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Column: The 'next step' for SEMO Athletics isn't to be taken by the Redhawks (6/10/21)This past Monday marked the fifth anniversary of Brady Barke being named as the leader of athletics at Southeast Missouri State on a permanent basis. “A lot has happened since then,” Barke laughed recently. Ain’t that the truth.
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Column: Cardinals exhibit proper priorities in decision on Albert Pujols (5/7/21)Pangs were felt in the hearts of St. Louis Cardinal fans on Thursday and they were similar to those experienced nearly a decade ago when one of the greatest Redbirds of all time left the franchise for a riverboat full of money. However, letting Cardinal legend Albert Pujols leave town on that cold December day encapsulates what makes St. Louis an iconic Major League Baseball franchise.
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Column: Redhawks show 'character' with strong finish to great era (4/12/21)The 2019 Ohio Valley Conference football championship squad included a senior class that was the most successful group in Southeast Missouri State history.
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Column: SEMO FB maintaining positivity in face of adversity (3/29/21)It’s easy for a football team to display positivity when things are going well. The challenge in athletics is measured in how it reacts to negativity.
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Column: 'March Madness' isn't limited to ON the court (3/18/21)College basketball fans are under the impression that “March Madness” begins tonight in Indiana, where that thing referred to as the “First Four” is played leading up to the REAL start of the NCAA Tournament, which will be Friday. However, truth be told, there has been “Madness” surrounding the sport for several weeks and it will continue until the last of the NCAA Division I men’s college basketball head coaching opportunities is filled.
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Column: SEMO football goal is altered following 2OT loss (3/15/21)The end goal for the Southeast Missouri State football program this spring has realistically shifted, even though no one within the program is going to admit to such at this point of its seven-game season.
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Column: Notre Dame win loses significance in light of 'scary' moment (3/11/21)I’m a sportswriter, so I’m supposed to tell you in detail that the Notre Dame girl’s basketball team won its third MSHSAA Sectional title in a row on Wednesday by beating North County 65-53 in the Class 5 tournament at Notre Dame.
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Column: In one year, Brad Korn has changed the direction of SEMO basketball (3/4/21)As the sun rose on March 4, 2020, the dawn marked a new beginning not just to another day, but also a fresh start for the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program. The previous day, fifth-year coach Rick Ray had been let go and Redhawk basketball was in flux that morning.
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Column: Tom Brady's 'journey' pales in comparison (1/25/21)Tampa Bay Buccaneer first-year quarterback Tom Brady said those words following his team’s 31-26 victory over Green Bay Sunday in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field...
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Column: SEMO basketball is close, now the 'Hawks need to take the 'next step' (12/23/20)TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the fans of the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team who are curious as to how good the Redhawks are this season, the answer is fairly good. However, what SEMO isn’t is good enough to play while making mistakes and still win. The margin for error for this group is razor-thin and that was on display (again) in a 72-66 loss at Indiana State on Tuesday at the Hulman Center...
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Column: The greatness of Jackson football is clear to all (11/28/20)O’FALLON - I have been blessed throughout my career to have covered some tremendous high school football programs and athletes. Prior to my arrival in Cape Girardeau, I spent a decade in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I detailed the Friday night exploits of eight state champions and athletes that ultimately got paid a lot of money to play this game, such as Jaylon Smith, Tyler Eifert, and Drue Tranquill...
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Column: Temper any critiques of SEMO basketball this season (11/26/20)The legendary and sadly, late, college men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus was infamous for a number of things, aside from being a tremendous coach. For those sports journalists that had the opportunity to cover his teams at the various stops he made, we all have our stories of dealing with him.
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Column: Jackson soccer had the right coach for the right time (11/22/20)A common theme throughout the Jackson High School athletic program is success and that starts at the top of each team. You don’t get hired to lead an athletic squad at this school if you aren’t capable of being at the top of your profession.
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Column: Few things in life are as special as the bond between teammates (8/5/20)It is an interesting aspect of our pathway through life that the relationships experienced through our formative years make such a significant and lasting impression.
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Column: Will SEMO play football this fall? Don't bet on it (7/31/20)Ohio Valley Commissioner Beth DeBauche recently stated that the league could be addressing whether or not to play football following its Board of Presidents convening this past Wednesday.
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Column: The people of Southeast Missouri have made my 'Year One' a resounding success (5/29/20)Time flies when you are having fun, and make no mistake about it, the past year has been a lot of fun for me both personally and professionally.
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Column: A break from sports is a positive, so treat it as such (3/18/20)DENVER, Indiana – Growing up one of five children born to a small-level farmer and his stay-at-home wife, my wife never had the financial resources or the time available to take family vacations.
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Column: Simply hoping for better days is no longer acceptable with Southeast hoops (3/1/20)With today’s 87-78 regular-season concluding defeat at UT Martin, the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program wrapped up yet another disappointing season, which for this program historically, is nothing out of the ordinary. And I don’t understand why that is.
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Column: Redhawks showing heart, discipline to the end (2/21/20)Given its placement (12th in a 12-team league) in the most recent Ohio Valley Conference standings, there is no shortage of negative aspects surrounding the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program to nit-pick at. However, what isn’t at fault is the degree of competitiveness and discipline that the Redhawk program is putting on display even in the face of a season that went wayward almost from the get-go.
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Column: Cleaning up MY Southeast basketball mess (2/9/20)A truly skilled professional sports gambler will generally have a success rate of 55 percent, or for the cynics out there, a failure rate of 45 percent.
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Column: Now is the time for change in Southeast basketball (2/2/20)When you’ve been the editor of three newspapers, not just the sports editor, but THE editor, there have been times in which I have had to write on difficult topics.
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Column: Kobe's legacy? Control your own destiny (1/27/20)The tragedy of the death of NBA icon Kobe Bryant Sunday in a helicopter crash north of Los Angeles is a layered one. There is the personal side of his story, in that; he left a wife and three children behind. There is the intellectual side of the story, in that, he was a bi-lingual, global entrepreneur who achieved as much success in a corporate boardroom as he ever did on a basketball court...
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Column: SEMO football coach isn't the only blessed 'Tom' in this town (11/28/19)The above statement could not be more accurate, and it was made by a guy who openly admits to having been a mediocre student to the point that he “hated school.” But sixth-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz was correct in his assessment of what has allowed the Redhawks to achieve unprecedented success.