By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Dexter Bearcats will face one of the toughest opponents of the season on Friday night when they play host to the Caruthersville Tigers.


Both teams are top ten in the state in their respective classes - Dexter is currently ranked No. 7 in Class 3, and Caruthersville is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 2.

The Bearcats were a little banged for last week’s contest against Charleston. Tyler Miller (bruised quadriceps), Nick Summers (concussion), and Dylan Aaron (shoulder) all had to sit out with injuries - but coach Aaron Pixley noted his squad would be back at 100% for Friday’s SEMO Conference showdown.

“This week, everybody will be back, including Dylan, who has been out for a while,” Pixley said. “We’re going to go ahead and start him out at guard, but keep an eye on him and check on his conditioning. So far, we’ll be going into the game at full strength.”

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The Tigers are led offensively by the speedy Elbie Fonda. The 5’9”, 180 lb. Senior is averaging just over 170 yards per game and 11 yards per carry, and poses a significant ‘big play’ threat to the Bearcat D.

“I think they’ve realized that they’ll have to play very well,” Pixley said of his defense. “They run the ball extremely well at Caruthersville, and our kids know they’re going to have to tackle and tackle well. They know if they’re not in the backside alleys, their backs will cut back, get into space and run.”

“They know what they have to do - you have to know your responsibilities, make sure you’re lined up correctly, get downhill and play the run hard, and when they throw it, get some pressure on the quarterback and make good pass reads,” he continued. “We have to make something happen defensively, and we understand that it’s going to be a very tough game.”

On top of the sheer talent of the Tigers, the team faces another foe Friday: Homecoming. Potential distractions abound with all the extra activites the week brings, but Pixley didn’t feel it was a big issue for his team this year.

“We were a little sluggish on Tuesday, but we really picked it up on Wednesday and had a good Thursday practice, so it’s been a good week for us,” Pixley commented. “I haven’t seen a sign of anything that has gone on that has distracted them. I don’t look for that - I hope we come out of that locker room ready to play and fired up, because we’re going to have to be that way for four quarters against these guys.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Charles Bland Stadium, with the Homecoming Queen festivities scheduled for 6:30.

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As always, if you can’t make it to the game, I’ll be Tweeting the scores and big plays of the contest from the sidelines - just keep checking back with our Facebook or Twitter page for updates!

The Bearcats opened SEMO Conference play with a bang, racking up over 500 yards of total offense while pitching a shutout against the Charleston Blue Jays.

These two seniors made it hard to notice that the 'Cats were without the services of two of their biggest leaders - Tyler Miller and Nick Summers - on both sides of the ball. Without further adieu, here are your Players of the Week for Week Six!

OFFENSE - #30 Josh Overall
Josh averaged just over 26 yards a carry AND led the 'Cats in rushing yards (158 yards on 6 carries), including a 92 yard off-tackle run that was a shoestring tackle away from a TD.

Overall also had 61 receiving yards on 2 catches for 2 TD's.

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DEFENSE - #44 Zach Watson
Zach stepped up in a big way, filling in for the injured Nick Summers. The senior set the tone early in the game, with a monster hit on the Bearcats' first kickoff, and continued to be a force up the middle for the 'Cats.

Zach finished the night with 10 total tackles, and was constantly wreaking havoc in the Blue Jays' backfield.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The brackets for the 2011 SCAA Volleyball Tournament has been released!

The tournament, held at Advance High School, will run all next week (Oct. 10-14), with a new champion crowned on Friday (Oct. 14) night.

In the JV Bracket, the Lady 'Cats drew a bye, due to their No. 1 seed (the squad has yet to lose a set this season), and will face off against the winner of the No. 4 Bloomfield/No. 5 Richland game on Thursday, October 13 at 5:00 p.m.

The Varsity Lady 'Cats were seeded No. 2, with Bloomfield - who beat the 'Cats in September - drawing the No. 1 seed.

The Varsity squad's first match will be on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m., when they take on No. 7 Woodland - the 'Cats already hold a regular-season win over the Lady Cardinals.

The Lady 'Cats will be in action tonight at the Bearcat Event Center, when they take on Poplar Bluff in the Dig Pink! game. JV action is set for 6:00 p.m., with the Varsity match immediately following.

Tournament brackets can be downloaded and printed out here.

The excitement is building as the scores are ever-so-close for Week Six of the Pigskin Pick’Em Challenge online game!

For Week Six, there is again a tie between four exceptional players for first place with 19 points each - congratulations to Christine Young, Matt Miller, April Aldridge, and Brett Dorton for being this week's winners!

Roxanne McGhee is the winner of the Weekly Drawing. Congratulations to all!

The Pigskin Pick'Em Challenge is a fun online game where participants  chose the winners of weekly football games at the high school, NCAA, and NFL levels.  Points determine weekly winners and accumulate each week leading toward the season-ending Grand Prize - a 42" flatscreen TV!

All the fun and all the prizes would not be possible without the partnership between the ShowMe Times and a great group of sponsors. Sponsors include:

ST. LOUIS, Mo. --“Friday Night Lights” in a metropolitan area is just another level of great fun when it comes to high school football - but it's great to be able to watch a hometown young man by the name of Matthew Greer compete at such a high level.

A career opportunity for the Greer family in 2007 transferred them to the St. Louis area, leaving the comforts of their longtime hometown of Dexter. Greer immediately embraced the move, and began to take advantage of all the good athletic opportunities before him.

Now in his senior year at Chaminade High School in St. Louis, Matthew Greer is starring up the show for the Red Devils.

Friday evening, Chaminade took the field against a Metro Catholic Conference rival - the St. Louis University Junior Billikens.. SLUH - 2-3 overall (1-1 Conference) - and Chaminade - 3-1 overall (1-1 Conference) - had both posted blowout wins over Vianney earlier in the season, but that was the only common opponent between the two teams coming into the contest. SLUH’s losses came at the hands of Parkway North, Webster Groves, and Christian Brothers, while Chaminade had lost only to Desmet after a Week 3 bye.

The Junior Billikens had everything going their way in the first half, posting the first 14 points in the game on pass completions. In addition to passing game, SLUH’s rushing attack was on target and found open lanes, picking up big yardage throughout the game.








































After struggling on a few series, Chaminade’s quarterback, Logan Hutson, began to pick up the offensive attack. His first target was a 37-yard completion to Greer, coming across the middle on a backside post pattern. Greer showed great strength and athleticism on the catch, as he had to go up high to wrestle the football from the defender. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon Minor, making the score 14 - 7. However, the Billikens dominated the remainder of the second quarter leaving a half-time score of 28 to 7.

The second half started with a great kickoff return by Chaminade return man Spencer Byrne - a jump start that the Red Devils needed. Chaminade continued the drive down the field for a Dixon Anthon touchdown run with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter.

The Billikens delivered another offensive blow to the Chaminade defense with a 67 yard touchdown run by Terek Hawkins - a speedy back that has been clocked with a 4.3 40-yard dash - making the score 35 -14.

The Red Devils were not ready to get on the bus, despite the large deficit and little time remaining in the game. On the ensuing possession, Chaminade marched down the field, and Hutson hit Greer on a quick-slant for an 11 yard TD pass to cut SLUH’s lead to 35 - 21. Chaminade’s defense decided to get in the action, and with 4:12 left in the ballgame, Byrne intercepted a pass from deep in Billikens territory and quickly returned it for yet another Red Devil touchdown, making the score 35 - 28.

SLUH’s defense stepped up a final possession, and didn’t allow Chaminade to deliver any positive yards - the game ended with the Billikens on top by a score of 35 - 28.

Overall, Greer was a powerful member to the offense for the Red Devils. He is quick off the ball, and solid with his blocking techniques. His greatest talent continues to be in his aggressiveness and outstanding hands. He runs crisp, clean routes, which allows him to get some separation from his defenders.

Chaminade moves to 3-2 overall (1-1 conference) on the season with the loss. The Red Devils will be in action again on Friday (Oct. 7), when they host the undefeated - and No. 2 State Ranked - Christian Brothers College High School.


Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.