The Sports Network has named three Eastern football players to their 2006 Division I-AA preseason All-America team.

Linebacker Clint Sellers was a first-team selection, while offensive guard Jon Reuter and strong safety Tristan Burge were second-team selections. They were each recognized for past contributions on the field as well as their expected contributions this fall for the defending Ohio Valley champs.

“They have all earned the right to be pre-season all-Americans because of their work ethic,” Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said.

The players are happy to be recognized like this, but ultimately have the bigger picture in mind.

“It feels pretty good to be recognized, but it doesn’t really matter,” Sellers said. “The main concern is trying to win another championship.”

Sellers said that the summer workouts for the entire team is going very well and that everyone is working very hard in preparation for the upcoming season.

The senior linebacker also said the emphasis for each individual on defense is to do your job, which has allowed for him and the team to be successful.

“Don’t try to make other people’s plays and let the system work for you,” Sellers said.

Spoo said it will be difficult for the reigning OVC defensive player of the year to improve much upon his performance from last season in which he recorded 121 tackles, three sacks, 13 tackles for loss and five interceptions.

“If he could just duplicate what he did last season, that would be great,” Spoo said.

Reuter is coming off a season in which he had an 86.3 percent blocking efficiency and allowed only one sack, leading to a first team all-OVC selection.

“He has played a couple years for us,” Spoo said. “He is very intelligent and determined to go beyond what we did last year.”

Burge is coming off of a broken bone in his foot that prematurely ended his 2005 season, but said that he is about 85 percent right now and expects to be 100 percent once the season starts.

Spoo is confident that Burge will come back from the injury and be the force he has been in the past.

“Tristan is one of our finest safeties in my 20 years here,” Spoo said.

The senior safety said that his individual accolades are secondary to the team goal of winning a national championship.

Burge tries to lead by example and said the most important thing he can do is be as physical and aggressive as possible.

“I try to set the tone for the team, whether it be a big hit or a big play,” Burge said.

Led by this trio of all-Americans, Eastern will open its season Sept. 2 at the University of Illinois.