BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – A total of 12 Southeast Missouri players claimed Ohio Valley Conference honors for their efforts during the 2021 season.
Running back Geno Hess, offensive lineman Zack Gieg, defensive tackle Bryson Donnell, outside linebacker Omardrick Douglas, inside linebacker Brandon Mincy, kicker Kenny Doak and punter Zach Haynes each garnered first-team accolades. Wide receiver Johnny King, offensive lineman Nate Korte, inside linebacker Bryce Norman and kick returner Shabari Davis secured second-team laurels. And quarterback CJ Ogbonna was named to the league's All-Newcomer Team.
Hess, one of 25 finalists for the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award, led the OVC in rushing yards (1,116), rushing touchdowns (14) and rushing yards per game (111.6). He ranked seventh in the Football Championship Subdivision in each of those categories. Hess ran for over 100 yards in seven of his 10 starts at tailback.
Gieg, a transfer from Fresno State, took first-team honors in his first year as SEMO's starting center. He anchored a Redhawk offense that was perfect in the red zone this year.
Donnell finished with 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. He landed on the league's first-team for the second year in a row.
Douglas picked up first-team honors for the first time in his career. He ranked second on the team with 59 stops. Douglas also had seven tackles for loss, a team-high 3.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.
Mincey notched 57 tackles, a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He was SEMO's third-leading tackler.
Doak was the Redhawks second-leading scorer behind Hess with 72 points. He kicked 13 field goals and a near-perfect 33-of-34 PATs. Doak also kicked off 33 times for 1,645 yards and eight touchbacks.
Haynes repeated as a first-team selection after ranking third in the OVC with 41.2 yards per punt. His 76-yard punt vs. Eastern Illinois was the longest in the league and sixth-longest in the FCS. Haynes punted 66 times for 2,716 yards and dropped 24 of his kicks inside the 20-yard line.
A true freshman, Norman is one of 23 finalists for the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award. He led the Redhawks with 66 tackles and three forced fumbles. Norman rated second among freshmen in the OVC in tackles. He added 7.5 tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries. Norman started the last seven games of his rookie season.
King finished the 2021 campaign as SEMO's top receiver with 24 receptions for 449 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 18.7 yards per catch.
Korte logged 10 starts at right tackle for a Redhawk offense that ranked second in the OVC with 195.1 yards per game.
Davis averaged 35.7 yards per return and ran back a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. He finished his career as the only player in SEMO's Division I history that returned a kickoff, punt and interception for a touchdown.
In his first year as the Redhawks starting quarterback, Ogbonna threw for 1,521 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also ran for 357 yards and another three scores. Ogbonna had a hand in all four of his team's touchdowns in the Redhawks upset of #8 UT Martin on Nov. 20.
This year's OVC specialty award winners include Offensive Player of the Year Keon Howard (QB, UT Martin), Defensive Player of the Year Koby Perry (S, Austin Peay), Freshman of the Year DJ Williams (QB, Murray State) and Roy Kidd Coach of the Year Jason Simpson (UT Martin).
