Seniors have left imprint with play, dedication

What an exciting week as we prepare to play one of the biggest football games ever played at Houck Stadium. At 1 p.m. Saturday we will play for a share of the Ohio Valley Conference championship and a berth in the Division I-AA playoffs.

I've been coaching for 25 years and have been a part of six national championship teams, but this year's Southeast team is the most inspirational team I've ever been around. They are a gritty group that has overcome the adversity of an 0-5 start and injuries to key players to end up in the championship game.

Any time you approach a game that could be your final game in a season, I think about the seniors who have meant so much to the program. The first two I think about are Ryan Roth and Justen Meyer, who are the only two players left from the John Mumford era. They are both great young men who have suffered with the losing years and celebrated with last year's winning team. In their final season they get to play for a league title and that is really special for them.

Our other seniors:

Justin Hayes has been an integral part of our team for the past four years. An injury ended his playing career two years ago, but he wanted to stay with the program and he has by being our film guy.

Lee Freeman has helped out in a number of ways. He is a key member despite not seeing a lot of playing time.

Joe Busby is another player who has seen very little playing time, but he never misses practice.

Eugene Amano has developed into one of the top centers in Division I-AA football. He will have a chance to play at the next level.

Ricky Farmer has developed into a great linebacker who leads the OVC in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.

Chuck McElroy was one of our early recruits and has had a solid career at tight end. He is a team leader and quality person.

Kelvin Jones followed me here from Marshall and has been a key linebacker for us the past two seasons. He has already graduated but wanted to play his final season to have the opportunity to win a championship.

Eric Krauss transferred from Marshall to Southeast and was a key offensive lineman. He has missed his senior season with an injury, but he continues to help out in every way he can.

Michael Irving transferred to Southeast after playing a year of baseball at Jackson State and has worked his way into the starting lineup. He has done a tremendous job this season at linebacker while playing hurt.

Brandon Amick had been out of football for a couple of years but came out last season. He is now a starter at wide receiver.

Ron Byias and Graham Goodfield both came in from junior college and have made solid contributions.

Jack Tomco came in from a junior college and led us to an 8-4 record last season. This year he has gone through some tough times, but he has always been prepared and ready to go when needed. He will represent our program in the first ever I-AA all-star game in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., this year.

All of our seniors have made major contributions to the program and have put us in a position to play for the conference championship.

I am proud of them and the other members of the team, and I hope you are too. I appreciate the support of our fans and hope you will be at Houck Stadium on Saturday when we will need all the help we can get.

Tim Billings is the head football coach at Southeast Missouri State University.