Dexter, Missouri - Hopeful for a victory over the Greenwave, the Bearcats arrived in Malden this past Friday to close out the 2012 regular season.  Unfortunately for the 'Cats, the speed and quickness that Malden displayed was a challenge.  The Bearcats lost to the Greenwaves by a score of 58 to 26.

Injuries didn't help the 'Cats throughout the night as early in the contest, quarterback D J Dowdy lost his go-to receiver in Chase Young to an injury.  Dowdy quickly revamped his style and hooked up with the younger group of receivers to put on a great show in the air.  Austin Aldridge had a spectacular 30-yard touchdown catch in the endzone while Jonathan Page also contributed with 2 catches for a total of 16 yards from his tight end position. 

But the night belonged to Ethan Stevens.  They young freshmen played his heart out on both sides of the ball with excellent defensive plays and great pass receptions.  He totaled 106 yards on the night on 6 catches with his longest catch being 41-yards.  Late in the fourth quarter, Stevens hooked up with Dowdy for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Ethan's performance has been exceptional throughout the 2012 season.  His performance this past Friday night brought about big plays all over the field and that makes him the SMT Offensive Player of the Week for Week 9. 

From a defensive perspective, the Bearcats had a number of players that were at the top of the game, but unfortunately could not contain the speed of the Greenwave.  In a losing effort, some may feel there are not top players, but that is untrue.

Throughout the night, two Bearcats names seemed to be involved in a large percentage of plays.  Over and over, you would hear the name of Foels and Waldner called out by Malden PA announcer, Mike Bullock. 

Jonathan Foels tied Ethan Stevens on the tackle chart with a total of nine tackles.  If you are defensive coordinator, you certainly like to see your linebacker in on the majority of the tackles.  But in many of the plays this past Friday, the Bearcats relied heavily on the play of cornerback Trevor Waldner, who not only had 8 tackles on the night, but came up with 2 tackles for losses.  Trevor found his way into the backfield stopping the Greenwaves for a total of 12 yards loss.

Both Foels and Waldner's play was excellent in the face of an adverse night.  For that reason, they have both offered a share of the Week 9 SMT Defensive Player of the Week honors.