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Dexter FB coach feels 'fortunate' to have a 'special thing going'
Friday, October 11, 2024
Dexter High School football coach Chad Jamerson speaks to his team following a recent win over state-ranked Southern Boone at Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com
Third-year Dexter High School football coach Chad Jamerson has a little bit of mixed thoughts (but not much) on just how successful his program has become over his tenure.
“That’s tough to say,” Jamerson responded earlier this season when asked if he was ever stunned at how good the Bearcats have become.
Dexter (6-0, 3-0 SEMO Conference Central Division) can clinch its first league title since 2015 with a victory tonight at Kennett (0-6, 0-3 SEMO Conference Central Division) at 7 p.m., which is a far cry from his initial Bearcat squad, which won just three times (a fourth win was by forfeit) just 24 months ago.
“I’m not stunned in the fact that these kids are successful,” Jamerson said, “because there has always been an opportunity for this group to be successful.”
Jamerson, who oversaw a similar reclamation project at East Prairie High School a decade ago, must have a different type of vision than most, or an endless supply of positivity because the Bearcat program had endured 10 consecutive non-winning seasons before he arrived.
“I’ve always thought that Dexter was a rich school of football tradition,” Jamerson said. “So, it doesn’t really stun me.”
The program is almost unrecognizable on both sides of the ball from those struggling years. Offensively, the Bearcats are scoring nearly 20 more points per game than in 2022, and defensively… Holy smokes.
Dexter allows opponents just one score per game on average, and its defensive starters didn’t allow a point against them until Week 5 against state-ranked Southern Boone.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Jamerson continued on the topic of his program’s growth, “but there are some days that I do have to pinch myself and think I am fortunate enough to work at this school and work with these kids and be a part of this community.”
The Bearcats are ranked third in the latest Class 3 poll and have won 10 of their past 12 games stretching back to last season, with one of those defeats being by a mere point against an eight-win Ste. Genevieve squad.
“Sometimes,” Jamerson said, “I have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and just realize how fortunate I am.
“I know that is corny, but we’ve got a special thing going on. What is so great about it is that this just feels like a perfect storm. We’ve got a school that supports us. I’ve got a great administration that supports us. There is a great student body and a great group of athletes, who want to be coached.”
Dexter, which has 19 seniors on this year’s squad, leads the Class 3 District 1 standings with 47.50 points, just ahead of Class 3 No. 7-ranked Central (Park Hills), which has 44.10 points.
The two teams will meet Oct. 18 at Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter at 7 p.m. The Rebels have beaten the Bearcats five consecutive times.
Ste. Genevieve is third in the C3D1 standings with 37.50 points, and the Dragons (3-2) have ended each of the past two Bearcat seasons.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Jamerson said recently of the final portion of his team’s schedule. “Park Hills is still out there. (MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 opponents) Ste. Genevieve, Potosi, and Fredericktown are still out there. We’ve got to play Kennett, who is a rival, and that is a tough place to play.
“The road ahead is still pretty rough.”