Cottner tries to make most of season despite injury

Due to circumstances beyond his control, Kris Cottner's rookie college football season did not go as he envisioned.

Cottner is determined to make up for it.

Cottner, a Southeast Missouri State freshman cornerback from Perryville, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the fourth quarter of the Sept. 6 game at Missouri.

So Cottner's season was over almost before it had a chance to begin.

"You have no idea," said Cottner when asked how disappointed he was.

But Cottner will look ahead and not behind.

Scheduled for surgery in about five or six weeks -- after the swelling in the knee goes down and he regains his range of motion -- Cottner is determined to return to the field better than ever.

"Rehab, that's the main thing on my mind," he said as he attended Southeast's Tuesday practice at Houck Stadium. "Get back to football. It's hard to just sit and watch.

"I've heard rehab is the hardest part. I'm going into it with the mindset I'll give every exercise 100 percent. My [football] career is riding on it."

And Cottner believes something good could result from his misfortune.

Since Cottner only saw limited action in the first two games -- he played strictly on special teams in the opener against Southwest Baptist and played a little at corner in the late going against Missouri -- he should have no trouble regaining this year of eligibility as a medical hardship.

So Cottner still should be able to play four more seasons for the Redhawks.

"Someone on the team told me that it could be a blessing in disguise because I'll still have four years," Cottner said. "I think there will be a positive to come out of this."

Cottner ranked among the area's premier all-around athletes at Perryville High School.

Not only did Cottner star in football -- he gained nearly 1,200 yards rushing as a tailback each of the past two years -- he was a state-qualifying sprinter for the Pirates' track team.

Cottner said he was elated when Southeast offered him a scholarship to play in the secondary.

It didn't take long for Cottner -- a solid 5-foot-10, 190-pounder -- to make an impression on his teammates and coaches.

Cottner moved to Cape Girardeau in the summer and threw himself into the Redhawks' voluntary offseason program. He lifted weights, ran and participated in 7-on-7 drills with his future teammates nearly every day.

"I was trying to do everything I could to get ready for the season," Cottner said. "They [the other players] really welcomed me in this summer, showed me the ropes."

Senior wide receiver Mike Williamson, one of the Redhawks' captains, raved about Cottner during Southeast's media day event before the start of practice.

"I have no idea where he's going to fit in as far as playing time goes," Williamson said, "but this guy showed up for every workout this summer. He's in great physical condition. He's up there in the top four or five people finishing in every sprint. He lifts hard.

"He's humble, he has a good mindset and he's personable with his teammates. I couldn't be more excited about a guy on that side of the ball, and it surprises me because he's a freshman. I'm pumped about him."

Southeast coach Tony Samuel felt -- and still feels -- the same way, which is why Samuel said he was disappointed to see Cottner get hurt.

"I feel really bad for him," Samuel said. "He spent the whole summer here, trained with the team all summer, worked his tail off.

"I really like him. He's an old-school, hard-working, dedicated kid. The plus is, he's a hard worker, so I know he'll bounce back really well from this injury."

Cottner said he was injured at Missouri -- the nation's fifth-ranked Division I-A team -- during an innocent-looking play that featured no contact.

"I just planted on it [the knee], it buckled and I felt it pop," Cottner said. "You always hear the stories, when you hear it pop, something is wrong.

"I knew when I couldn't get up the first time, something was wrong."

The discovery of a torn ACL proved that, but Cottner isn't going to let the injury ruin his initial college football experience.

Cottner said he has "loved" every minute of playing for the Redhawks and will continue to soak up as much knowledge as he can while attending practices and meetings.

"Since I can't participate in the physical part, I'm going to try and get the mental part down as much as possible," he said.

Which is important, said Cottner, who figured that out through practicing with the Redhawks and playing in the first two games.

"Definitely the speed of the game is so much different than high school, but mostly it's the mental aspect," he said. "You have to know so much. ... In high school, you can get by with athletic ability. You can't do that here."

Cottner said the biggest things he must improve on for next season are "just technique and knowing my assignments."

And he's got to return 100 percent healthy, which based on his work ethic, should be no problem.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get ready," Cottner said. "I can't wait to get back on the field."