Dexter, Missouri - The T S Hill Middle School Football program was busy on Tuesday night at Charles "Seed" Bland stadium as they hosted the Eagles of New Madrid County Central in both a seventh and eighth grade match.  First year Head Coach James Sneed has been proud of his junior high "Cats as they reach the end of the 2013 season.  The 7th grade team has posted a record of 4 and 2 on the 2013 season. 

Both teams are an exceptional group of athletes filled with both quick specialty players and strong linemen.  The future looks incredibly bright for these two age groups as they continue to work toward the Friday night lights at Dexter High School.  

7TH GRADE FOOTBALL

With an early start time of 5:00 o'clock, the parents and fans hurried to the stadium after work to get to the game.  But it would be worth their rush during the seventh grade game as the Bearcats defeated the Eagles by a score of 12 to 0.  

The Bearcats got on the scoreboard early in the first quarter as #16 Caleb Hoggard tucked away the football and dashed over 50-yards for the first points of the game.  Hoggard was able to catch some daylight created by his big, strong offensive line that consists of Luke Boyer, Hunter Lawrence, Garrison Collier, Travis Propst and Brock Simmons.  The extra point attempt failed but the Bearcats took the initial lead in the game 6 to 0.  

At that point, the game turned into a hard fought match between defensive units.    The seventh grade unit was filled with outstanding defensive play throughout the night with outstanding play by many of the defensive unit of the 'Cats.  Braxton Foster did an outstanding job from his defensive end position.  Other defensive standouts for Dexter included defensive lineman Cory Diaz, linebacker Corbin Strong and Cornerback Nate Gargas.

As the second half began, the same solid defensive play continued for both teams.  Both teams found success in moving the football but could not convert the yardage into points. 

In one of the biggest plays of the night, cornerback Nate Gargas for the Bearcats came up with a huge hit for lost yardage, causing a fumble that was recovered by 70 Hunter Lawrence.  Gargas had a standout night and will prove to be an outstanding future Bearcat.

Following the fumble, the Bearcat's offense seemed to have a different spark.  With 2:49 remaining in the game,  Bearcat running back, Caleb Hoggard, got behind his big strong offensive line again and delivered a 22 yard touchdown run.  The two-point conversion failed again making the score in the closing minutes 12 to 0 in favor of the Bearcats.  

In their last posession, NMCC looked to be mounting an offensive attack of their own, until 84 Eric Hahn picked off a pass from the Eagles quarterback to give the "Cat's another chance to put some points on the board. 

Bearcat running back ,Corbin Strong, picked up over 25-yards on on a sweep play around the end.  Strong #41 continued his relentless search for the endzone in the final drive taking the Bearcats deep into Eagles territory.  With just under a minute left in the game, Dexter took the victory formation and ran out the clock making the final score 12 to 0.  

For the final time this 2013 season, the 7th Grade team chanted in their final huddle "1 - 2 - 3 - BEARCATS" and put a great season to rest until next year.  They ended the season with 2 wins and 2 losses on the year, with wins over Chaffee and tonight's win against New Madrid County Central.  The pads were all checked in and many of the boys will move on to the Middle School basketball season, already in progress.  


EIGHTH GRADE FOOTBALL

The eighth grade contest proved to be a strong competition from the first whistle.  New Madrid won the toss and received the opening kickoff and began to move the football down the field with authority.  The Bearcat defense tightened up but was unable to stop #4 Shawn Thomas of the Eagles as he rounded the left end and headed to the endzone.  With 4:39 remaining in the first quarter, the two point conversion failed.

Woodson of Dexter returned the kickoff to the 44 yard line. Woodson was crafty with his moves and picked his steps well as he broke loose on a 30-yard run.  Upon being tackled from behind, he coughed up the football giving the ball back to the Eagles on the 22-yard line.  Exchange of offside penalties then left a 3rd Down and 8.  The Eagles backed up to pass and Marcus Woodson came close to picking off the pass in the flats, forcing the Eagles to punt.  

At the 1:29 of the first quarter, Ben Sindle took the ball at the 47 yard line around the right end and raced down the sidelines into the end zone for a touchdown.  Marcus Woodson was given the ball on a middle dive and the 2-point conversion was good.   The Bearcat took the lead back from the Eagles by a score of 08 to 06.

Unfortunately, the Bearcats were only able to keep the lead for 11 seconds.  On the ensuing kickoff, New Madrid found an unguarded lane on the kickoff team and was able to return the ball over 60 yards for an Eagles touchdown.  The 2-point conversion was good, quickly putting the Eagles back on top by a score of 14 to 08.

The Bearcats could not put the wheels back on the offensive machine the remainder of the game.  New Madrid continued their breakaway running style and was able to stack up an additional 12 points on the scoreboard.  The final score ended in favor of the New Madrid County Eagles with the score 36 to 8.

The eighth graders will have their final game this Thursday at Charles Bland Stadium when they take on Charleston Bluejays.  Game time will begin at 6:00 PM.  Fans and friends of the program are encouraged to come out and support these young men.