By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Bearcat Nation was treated to an outstanding display of defensive dominance Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium, when the ‘Cats dropped Ste. Genevive 28-6 in the 2011 season opener.

Dexter’s defense got hot in a hurry after the Dragons scored on their second play in the scrimmage - after the early blunder, the ‘Cats held Ste. Gen scoreless for the rest of the game, and limited their high-octane spread offense to only 148 yards and quarterback Brendan Weiler to just 67 yards through the air on 14 of 25 attempts.

“I felt like we played very well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the tackling was outstanding,” head coach Aaron Pixley said. “Any time you play a team like that, that throws the ball like [Ste. Gen does], you have to tackle. We missed a few, but for the most part, we did a good job tackling.”


“They had one play that they hit a seam - they caught us in a defense where our safety is supposed to sit 10 yards off the line instead of backpedaling, and we did a good job of catching up, making the tackle, and stripping the ball,” Pixley added. “Other than that we kept the ball in front of us and tackled, which is what you have to do against this team.”

The ‘Cats were led on defense by seniors Jake Lee and Tyler Miller - Lee ended the night with six tackles (three for loss), a sack, and a pass breakup. Miller contributed five tackles (one assist) and a forced fumble.

“I think we played together tonight; we didn’t push each other away,” Lee said after the game. “We really grew up and played a lot better tonight.”


Offensively, the ‘Cats were able put up 418 yards of total offense, with 329 yards rushing.


“We did a great job of getting first downs and milking the clock to build a 21-6 lead late in the game,” Pixley noted. “[Josh Overall and Nick Summers] ran hard, and Alex Cliff ran hard from the fullback position.”

The one-two punch of Overall (13 carries for 150 yards and 3 TD’s) and Summers (16 carries for 97 yards), coupled with outstanding run blocking from the offensive line, was just too much for the Dragons to handle. Cliff chipped in eight carries for 30 yards and a pair of key first downs.

“I feel like my vision on the field has gotten a lot better this year. I saw the hole opening up and I took it. I made a cutback and wound up taking it to the house,” Overall said of his big 80 yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

The ‘Cats were limited in their passing game during the contest, but quarterback Cody Stevens (6-16 for 89 yards) was able to rack up just over 50 rushing yards.

“Offensively, we ran the ball well; probably dropped 150 yards of passes, but that’s going to get corrected,” Pixley added. “We have good receivers and I felt like Cody threw the ball well. We had some pass protection breakdowns in the first half; I felt like we could have done a better job, but it got better as the game went on. Our passing game is going to be good, and our running game was very strong tonight as well. Cody did a good job running the show out there - he was changing pass plays that I put in to run plays. He did a really nice job of running that offense.”


 Looking ahead to next week’s matchup, the ‘Cats will be on the road against Park Hills Central. The ‘Cats will have to adjust their defensive gameplan quickly - Ste. Gen and Park Hills are total opposites on the offensive spectrum. Pixley noted a bit of ‘bad blood’ between the two teams after their meeting last season, and expects it to be a hard-nosed, physical football game.

“I expect a physical football team. They’re going to be fired up and ready to play,” Pixley said. “It’s the exact opposite situation from what we were against tonight - we’re going to see double tight ends, two and three back backfields. They’re going to run power, lead, and triple option, and we’ll have to be physical and really get after it from a defensive standpoint. “


“Offensively, we’re going to do what we do. We’ll run and throw the football, and go out there, execute, and make plays.”

Kickoff for next week’s varsity matchup is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday (Sept. 2).

Click here for a full breakdown of the game's stats.

Photos Above:

Top: Josh Overall cuts through the Ste. Gen defense on an 80 yard touchdown run during the third quarter. Overall finished the night with 150 yards on 13 carries and three TD’s on offense, as well as three tackles on defense.

Middle: Jake Lee drags down a Ste. Gen ballcarrier during Friday night’s action. Lee finished the contest with six tackles (three for loss), a sack, and a pass breakup.
Bottom: Nick Summers powers through Ste. Genevive defenders for a first down. Summers finished the night with 97 yards on 16 carries.

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Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for updates on the team throughout the coming week’s practices!