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Bearcat FB Notes: No secret to Dexter offensive success, thus far
Friday, September 13, 2024
Dexter High School senior fullback Jett Grams runs through the Sikeston defense last Friday at Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com
Veteran New Madrid County Central High School football coach Tyler Fullhart has been around long enough (this is his ninth season in leading the Eagle program) and had enough success (five consecutive winning seasons) to know exactly what to expect in his team’s game at Dexter today at 7 p.m.
The Bearcats (2-0) are ranked No. 6 in this week’s Class 3 state rankings and have done two things to get there: Run the football and defend the football.
“Those dudes came out and just handled business,” third-year Dexter coach Chad Jamerson said of his offensive line last Friday after his team walloped Sikeston 49-7 at Charles Bland Stadium.
The victory was the largest by a Bearcat squad over the Bulldogs in program history, and Dexter will rely heavily on its ground game to end a six-year run of success by Fullhart’s program over the Bearcats.
“Whether it was Sawyer Rascher or Walker Jarrell at tackle,” Jamerson said, “Peyton Hartline, Zach Billingsley, Caden Lee, and Landon Annesser, they came out on a mission.”
The veteran offensive line allowed senior power-back Jett Grams to rush for 212 yards and score three times.
“What more can you say about the performance by our kids,” Jamerson continued. “It was just outstanding.”
McDonald being watched
The most explosive player in a Dexter uniform may be senior athlete Lee-Michael McDonald, who sat out the win over Sikeston with an ankle injury that he had suffered in Week 1 against Malden.
“It was precautionary,” Jamerson said. “He can run, but it was one of those situations where we thought it would be wiser to restrict him.
“Really, he was a game-time decision.”
It remains to be seen whether McDonald plays tonight against the Eagles (0-2, 0-1 SEMO Conference Central), but last week, Jamerson had concerns with his team’s ability to not dwell on McDonald standing on the sidelines.
“I was really worried about what the demeanor of the team would be with Lee-Michael being injured,” Jamerson said. “Anytime that you have a guy like that in your locker room, and he’s injured, you always wonder what the psyche is going to be on your team.”
McDonald is a threat to score every time that he touches the ball, however, Dexter has a wealth of talent that can – and did – step up in his absence.
“Lee-Michael is so important to what we do,” Jamerson said. “But I thought our kids really stepped up and did a great job of playing as a team once again.
“They shared the ball and understood each other’s roles. They came out and played well.”