Southeast adds recognition with two more polls

As Southeast Missouri State University's football team progresses with summer practice, it's hard to believe the much-anticipated season begins in less than two weeks.

But as they gear up for their Aug. 28 opener at Division I-A Ohio, the Indians can continue to draw plenty of motivation from their preseason status as one of the nation's premier NCAA Division I-AA squads.

The Indians had earlier this summer been ranked 16th by one magazine, so they knew they were highly regarded. But on Monday -- when the two major Division I-AA polls came out -- the Indians were officially recognized as one of the nation's top teams. They're rated 20th in The Sports Network media poll and 21st in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll.

Of course, as coach Tim Billings has pointed out too many times to count over the last several weeks, preseason rankings -- while affording plenty of visibility and publicity for both the program and the university -- won't mean a thing when the Indians take the field in Athens, Ohio, on Aug. 28.

"You think Ohio is going to care that we're ranked?" a laughing Billings asked me at a recent practice.

Not likely, but as I pointed out to Billings, it's still nice for his program that millions and millions of college football fans across the country saw Southeast in the national rankings when they picked up their Tuesday newspaper.

And as long as the Indians perform well on the field once the season starts, those millions and millions of fans will likely continue to see Southeast in the polls each week.

One interesting note regarding the I-AA rankings is that Eastern Illinois, while picked no higher than third in most Ohio Valley Conference preseason polls, is the highest-rated OVC squad, checking in at No. 18 (Sports Network) and No. 19 (USA Today/ESPN).

That's no doubt a credit to the Panthers' recent strong tradition; they have won or shared two straight OVC titles and have made three consecutive I-AA playoff appearances.

But without quarterback Tony Romo -- the three-time OVC Offensive Player of the Year who is making a strong bid to stick with the Dallas Cowboys -- and a host of other key players who completed their eligibility, the Panthers face a major challenge in living up to their ranking.

The pollsters evidently think Eastern Illinois will be up to the task. It remains to be seen if that is the case, but, as sports pundits are fond of saying, that's why they play the games.

Here are a couple of other OVC football tidbits regarding a former Southeast player and coach.

Jon Carr, a quarterback for the Indians from 1987 to '89, is in his first year as the Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator. He was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee State, another OVC school, the last three seasons.

And Russ Ehrenfeld, the Indians' defensive line coach from 1990 to '92, is in his first year as the offensive line coach at Tennessee Tech. Ehrenfeld has also coached at Tennessee State and Austin Peay since leaving Southeast.

One more note about a former Southeast football player:

Riki Smith, a four-year running back for the Indians who completed his eligibility in 1999, is starting his first season as an assistant football coach at Perryville High School.

Riki tells me he is fired up about helping new head coach Rick Chastain and the rest of the staff try to turn around the Pirates' struggling program.

Here's a quick personal update for Southeast sports fans regarding former Cape Girardeau resident Mike Legg:He got married last month.

Mike was the popular radio voice of Southeast football and basketball for seven seasons from 1994 through 2001. Since leaving Cape Girardeau, he has been the radio voice of Western Kentucky University football and basketball.

Congratulations and best wishes to my good buddy. He married a fitness trainer, so I'm sure she's quickly whipping him into shape -- the kind of shape it must have been impossible to attain when he was hanging out with me during all those Southeast road trips.

It's nice to see that former Southeast star Kerry Robinson has gotten his bat going in recent games and helped lead the Cardinals to some big wins.

Entering the weekend, Robinson raised his average more than 20 points in less than two weeks and was up to .255 and once again looking like he'll play a key role off the bench and in spot starting duty as the Cardinals chase a division championship.

But those title hopes suffered a big blow when Matt Morris sprained an ankle in a hotel fall early Friday morning.

Professional athletes sure get injured in weird ways sometimes.

While several players from the immediate area continue to fare well in the minor leagues, a Caruthersville High School graduate is also doing his share of tearing up the lower levels of professional baseball.

Matt Palmer, a Southwest Missouri State University product who pitched for the Capahas a few years ago, recently was promoted to Double A after going 5-0 with 25 saves and a 1.20 earned-run average in Class A. Palmer is in his second pro season.

Former Eastern Illinois University basketball star Henry Domercant, the nation's second-leading scorer last season with a 27.9 average who was not selected in the NBA draft, recently signed a contract to play in Turkey's top professional league.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.