Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Bearcats quickly found their mojo on Friday night against the New Madrid County Central Eagles. They forced two fumbles and picked off five passes all while scoring 38 points to win their second game of the season at Charles Bland Stadium.
“Defensively, we started out a little flat and I got a little nervous at first. We gave up some yards and first downs in the beginning.” stated Dexter High School head Coach Kevin Goltra. “We know that they are fast and you can tell your kids all day long that they’re fast, but until they see it on the field they don't get it."
“As soon as we adjusted on defense I feel like we were in good shape. The kids were well prepared and knew what they were trying to run. I was really proud of them," continued Goltra.
Jett Featherston and Trevor McDonald each had two picks for the Bearcats.
“They just keep coming and I don’t know how or why,” Goltra said. “I know our D-line is senior heavy and our linebackers are really good, and we thought the safety and corners were going to be alright. Well, they’re better than expected. They line up well, play real hard and are in position to make plays.”
The Bearcats had an impressive 359 yards total in the game. Goltra said that their power run offense really worked well against NMCC
Five Bearcats ran across the goal line to score for Dexter. Running back Caleb Hoggard ran 29 times for 178 yards and a touchdown. Corbin Strong had 17 carries totaling 88 yards, and Bo McMullin ran for 22 yards and a touchdown. The other two touchdowns came from passes thrown by senior quarterback Ben Sindle. He completed 6 of 12 for 85 yards including one interception. Nick Trout and Gabe Jackson each caught the ball for six.
“All the guys had great carries, but we didn’t have a carry over 30 yards,” Goltra said. “Moving the chains, that’s really what our offensive line is about and we are moving the chains constantly and those guys are doing awesome.”
“He made one bad decision, but threw some nice balls as well,” Goltra said about Ben Sindle. “He’s coming on. We just got to continue to work on our passing game. I thought the pass protection was great tonight.”
“If you have to go 70-80 yards in high school football to score, the odds are just against you, even for a high-powered offense,” Goltra said. “We are not a high-powered offense, We’re a power offense. Having a short field and turnovers really plays into our offense. If we don’t get that, then it’s just a whole lot harder to move the ball and score.”
Final Score Dexter 38, NMCC 0
NMCC 0 0 0 0 - 0
Dexter 6 14 6 12 - 38
First Quarter
D - Caleb Hoggard 6-yard run (kick no good), 7:01
Second Quarter
D - Nick Trout 10-yard pass from Ben Sindle (Hoggard run), 6:40
D - Gabe Jackson 25-yard pass from Sindle (run no good), 0:39
Third Quarter
D - Corbin Strong 21-yard run (run no good), 0:59
Fourth Quarter
D - Bo McMullin 3-yard run (run no good), 9:04
D - Jett Featherston 55-yard interception return (run no good), 7:35
Individual Stats
Rushing - NMCC, Christen Phillips 4-17, Quazavion Jackson 3-12, Grae Palmer 8-8, JaMonte Smith 4-2, Tra Ranson 1-0, Jamal Ranson 1-0, Austin Davis 1-(-5).
Dexter, Caleb Hoggard 29-178, Corbin Strong 17-88, Bo McMullin 3-22, Jett Featherston 1-7, Ernesto Rivera 1-(-5), Ben Sindle 2-(-5), Hunter Lawrence 3-(-11).
Passing - NMCC, Christen Phillips 2-4-1 37, Grae Palmer 5-18-4 33. Dexter, Ben Sindle 6-12-1 85.
Receiving - NMCC, Austin Davis 3-36, Quazavion Jackson 3-29, Chase Silman 1-5. Dexter, Gabe Jackson 4-68, Nick Trout 1-10, Bo McMullin 1-7.
The Dexter Bearcats (2-1) will be on the road next Saturday, September 9th traveling to Bolivar, Missouri to take on the Drexel of Miami Bobcats at 2:00 p.m. The ShowMe Times will be there to bring you all the coverage.
