The 2017 Week 5 District Standings in high school football have been released. The Dexter Bearcats moved up to No. 2 just below Park Hills Central.
Park Hills(5-0) has the number one spot and will play Perryville (4-1) on Friday, September 22nd.
Dexter (4-1) in the number two spot will face Caruthersville on Friday, September 22nd.
Kennett (3-2) ranked third will play last place ranked 8th New Madrid County Central (0-4)
No. 4 Potosi (3-2) will play the #6 ranked Ste. Genevieve (1-4) on Friday.
Salem (2-3) ranked #5 will face Willow Springs (1-4)
Fredericktown (1-4) ranked 7th will play DeSoto with Kingston (2-3)
Dexter, Missouri - One has to respect Dexter's physicality on the field this season. This was the Bearcat's second win over the Bulldogs in nine years and their first shutout over Sikeston since 2007, ten years ago.
The Bearcats are starting to believe in themselves more and more and in their coaching staff. It's been an uphill battle and the fight is not over yet for the 2017 season. The 'Cats are 4 - 1 and have four more games ahead of them and a very tough schedule. They still have to face Caruthersville, Kennett, Malden, and Park Hills.
"Not that they didn't believe it, but now they know they can win the rest of the games on the their schedule. I don't think they needed to prove it to themselves so much. I think they needed to prove it to everyone else and tonight they did that," commented Dexter head football coach Kevin Goltra.
"They were as intense and fired up to play this football game as any football game I have ever been around," continued Goltra. "There was a whole lot of bulletin board material from both sides going around. Our kids took it a little personal."
Goltra said he received a text on Thursday from one of the coaches that some players showed up their house ready to watch film.
"They knew everything that Sikeston was going to run and they knew exactly what they were supposed to do to defend it. When that happens in high school football, good things happen," Goltra said.
It wasn't until the 4th quarter before Dexter crossed into the end zone. Caleb Hoggard took ball in from the 2-yard line for six with 10:34 left on the clock. Then Corbin Strong ran in from the 2-yard for another six points with just 5:47 left in the game. Neither conversion runs were good giving them a lead of 12 - 0.
"I think the last 4 - 5 minutes, our kids wanted it more and we wore them down," finished Goltra. "They are extremely physical. That comes from weight room and confidence, as far as that goes."
Dexter ran 10 plays in the their new wildcat formation for a total of 40 yards to get Hoggard into the end zone. The Bearcats hadn't shown their new formation in the first four games of the year. Goltra's offense has been working on the new formation since the summer and putting Hoggard in at quarterback allowed him to run up the middle with an extra blocker in front.
"We have got to get Hoggard to where he can throw the ball. You saw he had zero interceptions because he had zero attempts," Goltra said while smiling and describing the dilemma. "Teams are going to pick up on that in a hurry. We knew the schedule toughened up after Drexel, so we wanted to get that done right away and we'll expand on it."
Dexter (4-1) finished with 160 yards rushing thanks mostly to Caleb Hoggard and Corbin Strong. Caleb had 107 yards on 38 carries and Corbin finished with 72 yards on 10 carries.
Bo McMullin, Gabe Jackson, Jett Featherston, Corbin Strong, and Braxton Foster led the Bearcats in tackles. They allowed only 94 yards of offense. The Bulldogs earned 30 yards rushing on 24 attempts. In all, the Sikeston offense only averaged about 1.9 yards per play and crossed mid-field only twice.
This game marks the last meeting between the two for at least the next two years after Dexter replaced Sikeston on its schedule with Doniphan. It was definitely a game to remember by players, cheerleaders, fans, and especially the student cheering section. They rushed the field to celebrate with the players.
Final Score Dexter 12, Sikeston 0
Sikeston 0 0 0 0 - 0
Dexter 0 0 0 12 - 12
Fourth Quarter
D - Caleb Hoggard 2 run (run failed), 10:34
D - Corbin Strong 2 run (pass failed), 2:03
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Sikeston, Matthew Perry 10-27, Larondus Phillips 5-7-10, BJ Hill 2-7, Don Larry 1-1, Austin Branch 1-(-5). Dexter, Caleb Hoggard 38-84, Corbin Strong 10-72, Ernesto Rivera 1-3, Jett Featherston 1-1, Team 3-(-20).
Passing – Sikeston, Nate Self 12-26-2 64. Dexter, Ben Sindle 2-3-0 18.
Receiving – Sikeston, Bryce Bays 6-40, BJ Hill 2-16, Don Larry 1-5, Austin Branch 1-0, Larondus Phillips 2-3. Dexter, Ernesto Rivera 1-14, Gabe Jackson 1-4.
Dexter (4-1) will host the Caruthersville Tigers on Friday, September 22nd at Charles Bland Stadium. It's Homecoming. Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. with the Community Tailgate followed by the Homecoming Queen Coronation at 6:30 p.m. Kick-off is 7:00 p.m.
