By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

SIKESTON, Mo. - The Dexter Bearcats competed in the SEMO Coaches Association Contact Camp on Thursday and Friday (June 23-24).


The ‘Cats competed against teams from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, and Sikeston, and head coach Aaron Pixley was pleased with the statement his group made during the camp.


 “Our biggest goal was just to come out and be physical, play a hundred miles an hour,” Pixley said. “We competed well, and they know we were here, I can guarantee you that.”


“I thought we did a pretty good job considering that it’s June,” Pixley added. “From an offensive standpoint, we definitely played better [Friday] as a whole. We didn’t end [against Cape Central] playing quite as well, but I thought against Jackson and Sikeston we played real well.”


The ‘Cats’ running game appeared potent all day Friday, partially due to some excellent blocking by the offensive line. Last year’s starter, Josh Overall, was sidelined due to an offseason shoulder surgery, but Nick Summers did an excellent job, barreling over most defenders - it typically took at least three opponents to bring him down.


Dexter’s quarterback, Cody Stevens, showed more mobility from the pocket, coupled with seemingly better field vision picked up during the ‘Cats’ deep postseason run last year. “We ran the ball better today, and that’s what I really wanted to see,” Pixley noted. “Even against cape, our QB runs against went really well. We only had one negative run on the day; our goal coming in is to have no negative runs, to keep just gaining yards.”

When the coaching staff called on Stephens’ arm, he delivered. The senior delivered passes that were typically right on target, hitting his receivers in stride.


“We ran some very, very nice pass plays today,” Pixley added. “My quarterback and receivers were meshing well today.”



Never satisfied, Pixley noted the progress that the team has to make before the season opener on August 26 against Ste. Genevive.


“We’ve got a long way to go - it’s June and we’re raw. From a technical standpoint, fundamentals and basic things, sometimes we aren’t doing some things right,” Pixley said. “That’s why we looked sloppy at times, but, like I said, it’s June. Everybody is sloppy right now.”

The Bearcats’ next official camp is set for July 25-29.