Bearcat baseball players are 'built to play safety' for tenacious Dexter D

Dexter High School sophomore safety Houston Neely (9) forces a fumble of the New Madrid County Central quarterback on a run in a game earlier this season at Malden.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

There has been no shortage of highlights – on both sides of the ball – this fall for the Dexter High School football program.

The Bearcats are unbeaten through four games, which includes a pair of SEMO Conference Central Division victories, and face their toughest test to date on Friday, as Class 3 No. 5 Southern Boone (3-1) comes to Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter.

Dexter is ranked No. 6 in Class 3 and has put together startling numbers and performances defensively and offensively, and young athlete Houston Neely has contributed to both.

In a recent rout of New Madrid County Central, the sophomore wide receiver caught a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jackson Howard that was thrown extremely hard AND Neely hauled it in despite wet weather.

“Jackson reached way back with that (pass),” third-year Dexter coach Chad Jamerson said, “and brought all of it. That was one of those (passes) that you hear. I heard it when it hit Houston’s hands.”

Neely isn’t just effective as an evolving outlet for Howard, later in that victory, he picked off an Eagle pass from his defensive back position, and it was unclear if Neely ever saw the ball, as he performed an over-the-shoulder catch for the interception.

“It was Willie Mays,” Jamerson joked.

Jamerson then turned serious and explained that Neely’s athleticism and hand-eye coordination “translates really well” from the baseball diamond in the spring and summer to the football field in the fall.

“One,” Jamerson began, “Houston is a really good baseball player. That translates really well. Anytime that you take really good baseball players, and put them in the back of your defense, it’s going to help you.”

Dexter High School sophomore safety Jaxon Miller (1) lays a hit on the New Madrid County Central quarterback on a run in a game earlier this season at Malden. (Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com)

Neely, who was the starting shortstop on a 14-win baseball team last spring, isn’t alone back there at safety. He is joined by classmate Jaxon Miller, who was the Bearcats’ starting catcher last spring as a freshman.

“Jaxon and Houston are really good baseball players,” Jamerson continued. “Those guys are built to play safety in our defense. I think that helps.

“Houston has excellent hand-eye coordination. He’s extremely smart and he’s a great athlete. You put those things together and you’re going to make a pretty good football player.”

Dexter sits atop the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 standings with 48.83 points, just ahead of District power Central (Park Hills) (3-1), which has 44.25 points.

Defensively, the Bearcat starters have yet to allow a single point to be scored against them. In their latest performance, the Dexter defense shut out East Prairie 36-0 after the Eagles scored a combined 82 points in their previous two games.

“Physicality has found its way, not in football, as it has been in the past,” Jamerson said of the evolving game. “That is something that we want to be, is physical.

“No one wants to be punched in the face for four quarters.”

Offensively, Dexter is averaging 45.5 points per game, which is the most the program has averaged in at least 15 seasons.

The Bearcats are off to their best start in over 15 seasons, and maybe ever.