A football player's death: Is the coach to blame?

A jury decided Wednesday that a Kentucky high school football coach wasn't responsible for the death of an athlete who died under his watch.

The coach, David Stinson of Pleasure Ridge Park High in Louisville, was found not guilty of reckless homicide in the death of a 15-year-old football player in August 2008. The player died after collapsing during workouts on a day when the heat index was 94 degrees; prosecutors said the coach withheld water and ran his practice like a boot camp. The defense insisted water was available and said that the athletes knew the risk.

It's an interesting finding, especially after a New Madrid County Central football player died just Aug. 8 just four minutes into the team's morning practice. There, coaches administered CPR, but 16-year-old Raymond Tindle couldn't be revived.

The tragedies are painful, but by all accounts, the Kentucky court made the right call in determining it an unlikely accident. But will that be the ruling next time?

Is the Tour of Missouri a boost (or a bust) for Southeast Missouri?

The race itself zipped by in a colorful, European-tinged blur — a blur that, according to most estimates, cost almost $100,000 locally and $3.04 million statewide.

Ask most of the 5,000 or so people who watched the third annual Tour of Missouri whip and wind through the hills and highways of Southeast Missouri on Monday and Tuesday (with more expected to watch the tour's Farmington-area route Wednesday). They'll tell you that the tour brought unimaginable free publicity to the region in an economy when tourist dollars are harder to come by.

But a week ago, city and state leaders were gushing over the estimate that 30,000 Cape Girardeau-area fans would line streets and county roads to wave on the tour's diverse pack of riders — the sign of brighter days just a month or so after the state balked at the idea of paying its $1.5 million share of the race's cost.

Good weather couldn't produce the fans. The days and weeks of advance publicity couldn't, either. Maybe the fans didn't exist in the first place.

As the tour's vans and trucks and trailers and stream of faithful fans head to St. Francois County, then eventually west toward Kansas City, volunteers and city crews are cleaning up and, no doubt, thinking ahead to 2010.

Will the race be back? Will taxpayers and businesses and volunteers who spent time and money see a return on the investment? Will the fourth annual Tour of Missouri even happen?

And will those estimated 30,000 Southeast Missourians care?

A 72-3 win is one way to make a statement

Tony Samuel, you got our attention.

Thirty-five unventful, ho-hum, average-at-best games into the Samuel coaching era at Southeast, the Redhawks perked up. Not three games into the season. Not seven games in. But after just a few seconds in the first game of the year.

Suddenly, an offense that last season sputtered through a 4-8 season scored 72 points and looked forceful. A defense that last season that gave up big plays and big drives way too often this time gave up just a field goal — and looked downright menacing in the process.

Sure, when all's said and done, this is the kind of win Southeast should come to expect when NAIA teams like Quincy come to town. It hasn't always happened — let's not forget last season's putrid, opening-night 35-28 overtime win against Southwest Baptist that nearly had us calling for the return of John Mumford.

But starting his fourth season with new names and faces in key positions throughout the lineup, Samuel might have taken a huge step toward wiping away three seasons worth of Samuel-era futility — for the program, for the fans, maybe even for himself.

The surprise of the week? It's No. 33

A week ago, it might have been hard for East Prairie's football team to get much notice outside of ... well, outside of East Prairie.

The Eagles lost a star running back and hadn't been known for quick starts, especially not after losing their season-opener each of the past 10 years.

But the No. 33 team in the SEMO 33 rankings was quick out of the gate Friday with a 25-6 win over Hayti on Friday. It was East Prairie's first win over the SEMO Conference South rival since 1998 — also the last time the Eagles were 1-0.

The new SEMO 33 poll will be out Monday, no doubt with an improved spot for East Prairie.

The question now: Is this a sign that East Prairie, which so often last year looked on the brink of a breakout season, is finally turning the corner? Or was Friday a blip on the radar, and more of a sign that Hayti's in for a frustrating season?

Across the 23-county region, Friday didn't provide many other surprises on the scoreboard, although wins by favorites Farmington (51-7 over North County, Malden (50-14 over Scott City) and Sikeston (42-20 over Fredericktown) were more lopsided than expected.

And Park Hills Central opened eyes in the MAFC with its 22-8 win over Maplewood Richmond Heights — a team that's obviously reeling from heavy graduation losses. Are the Rebels contenders for the MAF White title?

Football kicks off this week: Where will you be?

One game ushers in the high school football season Thursday, but most teams will wait until 24 hours later to start the trek toward November.

Cape Girardeau Central, looking for a fix to its 1-9 season a year ago, welcomes Parkway North to Houck Stadium for Thursday's inaugural game of the season. The next day, 21 games are scheduled around the region.

At least a couple of games feature longtime conference rivalries right out of the gate: North County (and first-year coach Jeromy McDowell, a former Southeast quarterback) goes to Farmington in a large-school Mississippi Area Football Conference game, and Malden hosts Scott City in a years-long SEMO Conference South rivalry.

With so many questions, coaching changes and roster turnover heading into the season, you won't have to look far for potentially great matchups: Herculaneum at Valle, Charleston at Kennett, Ste. Genevieve at Dexter, St. Vincent at Caruthersville, Grandview at Chaffee, and Fredericktown at Sikeston all have potential to give the winner a solid push heading into Week 2.

The only catch: A 40 percent change of evening thunderstorms Friday, so watch the sky and be ready to pack a raincoat.

With so many options, any nominees for our region's best game of the week?

Football is just days away, and so are the SEMO 33 rankings

Our first SEMO 33 football poll is in the works, and it's set to be posted on SemoSportsWeb.com next Monday — four days before the start of the season, and three days after we get our first look at local teams in Friday's jamborees.

In case you weren't around to see it last season, the SEMO 33 poll is the only ranking that lists all 33 high school football teams in the region. Watch for it every Monday through the end of the playoffs.

We use input from coaches, athletes, fans, media — anybody with an opinion on high school football. And we're always looking for extra input, so share your thoughts at any time during the season with an e-mail (to jhall@semosportsweb.com) or with a post on our message board.

As for Friday's jamborees, they're scheduled for 10 different sites around the region with start times of either 6 or 7:30 p.m. Click over to our 2009 football page at this link for the whole schedule, along with the full schedules for every team in our area.

Check back over the weekend and early next week for photos from at least three of Friday's jamborees.

Howard should know pro baseball plans soon

A few notes heading into the weekend:

• Vince Howard Jr., who graduated from Sikeston High School in the spring, is still working on a deal to play professionally after he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in June. Vince has signed to play at Meramec Community College, and the decision is likely to be reached in about a week. Don't be surprised to see him playing at the college level, at least for the next year.

• Former Cape Girardeau Central all-state pick Mitch Craft has finished his first season of pro indoor football with a noteworthy award: Linebacker of the Year. The award was based on a fan survey. His Louisiana team lost 50-43 in an SIFL semifinal to Austin. In 11 games as a starter, Mitch was second in the league with 31 solo tackles and second with 24 assists.

• A new locally published book details a darker, seldom-seem side of boxing. The book, "8 ... 9 ... 10 ... You’re Out!," was written by former boxing promoter Rob Russen and published by BT Press, a publishing house based in Steele.

BT Press co-owner Brian Tramel calls the book a "tell-all storoy" that details the politics that help rule the sport, including the details that eventually led to the murder of a well-known boxing promoter.

The book retails for $19.99 and can be bought online at BTPress.net or at Amazon.com.