The 2023 Dexter High School Fall Sports Awards Ceremony was held on Thursday, March 9, 2023.
Coach Cody Boyer, in his first year as wrestling head coach took the stage first and thanked many people who helped make this year's first year a great year.
"I want to thank Colton Gibson," stated Boyer. "Thank you for loving this sport so much that you would drive from Cape Girardeau every day to help with the middle school and the high school teams. It takes a massive amount of dedication to work a regular job, got to school full time and coach. It has been a pleaser!"
Freshmen: Simon Bruyette (the shoe game KING), Wyatt Hockersmith, Conrad Purnell (the most flexible person I know), Kodi Lynn, Carson Mullins (the jokester), Shyden Conn-Harris and Paxton White (the Samurai).
"I want to note something pretty special," commented Boyer. "Purnell is the first African American State Qualifier at Dexter High School! I'm pretty proud of him."
The entire wrestling team came to the stage.
Sophomores: Alex Dyle and Kylie Cook
Juniors: Ryan Young, Kasen Forkum, Garrett Coons, James DeBerry (the boy who goes 100% all day), Avin Vincent (Lil Baby), Noah Bruyett, Chase Berry, Kennedy mcCormick and Emily Barrett.
Seniors: Eric Harmon and Kolin Simpson.
"The season started off really rough. We had sickness and injuries going around. I don't know if we had our fullest line-up until the en do fht season," stated Boyer. "We laughed, we cried, we yelled and we bled together. We started off broken, but became a family."
At the Tiger Class in Cape Girardeau they had two 3rd place finishers Eric Harmon and Kolin Simpson. On the girls side Kennedy McCormick finished 2nd.
The Bearcats took three to the SEMO Conference Tournament because of injuries. Kennedy McCormick finished 2nd in the girls division.
At the District Tournament they team finished 7th our ot 15 team participating. They had one District Champion and that was senior Eric Harmon.
Dexter took five to the State Championship - Conrad Purnell, Eric Harmon, Ryan Young, Kasen Forkum, and Kolin Simpson.
Kolin Simpson will leave Dexter High School as one of the best heavyweights that has come through the program. He is a 2-time State qualifier. He moves really well for a 285 lb wrestler "I hope he continues his sports career somewhere," commented Boyer. "I believe he will wrestle and play football at Westminster University."
Eric Harmon completes his high school career with 117 wins. He will DHS as a SEMO Conference Champion, a 2-time district Champion and a 4-time State qualifier. "I coached Eric for 6 years. There are not a lot of athletes that I have had the privilege of coaching in middle school and high school," continued Boyer. "It will not be the same without Eric in the room. He will be continuing his wrestling career as he heads to Fontbonne University to join another former Bearcat wrestler Diego McCormick. I know he will do great things."
Boy Letter Winners are Chase Berry, James DeBerry, Kasen Forkum, Eric Harmon, Wyatt Hockersmith, Kodi Lynn, Carson Mullins, Conrad Purnell, Ryan Young, and Noah Bruyette-Prov.
Girls Letter Winners are Emily Barrett, Kaylie Cook, and Kennedy McCormick.
Most Improved Wrestler: This award goes to a wrestler that has wrestled three years and is starting to find their groove. They finished 2nd at the Tiger Classic and 2nd at the SEMO Conference. They battled in every match and they practice hard in the room. This year's award goes to female wrestler, Kennedy McCormick.
Most Aggressive Wrestler: This award goes to a wrestler who fights every time they step on the mat. they look to finish early. this year's award goes to senior male wrestler Eric Harmon.
Most Valuable Player: This year's award winner has wrestled all four years of high school. He is a 4-time State qualifier, 2-time District Champion and a SEMO Conference Champion. He finished with a 33-7 record. The Most Valuable Wrestler is Eric Harmon.
