Dexter Football wrapping up diligent off-season

Dexter High School senior running back Jett Grams (left) battles Bearcat teammate Travis Robinson in a drill on Tuesday at Charles Bland Stadium during the team's summer camp training session.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

DEXTER – It may be difficult to believe, but the off-season for high school athletes throughout Missouri is drawing to a close.

MSHSAA allows athletes to train in an organized structure through next week and then a “dead week” is put in place before the official practices get underway on August 12.

The varsity football program at Dexter High School is conducting one of its several “summer camps” this week, where the high school players train in pads.

“That is a slippery slope,” third-year Bearcat coach Chad Jamerson said of being “pleased” with his team’s off-season work. “I think you are happy or pleased, might be the word, but we’re never satisfied.”

The mentality of Dexter football has shifted since Jamerson arrived in town in the winter of 2022.

The Bearcats have improved to the point that last fall the program achieved its first winning season (without the benefit of a forfeit) since 2011 and Jamerson isn’t letting up on pushing his players.

“It’s really hard to not constantly be pushing and driving the kids.”

The Bearcats will have another training session on Thursday followed by a “Day with the Bearcats” on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Charles Bland Stadium. This event is an opportunity for young Dexter football players to meet and mingle with the varsity athletes.

“It’s another opportunity to get our youth kids up here on this field and around our high school guys,” Jamerson said.

Jamerson feels that every time he can expose the future Bearcat players to his program, it will reap the rewards down the road.

“We had a youth camp at the beginning of the summer,” Jamerson said. “We had a Dexter Parks and Recreation Football Combine last week. The more we can get our youth football kids on this field, doing football stuff, being around the leaders of our varsity program, the better things are going to be overall for us.”

Jamerson said his program has no shortage of “leaders” within his program to guide young people.

“We’ve got so many guys for young kids to look up to,” Jamerson said. “Nolan Alford, Jett Grams, Caleb Gott, Caden Lee, Ethan Glaus, Lee-Michael McDonald, Logan Pullum, we’ve got so many guys, and that is what we want.”

Dexter will begin training camp on August 12 and will travel to Portageville High School for a jamboree on August 23 at 6 p.m.

The regular season opens on August 30 at Malden High School at 7 p.m.