'No moment is too big' for young Bearcat

Dexter High School sophomore Langston Werneck sprints downfield after catching a pass on Saturday against Southern Boone at Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

When Dexter High School football standout Lee-Michael McDonald found himself pacing the sidelines last Saturday with a lingering ankle injury, not only was the senior speedster concerned, but every one of the 1,000-plus Bearcat fans in attendance. However, as it turned out, the Bearcats had a weapon in their pocket to unveil on Class 3 No. 10-ranked Southern Boone.

Dexter (5-0, 2-0 SEMO Conference Central Division) knocked off the potent Eagles with an explosive second-half performance and sophomore runner Langston Werneck played a critical role in the victory.

Werneck tallied 104 yards on offense (59 on the ground and 45 receiving) and scored a touchdown in the third quarter to help lift the Bearcats to the 24-21 victory.

“Both of those guys,” third-year Bearcat coach Chad Jamerson said of Werneck and McDonald, “add such a different dynamic to what we do on offense.”

Jamerson has spoken throughout the year that his team has depth, which has shown at times, just like on Saturday.

Dexter had four different players (Werneck, seniors Nolan Alford and Jett Grams, and junior Devin Turnbo) run the ball for at least 33 yards.

“We try to focus on the fact that there is only one statistic that matters,” Jamerson said of emphasizing a team victory over personal numbers, “and that happens in the win-loss column. We preach unselfishness.”

Jamerson and his coaching staff also preach preparedness, and Werneck demonstrated that.

After gaining just 39 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving through four games, he blew up those numbers against Southern Boone.

“The reason he was so effective was that he is very fast and athletic,” Jamerson said. “He’s a very fast young man.”

Dexter defense lifts slow-starting (but eventually explosive) offense to impressive W

Tom Davis

DEXTER -- There were signs early in Dexter's football game with Class 3 No. 10-ranked Southern Boone on Saturday at Charles Bland Stadium that the Bearcats were going to self-implode and lose for the first time all season, as the mistakes mounted.

Werneck is a standout sprinter on the Bearcat track squad (also coached by Jamerson), and has run an 11.34 in the 100-meter dash.

“He’s a great track athlete,” Jamerson said. “But also, he’s dependable, as a sophomore, he’s dependable.”

On the track, Dexter has had athletes win titles at the MSHSAA Class 3 State Finals in each of the past two seasons, and Werneck has had to compete among the best in the state. So, when he faced a top-10 football team on Saturday, he wasn’t intimidated.

“There is no moment too big for him,” Jamerson said. “When it comes to track, he’s been at the highest level.”

McDonald will be a game-time decision tonight at Kelly (2-3, 1-1 SEMO Conference Central Division) at 7 p.m., but as last week showed, Jamerson has other athletes that can excel for the Class 3 No. 3-ranked Bearcats.

“Big moments don’t shake (Langston) at his early age.”