Redhawk FB to close out 2023 home season with appreciation

When you have the most successful football program in your conference for a length of time, watching each senior class exit the program on an annual basis is bound to be a somewhat disheartening endeavor.

Such will be the case on Saturday, as Southeast Missouri State (4-4, 3-0 Big South/OVC Football Association) will host Robert Morris (2-6, 0-3) at Houck Field at 1 p.m. for its final home game of the 2023 season.

“One of the things that I am going to talk about (in terms) of keys to a victory,” 10th-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz said of the annual Senior Day festivities,“ is to appreciate the people in your life.

“No one got here by themselves. It was always through others that you got here.”

Not only are 14 seniors (Ryan Flournoy, Damoriea Vick, Christian Fuhrman, Mike Matthews, Dalyn McDonald, Garrett Todd, Q’Nairies Anderson, Jacob Morrissey, Lunden Manuel, AJ Laux, Clve Truschel, LaWilliam Holmes and student-assistants Izeal Terrell and Caleb Williams), being honored, but Saturday will also serve as the program’s annual “Impact Game,” in which the Redhawk coaches and players pay homage to an individual who made a positive impact on their lives.

“These seniors have had a profound impact on me and our program,” Matukewicz said. “They have done a lot for this region.”

The renovation of Houck Field this season, coupled with a sort of weird, limited home schedule this fall, has resulted in this more than likely being the final game in Cape Girardeau for the aforementioned players.

“It is crazy that this is probably their last game ever at Houck,” Matukewicz said. “I want to make sure that I enjoy them, and hopefully, they take in the moment and process it.”

Over the past six seasons, the Redhawks have advanced to the FCS Playoffs three times, and are on schedule to do so again, as they sit atop the conference standings and are the only unbeaten team remaining.

SEMO will close out its regular season with road games at UT Martin and Bryant in the next two weeks, and a league title will award the Redhawks the automatic bid into the postseason.

Through those six years, SEMO has won nine games three times and claimed a share of the Ohio Valley Conference championship twice.

A win on Saturday would improve SEMO’s conference record over the last six seasons to 30-8.

“It’s been a great career by these guys,” Matukewicz said. “From a win total, but also just the impact that they have made.

“At the end of the day, it is about much more than playing, it is about relationships. It is about enjoying and reflecting on the impact that they have had, but certainly, we want to pause and reflect through every one of those guys and make sure that we appreciate them.”