Dexter, Missouri – Senior D.J. Dowdy will wear a Bearcat uniform again next year, but not for Dexter and he will change his colors from red/black to purple/white. He has signed to play football at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. On Wednesday a signing ceremony was held at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.
Shown in the photo are his parents Jim Dowdy and Carla Dowdy, D.J. sitting in the middle, Dexter assistant football coach Brian Becker, Dexter head football coach Justin Peden, and Dexter assistant football coach Brice Beck standing.
“D.J. is a great kid,” commented Dexter head football coach Justin Peden. “He worked real hard all summer and during the season. I am proud he will be able to go somewhere to get his education and get to play at the next level. If there is anyone that deserves it from this year’s team, it’s Dowdy.”
Dowdy was an outstanding offensive player this past season, catching 30 passes for 718 yards and had six touchdowns. He was also 30 for 57 for 277 yards and threw two touchdown passes as quarterback. D.J. was extremely versatile for the Bearcats playing both quarterback and starting wide receiver. He also competed for Dexter in basketball and baseball.
“Being able to play more than one position is always good,” stated Peden. “He will be able to do whatever the coaches want him to do, offensively or defensively. Being versatile is a good thing and will help him showcase his skills.”
Early this school year at the Fall Sports Banquet, D.J. earned the Most Valuable Back award and the Most Valuable Player of the Year award for football.
Dowdy plans to major in physical education and he said that Coach Peden really helped him embrace football as his chosen sport, though he enjoys both basketball and baseball.
“Growing up baseball was my favorite sport,” commented Dowdy. “After this year I kind of fell in love with football more. After the season was over, I decided I wanted to play football on the college level.”
Southwest Baptist University is an exception four-year college offering a great athletic program. They currently compete in the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. SBU is commited to being Christ-centered in every facet of the university life and students are free to express Christian faith and values in the classroom.
Peden went on to say, “This is an amazing time in this young man’s life. I just feel blessed to have played a part in D.J.’s development and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. He will accomplish great things at Southwest Baptist.”
SBU’s first game will be against William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri on September 4, 2014. For a 2014 Football Schedule click HERE.
Congratulations D.J.! The Dexter community is extremely proud of your accomplishments and we look forward to seeing you in a Bearcat uniform next year. On behalf of the ShowMe Times it has been a pleasure to watch you play during your high school career. Good luck with your future endeavors and we'll see you on the field!!
Bernie, Missouri – The Bernie Mules earned back-to-back SCAA conference baseball tournament wins shutting out the Bloomfield Wildcats.
Top-seeded Bernie had little trouble defeated the Wildcats earning 5 runs in the first inning and 4 runs in the second inning earning them a 9-0 lead early in the game.
“I thought it was big we got out of the first inning,” commented head baseball coach Darrin Shipman. “They had a couple runners on and we held them scoreless. Getting five in the bottom of the first really took the pressure off of us. I thought B.J. Jennings did a good job keeping the ball down and we played great defense behind him.”Devin Trammell collected four RBIs, a team-high. Austin Beck and Devin Trammell each hit a home run.
B.J. Jennings got the win. "It feels great to win this tournament," stated Jennings who is a senior. "I just did my best for the team and put the ball out there and they were great helping me get the outs when we needed them."
Winning this tournament was a top priority of Coach Shipman. “I told the kids we have a good tournament in Malden, but this is more important to me to win the conference tournament just because this is our conference year-in and year-out.”
Bernie 12-3 on the season has won their last ten games. The Mules will host Portageville on Monday, April 28th. Game time 4:00 p.m. They will then travel to Memphis, Tennessee to play Holcomb at the Redbirds Stadium.
The Bloomfield Wildcats 11-5 will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Malden to take on the Greenway at 11:00 a.m. and East Carter County at 1:00 p.m.
Final score Bernie 9 Bloomfield 0
Bloomfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 4
Bernie 5 4 0 0 0 0 X - 9 10 0
WP - B.J. Jennings. LP - Tim Hector. HR - Austin Beck (BE), Devin Trammell (BE). 2B - Justin Stanfield (BE). Multiple hits - Bernie: Josh Stevens 3-3, Brad Freed 2-4.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Missouri - The sixth Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP) tournament at Tan-Tar-A Resort March 28 and 29 turned into a record-fest in which the state record score fell and fell again, and again.
The tournament brought together nearly 1,267 contestants in grades 4 through 12 from 81 schools to test their skills with bow and arrow. Contestants use identical equipment to shoot 15 arrows at targets from 10 meters and another 15 from 15 meters. An arrow in the 3-inch bull’s eye gets the shooter 10 points, so the maximum possible is 300 points.
Going into this year’s tournament, the record stood at 294 points. Eighth-grader Joe Wilder, of St. Peters, edged that figure up to 295 on Friday afternoon. The following morning, Hunter Berry, a 12th-grader from Sarcoxie, nudged it up another notch to 296. But Lee’s Summit High School Freshman Shelby Winslow had the last word when she raised the bar to 297 points.
“That’s just two points short of the world record,” says Missouri Department of Conservation Education Outreach Coordinator Eric Edwards, who coordinates MoNASP. “She had shot that score before in local tournaments, so a lot of people knew she was capable of doing it. Sustaining the necessary focus at a big, state-wide event can be difficult, but she pulled it off.”
Focus is essential to success in archery. It also takes discipline to follow the steps in drawing and aiming a bow with proper form. These are skills that anyone can develop. They also are fundamental to academic success.
“Teachers are our best spokesmen,” says Edwards. “They tell absolutely remarkable stories about students who struggled with classwork and behavior problems until they got into NASP. The kids get excited about archery, and since participation in the program depends on good behavior in the classroom, their behavior improves. When shooting, they learn how to focus their attention and apply a process to a challenging task. The next thing you know, their grades improve, and seeing their accomplishments in higher shooting scores and better grades boosts their self-esteem. It’s no wonder teachers love NASP.”
MoNASP participation grew at an amazing rate early in the program’s history, and continues to accelerate. Edwards estimates the number of shooters and spectators at this year’s state tournament at more than 10,000. The Osage Beach Police Department had to be called in to direct traffic.
Asked what is behind this remarkable growth, Edward says, “Kids say it’s just fun. They enjoy spending time with their friends and shooting with them. They like the fact that they all use the same equipment, so kids of all sizes and shapes have an equal chance and can succeed. It’s great for spectators, too. You aren’t 100 yards away from the action. You are right there.”
Scores at the state tournament also are on the rise. Edwards says he thinks this is because students who joined the program while in grade school now have years of experience and practice under their belts. Winslow is an example. She has been part of the program since 4th grade. With another three years of practice, a MoNASP shooter could post a perfect score of 300.
“I am so impressed with the scores this year” says Edwards. “Each year the scores just get better and better. Kids from Missouri should have a very strong chance at making the podium at the national tournament in May.”
Missouri will send 500 shooters to the national NASP tournament May 9 and 10 in Louisville, Ky., where they will compete against 10,000 other shooters.
MoNASP is an affiliate of the National Archery in the Schools Program. It is coordinated by the Conservation Department and the Conservation Federation of Missouri in partnership with more than 300 participating schools and numerous state and local supporting organizations.
Sarcoxie R-II High School, whose MoNASP program got started just two years ago, won its team division for the second year in a row. George Guffey Elementary School in Fenton has dominated the team competition, winning first place all six years Missouri has held a state tournament.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Puxico, Missouri – The #3 seed Lady Hornets of Advance upset the #1 seed Woodland Lady Cardinals at the SCAA Softball Tournament on Tuesday afternoon in Puxico, Missouri. The Hornets defeated the Cardinals 9-1.
Advance jumped out to a 2 - 0 lead in the first inning and completely owned the 5th inning collecting 5 runs to seal their victory over the Woodland Cardinals.
Hannah Clark earned the win for the Lady Hornets.
Final Score Advance 9 Woodland 1
Advance 2 0 1 1 5 0 0 - 9 12 3
Woodland 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 6 2
WP - Hannah Clark. LP - Kathlyn Cooper. HR - Clark (A). 3B - Kendra Sokolowski (A). 2B - Krystal James (A), Mara Gindstaff (W). Multiple hits - Advance: Madison Brown 2-4, Sydney Bailey 2-4, Sokolowski 2-4, Maddie Kennedy 2-3.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Puxico, Missouri – The Bernie Lady Mules defeated the Dexter Lady Bearcats 14 – 4 to earn a third place win in the Stoddard County Athletic Association Softball Tournament held in Puxico, Missouri.
Blakely Bradshaw earned the win allowing only eight hits and four runs in five innings.
The Mules scored 6 runs in the first inning jumping out in front of the Bearcats who scored just one run in each of the first four innings. Bernie went on to score 8 more runs to seal their win.
“Blakely threw well today and Dexter hit the ball,” commented Bernie Coach Brad Botsch. “We had a few mistakes early on Monday and our mistakes cost us. I thought we did a better job today of minimizing the damage when they got people on and were able to get out of innings without multiple runs scoring.”
"We really hit the ball well today," added Botsch. “We came in with a good approach at the plate, got some pitches to hit and put good swings on them.”
Final Score Bernie 14 Dexter 4 (5 Innings)
Bernie 6 1 2 4 1 - 14 12 4
Dexter 1 1 1 1 0 - 4 8 4
WP - Blakely Bradshaw. LP - Kendra Stevenson. 3B - Lari Spitzer (B). 2B - Tori Lowrey (B), Brittany Brown (D). Multiple hits - Bernie: Spitzer 3-3, Lowrey 2-3, Kaylee Tanner 4-4; Dexter: Kirsten Durrow 2-3, Amber Spence 2-3, Brittany Brown 2-2.
