Veteran DL Steven Lewis 'adds a lot of value' to Redhawks

Pick a defensive statistic from the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference team football leaders and chances are the league champions, Southeast Missouri State, was either the best team or second-best.

Scoring defense? The Redhawks were number one.

Total defense? The same.

Pass defense efficiency? Ditto.

You get the picture.

As explosive and fun to watch as the SEMO offense was last year, and it was A LOT of fun to watch, the Redhawks got really defensive last season, as well.

“We have to put the focus on us,” defensive lineman Lunden Manuel said of the 2023 season, “and drown out the outside noise and constant reminders of everything that we did last year.”

The success of the Redhawk defense will begin up front with Manuel, but also with 2022 Second Team All-OVC selection Steven Lewis, who has been good to great since he arrived in Cape Girardeau in 2020.

“Steven is a complete player,” Redhawk defensive coordinator Ricky Coon said. “He adds a lot of value to the run game. He is big enough and strong enough to be a run-stopper.”

The 6-foot-1, 275-pound beast of an athlete will have to “be a run stopper” on Saturday, as the Redhawks visit No. 16-ranked Kansas State at 6 p.m. (ESPN+), who is coming off a 10-win season.

If SEMO can’t control the Wildcats along the defensive front, the rest of the Redhawk defense is going to have its work cut out for itself.

“Steven is also athletic enough to be a pass rusher,” Coon continued. “That is something that is uncommon for big people.”

A year ago, Lewis made 34 tackles, 2 ½ of which were for a loss. He had three pass breakups, a quarterback hurry, and even blocked a kick. He has been named as one of the “Players to Watch” within the newly formed Big South-OVC Football Association.

“Usually,” Coon explained, “a big player is better at (run defense or pass defense). He’s pretty good at both. He’s smart and he’s dependable.”

Lewis will team with Manuel and senior LaWilliam Holmes along the 3-4 look. However, where exactly Lewis will lineup will vary from play to play.

“It allows us to move him around,” Coon said of Lewis’s athleticism. “I feel like Steven is a coach on the field. He’s going to get the other players lined up if that person isn’t as well-versed as he is.

“He adds a lot of value to our front.”

As a true freshman, Lewis played in seven games, which is a lot for a young player at that position. He made two starts that season and has never come out of the lineup since.

Over the past two seasons, Lewis has made 22 starts.

“Success all starts up front,” Coon, who was a longtime defensive line coach before ascending to the coordinator position, said. “If we’re not good up there, (the rest) really doesn’t matter.

“The years that we have been great here at SEMO, we have had a really good front.”