlete who worked out.

“Those are potential (NCAA Division I) athletes,” Webster continued. “Our kids can see them as a measuring stick and something to strive for.”

Third-year Sikeston football coach Treston Pulley echoed a lot of those same thoughts, as he watched his group of athletes be instructed by the Redhawk coaches.

“Our players are getting extra reps,” Pulley said of the experience. “And they get eyes on them from college scouts. They can put themselves on a radar.”

Pullery said his team has “competed” this off-season.

The Bulldogs took part in scrimmages with Kennett, East Prairie, and Charleston programs, and he believes his team has “gotten better.”

Last week, before the moratorium got underway, the Bulldogs traveled to Marquette High School, where they worked out against several MSHSAA Class 6 programs.

“We’re trying to get better,” Pulley said.

Kennett opens the regular season on Aug. 25 against Hayti while Sikeston will compete in a jamboree on Aug. 18 (6 p.m.) at Winfield, before opening its regular season a week later at Hillsboro.