Poplar Bluff, Missouri - With just 2 seconds on the clock at the end of the first quarter Isaiah Johnson ran a 28-yard touchdown as the Mules scored first and went on to defeat the Dexter Bearcats 35 - 12 at the Mules Stadium.
This was the last meeting between the two teams. Poplar Bluff has beat Dexter nine straight seasons. Next year Dexter will drop Poplar Bluff from their schedule and face Salem.
The injuries from the game against Ste. Gen and the Kennett Jamboree somewhat affected the Bearcats' game plan against the Mules.
"We had to move two players to brand new positions on the offensive line," stated Dexter head football coach Kevin Goltra. "I had to change jersey numbers on those two players prior to the game on Thursday. Contacted the Poplar Bluff AD and made those numbers eligible. Coupled with turnovers and a good PB defense made for a difficult game for us."
During the entire first quarter the Bearcats looked like the team last Friday night against the Ste. Gen Dragons. Once the Mules scored with 2 seconds left in the first quarter, heads seem to go down. Our boys of fall were diving at ankles and not making eye contact on the field.
"What everyone sees is body language," stated Goltra. "We got down by one TD and we got tanked. At half we discussed that and I told them I didn't want to see that anymore, the old Bearcat way of putting our heads down."
Turnovers was another issue for the Bearcats against Poplar Bluff.
"We had a ridiculous amount of turnovers Friday night," commented Goltra. "On Monday we will work to fix that and be ready for New Madrid on Friday night."
In the second half things looked a little better for the Bearcats. Senior quarterback Ben Sindle was able to deliver a tight spiral to Trevor McDonald. Sindle's first completion of the season.
"He does have some ability there and he will continue to improve," continued Goltra. "Our guys have a lot of character and heart. They are very unselfish and were able to move into new positions tonight. They did what it takes to be a team player. With Boyer, Adams, and Foster out we had to change things up at the last minutes."
Caleb Hoggard ran for 80 yards on 27 carries, including a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter, to lead the Bearcats offense. Corbin Strong added 35 yards rushing on 9 carries while Ben Sindle competed 4 of 13 passes for 92 yards.
Trevor McDonald picked up a fumble and returned it 50 yards to put Dexter on the scoreboard with 1:36 left in the third quarter.
Dexter completed its first pass of the season at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter, a 24-yard catch by Bo McMullin, but the Bearcats were stopped on fourth down.
The next three games look promising for the Bearcats. There is potential to go 3 - 0 looking forward to NMCC, Drexel, and Sikeston.
"They will be ready for New Madrid and Drexel," Goltra said. "We should compete real well against Drexel. As long as we continue to improve we will be real competition for Sikeston this year."
"We will go to work on Monday and fix the problems we saw tonight," Goltra state. "We should get healed up and be ready for next Friday."
Final Score Dexter 12, Poplar Bluff 35
Dexter 0 0 6 6 - 12
Poplar Bluff 7 21 7 0 - 35
First Quarter Scoring
PB - Isaiah Johnson 28 run (kick good), 0:00.
Second Quarter Scoring
PB - Rashawn McCain 6 run (kick good), 10:12.
PB - Logan Bell 1 run (kick good), 8:00.
PB -Tyson Cox 38 pass from Logan Bell (kick good), 4:52.
Third Quarter Scoring
PB - Brett Barousse 27 pass from Logan Bell (kick good), 9:48.
DEX - Trevor McDonald 50 fumble return (run fail), 1:36.
Fourth Quarter Scoring
DEX - Caleb Hoggard 20 yard run (kick fail), 4:07.
Dexter will host New Madrid County Central on Friday, September 1, 2017. Game time is 7:00 p.m. Miss DHS will also be crowned prior to the pre-game around 6:30 p.m. Come early and stay late and cheer for the BEARCATS!!
