OVC honors Casper, Spada

~ Redhawks football players voted to all-OVC first team.

Three Southeast Missouri State football players received all-Ohio Valley Conference recognition Tuesday as the league announced its postseason awards.

Voting was done by the OVC head coaches and sports information directors.

Southeast senior linebacker Adam Casper and sophomore punter Doug Spada made the all-OVC first team, while freshman wide receiver Miles Edwards was named to the all-newcomer squad.

"They're all very deserving and I'm happy for them that they made it," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said.

Casper, a graduate of Anna-Jonesboro (Ill.) High School, earned first-team all-league honors for the second year in a row.

Casper finished the season with an OVC-best 112 tackles in just 10 games. He ranks 12th nationally in tackles per game. He also had four tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.

"He had a great year, especially for a guy who wasn't 100 percent the whole year," Samuel said. "He had a great career."

Spada tied for second in the OVC with a 42.5-yard punting average, which is 10th nationally. He led the conference by placing 27 of his 59 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Spada, from Shelby, N.C., handled all the Redhawks' kicking duties, including field goals, extra points and kickoffs.

"We were very fortunate to have him because he had to cover all the kicks for us," Samuel said. "He did it all and he had a very good year."

Edwards, a true freshman from Sicklerville, N.J., led the Redhawks in receptions (34), receiving yards (480) and touchdowns (seven).

Over the final four games, Edwards caught 23 passes for 340 yards and six touchdowns. He caught three touchdown passes against Austin Peay on Nov. 3 to tie the school single-game record.

"He came on late and really had a good second half of the year," Samuel said. "He's got a full three more years ... he's not even as strong as he'll be yet."

EKU dominates

OVC champion Eastern Kentucky won three of the four major awards and placed a league-high seven players on the all-conference first team.

The Colonels (9-2, 8-0), who will play at Richmond on Saturday in the opening round of the Division I-AA playoffs, also led the way with seven second-team selections.

OVC runner-up Eastern Illinois (8-3, 7-1), which also made the playoffs and will visit Southern Illinois on Saturday, was next with six first-team all-league picks.

For Eastern Kentucky, junior quarterback Allan Holland was named OVC offensive player of the year, senior cornerback Derrick Huff earned defensive player of the year and Danny Hope won coach of the year.

Holland completed 173 of 284 (60.9 percent) passes for 1,962 yards and 14 touchdowns. His passing efficiency rating of 133.10 was 30th nationally. He also carried the ball 70 times for 201 yards and four touchdowns.

Huff leads the nation in interceptions, picking off nine passes in 10 games. He returned one interception for a touchdown and added 58 tackles, seven pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.

Hope led the Colonels to their league-record 19th OVC championship, but first in 10 years (1997). He also secured the program's first playoff appearance since 1997.

Murray State redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt rounded out the major award-winners as he was named OVC freshman of the year.

Ehrhardt completed 236 of 393 (60.1 percent) passes for 2,567 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also rushing for 375 yards and five scores. He led the OVC in passing yards, touchdown passes and total offense.