LOCALS PLAY BIG ROLE IN SEMO FOOTBALL

They range from starters to valuable backups to raw freshmen who probably won't get off the bench, but one thing is for sure: local players will have a definite impact on this year's Southeast Missouri State University football team.

The Indians list 13 area high school products on their 1997 roster, including four players who figure to be in the starting lineup during Saturday night's season opener against Lambuth at Houck Stadium.

"It's always good to have local players on the team and we've got quite a few," said Southeast head coach John Mumford. "We've got several local kids who will start for us and some others will play quite a bit.

"We also feel like we have some good young kids from the area who will be good players in the future for us."

Cape Girardeau Central High School has produced the most local players on the roster, six. Next in line are Jackson and Perryville, with two apiece. Having one each are Scott City, Charleston and Fredericktown.

Perryville actually can boast of having the most local starters as center Chris Kiefer and placekicker Eric Warren are both regulars for the Indians.

Kiefer, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound sophomore, lettered as a backup center and guard last year as a redshirt freshman. He made tremendous strides during spring drills to earn a starting position.

Warren, a senior, was steady as the Indians' regular kicker last year, making seven of nine field-goal attempts, including a game-winning 38-yarder in overtime against Middle Tennessee State.

The other two local starters are fullback Britt Mirgaux (Scott City) and linebacker Gabe Jenkins (Cape Central).

Mirgaux, a bruising 6-1, 230-pound junior, was arguably the Indians' most valuable offensive weapon last season. Southeast struggled offensively all year in 1996 and gained only 914 yards on the ground as a team, but Mirgaux accounted for 661 of those yards and scored five touchdowns.

Jenkins, another bruising junior who stands 6-feet and weighs 230 pounds, played fullback last year and gained 234 yards before being moved to linebacker in the spring. The former linebacker at Cape Central has adjusted well to the switch.

Four locals are listed second on the depth chart and should see plenty of playing time: wide receiver Diandrai Webb (Cape Central), free safety John Smith (Jackson), linebacker Steve Ledbetter (Charleston) and offensive guard Chad King (Fredericktown).

Webb, a 6-1, 195-pound sophomore, gained valuable playing time as a true freshman last year as he saw action in six games and caught five passes for 54 yards.

Smith, a 6-1, 190-pound sophomore, lettered as a key special teams player last year as a redshirt freshman. He had 10 tackles.

Ledbetter, a 6-1, 230-pound senior, was bothered by a bad ankle last season and had only 10 tackles in limited action but he had offseason ankle surgery and appears to be healthy. As a sophomore, he had 67 tackles.

King, a 6-3, 275-pound sophomore, lettered last year as a backup in the offensive line as a redshirt freshman.

Four locals are true freshmen who don't figure to see much if any action this year, but could eventually turn into solid contributors.

Quarterback Bobby Brune (Cape Central) and wide receiver Marcus Lowe (Cape Central) were both signed by the Indians out of high school while quarterback Mike Gross (Jackson) and wide receiver Andy Dunaway (Cape Central) joined the squad as walk-ons.

One other area product, linebacker Terrance Sterling (Cape Central), was projected as a possible starter this year but has not yet practiced as he continues to be plagued by lingering leg problems.

Sterling, a 5-11, 225-pound junior, was a part-time starter last year and he had a solid season with 50 tackles.