Dexter FB senior wreaking havoc early on both sides

Dexter High School senior football player Nolan Alford participates in a strength test at a football combine this summer at the school.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

There will be no shortage of concerns for Sikeston High School football coach Jim May tonight, as his Bulldogs (1-0) visit Class 3 No. 9-ranked Dexter (1-0) at 7 p.m.

The Bearcats are deep, athletic, and talented in a multitude of areas, and have an array of stars that can shine with the snap of the ball.

In Dexter’s opening 57-8 romp at Malden last week, no Bearcat was more productive overall than senior Nolan Alford.

“What more can you possibly say about Nolan that hasn’t already been said,” third-year Bearcat coach Chad Jamerson said following the victory.

Offensively, Alford had just two carries, but he totaled 118 yards.

“That’s a pretty good average,” Jamerson laughed. “I’m not great at math, but that is a pretty good average.”

Alford keyed a rushing attack that accumulated 348 yards on the ground and 438 in total.

“Nolan is a hard-working kid,” Jamerson said. “He is extremely humble. It’s hard enough to get him to talk sometimes. He is just now, after two years (under Jamerson) coming out of his shell.”

Alford allows his talking to be done on the field – on both sides of the ball.

Against the Green Wave, he totaled nine tackles, including four sacks.

“I started wondering how many, not just quarterback pressures that he was going to have,” Jamerson said of Alford’s play at linebacker, “but how many times he was going to bring that (Malden quarterback) down.”

Alford entered this season with high expectations after being an All-SEMO Conference Central Division First Team selection on defense a year ago, and it doesn’t appear that he is going to disappoint anyone with his play.

“He has worked so hard in the weight room,” Jamerson said. “He works so hard in practice. He gives you everything that he has got.

“He’s humble and he’s got athleticism in spades.”

No Bearcat is as athletic as Alford’s teammate, senior Lee-Michael McDonald, but if there is somebody to challenge the explosiveness of McDonald, it would be Alford.

“Every single person,” Jamerson said, “wishes they had half of the athleticism of Nolan.

“I’d be a lot cooler if I did.”