SEMO Football head coach Tom Matukewicz and the Redhawks have been back hard at work preparing for the 2019 season, with official team practice underway for just over a week.
Coach Tuke said he is excited about the shape the team is in, and the team has shown great effort thus far. All the coaches and team e are excited to be back having fun and back to work.
SEMO is coming off a historic 2018 campaign which resulted in it posting a 9-4 overall record, finishing second in the Ohio Valley Conference at 6-2 and claiming only the second NCAA Playoff berth in program history.
That season, however, is behind them as the Redhawks have turned all their focus to the upcoming 2019 campaign with a large target on their backs.
As Coach Tuke puts it, the Redhawks are going to get everyone's best shot this season, and SEMO must be consistent and build on success.
Matukewicz and company are hoping that consistency carries into this year as the Redhawks are in position to put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their NCAA Division I history.
In all, SEMO has a total of 101 players on campus for its 2019 preseason camp. Included in that total are five returning starters on offense and 10 on defense. The Redhawks also have 19 seniors on this year's roster, a group that is four wins away from becoming the all-time winningest senior class in the school's Division I tenure.
The Redhawks have 24 practices scheduled leading up to their season-opener against longtime rival Southern Illinois on Aug. 29. SEMO and SIU will meet for the 87th time in the "War for the Wheel" this year. SEMO recently unveiled its new all black uniforms, which the team will wear at the home opener, and fans are all encouraged to wear black. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., CT, at Houck Field.
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