Ste. Genevieve, Missouri - The Dexter Bearcats had a rough evening against the Dragons in Ste. Genevieve falling on the road 35 - 6.  Coach Kevin Goltra's new defensive line held Ste. Genevieve scoreless in the first quarter.

Junior defensive end and tight end Gabe Jackson exploded with six solo tackles and one tackle assist.  Jackson clenched the ball in the 3rd quarter dragging a couple of defenders down the stretch for Dexter's largest yardage gain of the game. He set the pace for the second half with his 20 yard gain.

"He was phenomenal tonight. You saw the Gabe Jackson that everyone looks at when they see him being 6'4", 240 lbs and this mammoth of a dude," stated Dexter head football coach Kevin Goltra.  "Just because you are a big dude doesn't mean you can or do play like that.  He finally played up to his ability tonight.  Last year he made good plays. In practice it was a different Gabe Jackson this week.  He went really hard in practice pushing the guys.  Even when he was on the scout team, he would step in there and pushing the guys."

"That is what he is capable of doing and we have got to have him," continued Goltra.  "Nobody can block him when he is ready to roll like that."

Dexter managed only four first downs and a net gain of 79 total yards in the game scoring their only touchdown on a Payton Tinnin 13-yard run with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.  The conversion from quarterback Ben Sindle to Gabe Jackson was no good.

"Tinnin is one of the few seniors we have and he is doing a great job," Goltra said.  "He steps up in whatever role we need him in and he performs at a high level. Do to unexpected injuries, he was thrown into the OLB role this week and with just two practices, he played very well. He's a great football player and even a better person."

Senior Payton Tinnin had nine carries for 31 yards to the lead the ground attack. Trevor McDonald finished the game with 7 carries for 27 yards. Jake Adams added another 14 yards on 6 carries.

The Bearcats struggled throughout the game, but they are a very young and inexperienced group of athletes.  Junior quarterback Ben Sindle finished 4 for 12 with two interceptions. 

"Defensively we struggled.  Losing Jason Jarrell who plays safety and losing Corbin on the running game.  We are missing four or five defensive starters.  We are looking to have Austin Adams and Blake Palmer back this Friday," Goltra said.  "Corbin and Jason coming shortly after that.  That will help us a lot on athleticism and give us some depth."

"Offensively we didn't play well.  We are so young up front and so nervous about the situation," continued Goltra.  "Like I told the kids, it doesn't matter if you are a freshman or a senior, you got to go when we are called to go.  No one is going to care or make excuses for you in life."

"Dexter is learning, stumbling and growing," commented head football coach Kevin Goltra.  "By the end of the season I expect them to have grown. It will will come with practice.  We will fix the false starts and they will gain more discipline.  Lots of time in practice correcting those issues."

Defensively the Bearcats did force four turnovers against Ste. Genevieve.  Three interceptions for 31 yards including two by Nate Gargas and one from linebacker Bo McMullin.  Garrison Collier and Luke Boyer each had a quarterback sack.

"Nate Gargas did really good on corner.  We had some success and some breakdowns.  We need to make sure we can stop the run in the zone.  We don't want to have to blitz to stop the run."

"Bo is out there trying his best and he probably is one of them with the most experience, starting his freshman and sophomore years.  Sometimes he tries to do too much to make up for other people's mistakes."

The Dragons recorded 354 total yards, 185 yards on the ground and 169 in the air and 18 first downs.  Luke Brewster caught the pitch from quarterback Brandon Hinson from the six-yard line just 9 seconds into the second quarter for the Dragons' first touchdown of the game.  Dalton Giesler hit one through the uprights for the extra point.

Hinson connected with Brewster for the second touchdown with 6:48 left in the 2nd quarter. Another good kick by Giesler and it was 14-0 going into the locker room at half-time.

Ste. Genevieve earned one touchdown in the third quarter on a Camden Roe 2-yard carry into the end zone.  Giesler's extra point was no good giving the Dragons a 20 - 0 lead before the Bearcats scored late in the third.

Gabe Greminger ran two yards for a Dragon touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.  Blake Moore caught the ball for  a 2-point conversion.  The final points of the game came from Wade Hahn who scored by running 22 yards.  The kick by Giesler was good earning a Dragon win 35 - 6.

"The kids are going to work on film a lot and show them who they need to block, walk through things with them.  We are young and still learning. We are building offense brick by brick.  Bluff's not going to make it any easier on us next week either."

Dexter (0-1) will host Poplar Bluff Mules on Friday, August 26th at Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter.  Ste. Genevieve (1-0) will travel across town to take on rival Valle Catholic (1-0).  Valle Catholic defeated St. Vincent 77 - 0 on Friday.

The ShowMe Times has added a SMT Scoreboard for live updates during the football game.  Go to www.showmetimes.com, click SMT SPORTS and the drop-down menu choose SMT Scoreboard.  Follow with live updates!  Scores will also be posted at the end of each quarter on Facebook and Twitter!  Come out Friday night and support the Bearcats in their home opener!  #GoCats  #BearcatNation

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Both the Bernie Mules and Dexter Bearcats will play in the 2016 Notre Dame Volleyballfest on Friday, September 2nd and Saturday, September 3rd.

Pool A will consist of Dexter, Ste. Genevieve, Bernie, and Lindbergh.  Pool B will consist of Notre Dame, Perryville, and St. Vincent.

The schedules will be the same for both Junior Varsity and Varsity Pool Play.  Varsity teams will play in the main gym and junior varsity teams will play in Drury Hall.

Friday, September 2nd Schedule

3:30 p.m.  Notre Dame vs Bernie

4:15 p.m. Perryville vs Ste. Gen

5:00 p.m. St. Vincent vs Bernie

5:45 p.m. Dexter vs Perryville

6:30 p.m. Notre Dame vs Ste. Gen

7:15 p.m. St. Vincent vs Dexter

Saturday, September 3rd

8:30 a.m. Notre Dame vs Lindbergh

9:15 a.m. Perryville vs Bernie

10:00 a.m. St. Vincent vs Lindbergh

10:45 a.m. Notre Dame vs Dexter

11:30 a.m. Lindbergh vs Perryville

12:15 p.m. St. Vincent vs Ste. Gen

Cost to enter the gyms is $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for students with 8 and under free.

Bracket play begins at 1 p.m. with the championship game at 7:00 p.m.

Dexter, Missouri - The 2016 PigSkin Pick'em Challenge is well under way!  Chris Sandlin had a perfect score this week choosing all 12 games correctly!

There is a 5-way tie for second place between Jason Pounds, Jennifer Peden, JC Williams, Nate Watkins, and Mark Nea.  They only missed one game of their 12 picks. 

In 3rd place for this week and eligible for a prize are Brandon Horton, Greg McGhee, Mark Becker, and Justin Peden.  On Monday those names will be thrown into a random drawing for a weekly prize.

Pigskin Pick'em is brought to you by Countywide Insurance, First Midwest Bank, First Commercial Bank, SoutheastHEALTH, Bank of Advance, FM Bank, Allen Christian Buick GMC, Southern Bank, Montgomery Bank, and Riley, Stubbs, & Cato LLC in Dexter,  Missouri.

There's still time to get in on the action.  Week #2 begin Sunday, August 21st at 6:00 p.m.  Each week will get a little harder adding college football games as well as NFL games.

Congratulations everyone and continue playing to win great prizes and the ultimate prize of $500 cash!

Winning football teams were Ste. Genevieve, Chaffee, Hayti, Caruthersville, Scott City, Sikeston, East Prairie, Malden, Kennett, Liberty(Mountain View), Poplar Bluff, and Park Hills.

Week #2 will feature 15 high school games.  Don't forget to play.  Deadline is 6 p.m. on Friday, August 26th.

Dexter, Missouri - The Lady Cats Volleyball Team begins their season on Monday, August 22nd against Arcadia Valley at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.  The Junior Varsity will start at 6:00 p.m. with the Varsity to follow.

The Dexter Bearcats will feature a deep and experienced roster as they prepare for the Class 3, District 1 2016 season.  If the Lady Cats want to remain competitive in one of the toughest districts i southeast Missouri they know they will have to play at the top of their game.  In 2014 they won the Class 3, District 1 championship, their first time since 2000.

The volleyball team ended with a 27-5-2 record in the 2015 season losing in two sets to Notre Dame in the District Championship.

This will be Coach Carmen Morgan’s 5th season as head coach for the Lady Bearcats Volleyball Team.  

Janie Lindsey and Ashlyn Wyman return as seniors.  Juniors are Krysten Garrison, Megan Trout, Addie Kruse, Rhylan Hillis, Maci Daniels, and Bailey Williams. Sophomores are Maycie Martin, Emily Smith, kelby Hill, Natalie Sitz, Anna Bishop, and Rylee Allen.  Freshman are Colby Christian, Alexa Werneck, Madelyn Hampton, Sydney Patrick, Mallory Dunlap, Blair Rogers, and Madelyn Parker.

The Lady Cats will have 8 home games and 8 away games. Dexter will also compete in three tournaments this season.  They will travel to Washington, Missouri to compete in the St. Francis Borgia Volleyball Tournament that begins on August 27th.  On September 2nd and 3rd the Lady Bearcats will compete in the Notre Dame Volleyballfest in Cape Girardeau and on October 3rd - 7th the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament will be held in Puxico, Missouri.

Roster: #1 Maycie Martin, #2 Emily Smith, #3 Kelby Hill, #4 Megan Trout, #5 Ashlyn Wyman, #6 Natalie Sitz, #7 Krysten Garrison, #8 Colby Christian, #10 Addie Kruse, #11 Rhylan Hillis, #12 Alexa Werneck, #13 Madelyn Hampton, #16 Sydney Patrick, #17 Anna Bishop, #18 Mallory Dunlap, #19 Maci Daniels, #20 Bailey Williams, #21 Janie Lindsey, #22 Blair Rogers, #23 Madelyn Parker, and #24 Rylee Allen

2016 Dexter Lady Cats Volleyball Schedule

8/22/2016    6:00 PM         Arcadia Valley        
8/25/2016    6:00 PM         at Jackson        
8/29/2016    6:00 PM         Farmington        
9/6/2016      6:00 PM         Bloomfield        
9/8/2016      6:00 PM         Bernie        
9/12/2016    6:00 PM         at Woodland       
9/13/2016    6:00 PM         Richland (Essex)       
9/15/2016    6:00 PM         at Bell City  (No Junior Varsity)      
9/19/2016    6:00 PM         at Advance        
9/20/2016     6:00 PM         Leopold        
9/22/2016     6:00 PM         at Winona        
9/26/2016     6:00 PM         Puxico        
9/27/2016     6:00 PM         Liberty (Mountain View)         
9/29/2016     6:00 PM         at Poplar Bluff        
10/10/2016    6:00 PM        at Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau)        
10/13/2016    6:00 PM        at Perryville

Dexter, Missouri - As usual the Bearcats have a rather tough schedule this year and with a new coach the "Boys of Fall" have learned a new offense and defense along with having a new quarterback.  For the seniors it will be their last season as a Dexter football player and when they take the field on Friday night it will be the first game of the season, but the last time they will face the Ste. Genevieve Dragons.

Coach Kevin Goltra is looking forward to his first year as a Bearcat.  He's had all summer to build a relationship with the players, teach them a new offense and defense and hit the weight room.

The Bearcats looked confident at the Jamboree on Friday night.  A few mistakes, adjustments made and young players stepped up to the challenges of a new season.

"Our offense will continue to improve as our Offensive Line grows and matures," commented head football coach Kevin Goltra.  "We will have moments of adversity due to lack of playing, experience, and youth, but should be able to move the ball against almost all of our opponents this year."

"Defensively, we are still trying to learn the ins and outs of our newly installed defense and where we fit into that system," continued Goltra.  "We have a tough group of kids, but we have to continue to improve with our fundamentals and be more aggressive going after the ball.  That also will come with experience and additional strength in the weight room."

Last season Dexter finished 3 - 7 under former coach Justin Peden defeating Charleston, Kennett, and New Madrid County Central.  Can they turn the program around?  Will they have a winning season?  We can't predict the future; however with a very young team on the field the future is very bright for the Bearcats.  These young athletes as well as the vested football players have worked extremely hard this summer.

They performed well at both the Southeast Missouri Football Camp, Buffalo Contact Camp, and the Annual Football Jamboree. 

"The 2016 football team is comprised of young, eager football players that have an enormous upside and potential," stated Goltra.  "We are still working to perfect the new offense and defense but have made great strides this past summer."

Ben Sindle (5'10" 170 lb junior) will be at the helm yelling the signals at the line of scrimmage. He will have to make quick decisions on the field while the ball is in play.  Will he hand it off to the running back, throw it to a receiver or just run the ball to gain yardage?  That's the anticipation of the game.  That's the excitement to see what happens next.  The Bearcats will do well under their new leader. Sindle motivates his teammates throughout practice yelling and slapping helmets to get the 'Cats fired up!

According to Coach Goltra they will rely heavily on the run-game that will include wing backs Trevor McDonald (5'8", 150 lb junior), Payton Tinnin (5'10", 165 lb senior), and Caleb Hoggard (5'10" 180 lb sophomore).  Full backs are Jake Adams (5'11", 190 lb senior), Hunter Lawrence (5'8" 220 lb sophomore), and Caleb Stearns (5'8" 160 lb sophomore).

Last year the Bearcats took a big hit against Ste. Genevieve losing 42 - 7.  It's time for redemption! Time to change the scoreboard in favor of the Bearcats!  Historically Ste. Genevieve leads the Bearcats 14 - 3.  In 2014 season the Dragons defeated Dexter by only one touchdown (27-21).  This will be Coach Ken Weik's second year with the Dragons. Game time 7:00 p.m. This is a non-conference game.

Ste. Genevieve will start 5 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 2 seniors on offense.  Dexter will start 1 freshman, 5 sophomores, 3 juniors, and 2 seniors on defense.

"Ste. Gen is down a little from their past success," Goltra said.  "Their starting QB is expected to be out due to an injury and he was a really good player for them last year.  They also have a new OC.  They are still well coached and their back-up quarterback throws the ball well."

Dexter will compete in Class 3, District 1 with Park Hills, St. Pius of Festus, Ste. Genevieve, Kennett, Potosi, Fredericktown, and New Madrid County Central.