Sports

Bearcat Blackcat ShowDown
October 24th 2011 by Staff Writer
Bearcat Blackcat ShowDown

By Staff Writer, ShowMe Times Sports


There is a lot riding on Thursday night’s football game at Charles “Seed” Bland Stadium.  A rematch will occur of the 2010 District Championship game between two Class 3 District 1 opponents  -  the Dexter Bearcats and the Fredericktown Blackcats. Both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, but this game determines home field advantage in the first round and who plays the #2 qualifier from District Two.

Last year, the Bearcats defeated the Blackcats 30 to 22 to capture their first district championship since 2005. Last year's game was highlighted by the Bearcats forcing eight Blackcat turnovers. The Bearcats had a very balanced attack against Fredericktown with 198 yards rushing and 177 yards passing.

Last year, the ‘Cats were led by Nate Watkins with two interceptions along with five receptions by Morgan Hedrick and three by Jake Cox. However, many key players return in this year's game as well.

Tyler Miller returns in the defensive backfield where he intercepted two passes against the Blackcats last year. The Bearcat running game returns in its entirety which was led last year by Cody Stevens (92 yards), Josh Overall (67 yards), Nick Summers (60 yards) and Alex Cliff (23 yards).

images/Blog Images/show/ukju Last year’s win propelled the Bearcats on to the State Quarter Finals, while the Blackcats lost their first round game to the Park Hills Central Rebels. .

Fortunes of the two teams have taken different paths this year. This year's contest finds the state ranked Bearcats with a season record of 8 - 1 against the 4 - 5 Blackcats. Both teams have identical 2 and 0 district records.

However, the Blackcats should not be taken lightly as they put on an impressive offensive performance in a 63 to 14 defeat of the Kennett Indians this past Friday night. That win mirrored the Bearcats 68 to 20 defeat of the Indians the previous week.

Other common opponents between the two teams include St. Genevieve, which defeated Fredericktown 46 to 20 early in the 2011 season, Park Hills, which resulted in a 35 to 23 victory for the Blackcats, and New Madrid County Central which also resulted in a 36 to 14 victory for the Blackcats. Dexter defeated these three teams by 28 to 6, 37 to 27, and 53 to 7 respectively.

images/Blog Images/show/ukjv Another comparison can be found in the Missouri Power Ranking System which ranks Frdericktown at 39.75 and Dexter at 78.08. Fredericktown’s strength of schedule is 44.14 compared to the Bearcats at 56.07.

According to Missouri Power Ranking Systems, Dexter is ranked number four in the state behind traditional powerhouse districts of Cassville, Osage and Maryville.

Thursday night’s game should be an entertaining matchup with perhaps an extra motivational incentive for the Blackcats to avenge last year's championship loss.

Be sure to be on hand at Charles “Seed” Bland Stadium as the district championship will be decided this Thursday night. Stadium announcer, Aaron Mathis, will keep you informed of the St. Louis Cardinals progress in Game 7 of the World Series or bring your headphones to listen while you watch the Dexter Bearcats square off against the Fredericktown Blackcats.

If you can’t make the game, be sure to tune in to KDEX radio on FM 102.3, where Rob Mayer, Andrew Steuver and Jason Comfort will bring to you the action of the Bearcats. You can also tune in to Channel 21 on YHC-TV where Ed Gargas and Jeff Bush will bring you play by play action of the ‘Cats.


Last Updated on October 24th 2011 by Unknown




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