Redhawks football fans hope for better than poll

Last week's announcement of the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason football poll again had Southeast Missouri State predicted to finish toward the bottom.

That is no surprise since Southeast has occupied one of the OVC's lower rungs for the majority of years since it moved up to Division I-AA and joined the league in 1991.

The Redhawks, coming off their last-place finish from a year ago, were picked tied for seventh among nine squads in last week's voting by the OVC coaches and sports information directors.

But if you're a Southeast fan there is reason to believe that just maybe the Redhawks will be considerably better than most people expect.

The 2009 Redhawks weren't as far off from a solid campaign as their record -- 2-9 overall and 1-7 in OVC play -- indicates.

Southeast was competitive in the majority of its conference games with a chance to win but consistently fell short -- primarily because of a struggling offense.

That offense came alive over the final two contests, a 49-13 rout of Murray State and a 42-24 loss to top-ranked Southern Illinois.

If the offense clicks early this year like it did late last season and the defense remains solid, then it's not far-fetched to envision the Redhawks pulling out some of those games they lost in 2009.

The director of that offense, junior quarterback Matt Scheible, really came on down the stretch last season.

And, in the opinion of the OVC's coaches and SIDs, Scheible will be the league's top signal caller this year. He was voted the all-OVC preseason quarterback.

It should be noted the majority of last year's top quarterbacks were seniors, leaving Scheible and Eastern Kentucky sophomore T.J. Pryor as the only legitimate candidates for preseason honors. But Scheible has plenty of tools and I like his composure. I expect him to continue improving and turn in a strong campaign.

It's rare when one of the conference's top quarterbacks plays for a team that finishes toward the bottom of the standings.

So if Scheible does back up his preseason ranking and earn all-OVC accolades at the end of the year, just maybe that will mean the Redhawks exceeded expectations.

At least it's something for long-suffering Southeast fans to hang their hats on.

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It won't help the Redhawks' cause that senior free safety Bryan Blanfort, among their top defensive players, will miss the season with a knee injury.

Blanfort, second in tackles and interceptions for the 2009 Redhawks, recently had ACL surgery. He will be able to redshirt and play as a senior in 2011.

It also won't help Southeast's defense that two expected key players with eligibility remaining -- end Damian Smith and tackle Errick Aliifua -- are no longer in the program.

Aliifua was a 330-pound run-stuffer who missed virtually all of last season with an injury. Smith led the 2009 Redhawks in sacks with 3.5 and tackles for loss with 6.5.

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Jacksonville State had the OVC's best record last year but was ineligible for the conference title because of academic sanctions handed down by the NCAA.

The Gamecocks are the preseason favorite this year, followed by defending champion Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky.

One thing working against the Gamecocks' living up to their advance billing is that only three times since 1997 -- and not once since 2002 -- has the preseason favorite won the championship.

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The Plaza Tire Capahas have quite a challenging opener as they make their 29th consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearance.

Manager Jess Bolen's squad begins the 32-team double-elimination tournament in Wichita, Kan., on Tuesday against the Seattle Studs. Game time has not been set.

The Studs, a perennial NBC power, are an eye-popping 36-4 after going 43-8 last year and finishing ninth in Wichita.

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It was another great season for the Jackson Senior Babe Ruth baseball team, which won its first state title and placed fourth last week at the Midwest Plains Regional in Wellington, Kan.

That came after the 2009 squad finished as the state and regional runner-up.

Coach Paul Sander has built quite a Senior Babe Ruth program in Jackson.

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Here is a quick update on former Southeast All-American catcher Jim Klocke, who is in his first season of professional baseball after being selected by the Phillies in the 31st round of this year's major league draft.

Klocke, with the Williamsport (Pa.) Crosscutters, the Phillies' Class A short-season team, was batting .234 through Saturday. He had 15 hits in 64 at-bats, with three doubles, two triples and nine RBIs. He is starting to come on offensively after a slow start.

Klocke has been sharing time at catcher while also seeing some action at DH and he has even played shortstop in one game.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.