Cape Girardeau, Missouri - The Dexter football traveling team was in action again on Saturday morning in Cape against the Cape Girardeau Mean Machine.  The young Bearcats found the more experienced Mean Machine to be speedy and tough to contain on the big plays and were defeated in the contest by a score of 38 to 18.

Organized to allow the 6th grade athletes experience playing as one team after the DPR season, the group found that their opponents had been playing all season together.  That experience proved to be a challenge for the young 'Cats, as the Mean Machine were able to perform their plays without flaw.

"It's really tough when you lose a game that you really feel that you were the better team," commented coach Darren Hillis.  "These guys (Cape) have been traveling all season in St. Louis and Memphis against older teams and simply executed real well against us."

Nonetheless, the Bearcats had many bright spots in the game.  One particular bragging point was the offensive line.  The line is made of Garrison Collier, Luke Boyer, Colten Rogers, James Robinson, Brock Simmons and Hunter Lawrence.  They really came off the ball and took control of the running game, providing good holes for the backfield to run through. 

That backfield was filled with Joe Rice at quarterback and running backs of Corbin Strong, Seth Rogers and Colten Gibson.  Fans and family that traveled to the game also saw a great performance by wide receiver Nate Gargis.  Nate had a couple of receptions on the day but was very effective on both kickoff returns and the offensive reverse. 

The big plays of the Cape Mean Machine were just a little more than the Bearcats were able to stop.  They primarily attacked the outside of the Bearcat defensive and were able to get away on long runs to the endzone. 

Coach Aaron Pixley was on hand to watch the team play.  Pixley has always shown a keen interest in his younger programs and the development of the his program. 

"I saw a lot of things that I liked out there," noted Pixley.  "There is a lot of raw talent and these young men just need to be willing to work and improve their strength and speed."

Oddly enough, the team was reminded in the post game talk that it is only a few short years before they will become the property of Coach Pixley's high school program.  They were encouraged to continue to work on their skills so that everyone can enjoy watching them at Charles "Seed" Bland Stadium.