By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The DMS Lady Bearcat Basketball team closed their season with two big wins this week, remaining undefeated on both the seventh and eighth grade levels.

Tuesday night saw the Lady Bearcats in action against the Kennett Indians. In the seventh grade matchup, both squads put their undefeated records on the line, but the Lady ‘Cats were able to earn a big 20-point win.

The two teams played a fairly close first quarter, but the Lady ‘Cats were able to pull ahead by 3 at the end of the first. Strong play by Harley Allen and Sydney Rodgers helped the Lady ‘Cats build a 10 point lead going into halftime.

The Lady ‘Cats had some great defensive pressure and solid passing on offense to build their lead during the third quarter. Lexi May, Caroline Powers, and Cheyenne Mosbey played very strong inside the paint during the second half to help lead the seventh grade ‘Cats to a 22-point victory.

In the eighth grade matchup, the Lady ‘Cats started the game with a little adversity. Ashlynn Werneck dislocated a finger during the pre-game warmups, and she was out of the lineup, but the ‘Cats adjusted well and set off on their way to a blowout win.

The Dexter defense pitched a shutout in the opening frame, while putting up 18 points on the other end of the floor. Dakota Reynolds exploded in the second quarter, putting up 12 of the Lady ‘Cats 18 points, while teammate Julia Hahn hit a jumper at the buzzer to send the ‘Cats in the locker room up 36-0 at halftime.

Hahn opened the third quarter with a big three, while Karaline Keirsey completed the three-point play to increase the ‘Cats’ lead to 42-0 at the end of the third. Savannah Williams scored Kennett’s only points of the game at the 4:43 mark of the fourth quarter as she hit a quick 12-footer. She followed up with a single free throw later in the quarter to bring the final score to 46-3.

Thursday night saw the Lady ‘Cats pitted against the Sikeston Bulldogs, but the Lady ‘Cats again put up blowout wins on both levels.


The seventh grade squad battled back from a 6-2 Sikeston lead at the end of the first quarter to tie the game 6-6 at the half. May again had a solid performance in the paint, pulling down rebound after rebound for the Lady ‘Cats.


Dexter’s offense exploded in the third quarter, putting up 11 points in the frame to claim a 17-11 lead. The Lady ‘Cats again put up double-digits in the fourth, and played some aggressive defense to hold the Bulldogs to only three points and claim the 27-14 victory.


Mosbey led the way for the Lady ‘Cats, putting up 17 points in the contest. May and Rodgers each put in 4 points, while Allen put in 2.

The eighth grade ‘Cats, with Werneck back in the lineup, had a big offensive surge to open the game, putting up 17 points in the opening frame. Hahn played some solid defense throughout the game, and had 6 steals in the contest. The Lady ‘Cats held a commanding 23-6 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

Reynolds and Melanie McKuin stepped up their defensive efforts in the second half, racking up 4 steals each. McKuin had a great game in the paint, as she hauled in 7 boards on the night. Dexter continued to dominate through the second half, despite giving Sikeston a game-high 12 points in the fourth quarter, to claim the 43-22 victory.

Both squads were undefeated on the season, and it looks like Lady Bearcat Basketball has a great few years ahead of it when this group hits high school. 

Special to the ShowMe Times
by Kim Waldner

Two Dexter girls have become familiar faces on soccer fields throughout the region.

Julia Hahn and MaKayla Waldner are currently playing on the Sikeston eighth grade Coed All-Star Soccer Team, which recently won 1st place at the Bootheel Invitational Tournament and 2nd place in the Perryville Cup.

Both girls got their start at soccer in first grade playing on a co-ed team with Dexter Parks and Recreation, where they developed their fundamental skills and their love of the game.

When they were in second grade, they played with DPR as well as on a Dexter girls team, which competed in the Bootheel Invitational.

The following season both girls played in the 3rd-4th grade girls recreation league in Sikeston. That season is really 'when it all began', as they were selected to the All-Star team and began traveling to competitive tournaments.

A common saying among parents and coaches on the sidelines and after some big wins was “Go Sikeston.....and a little bit of Dexter”.

They were again selected to the all-star team in fourth grade and both played a huge role in their teams’ outstanding success, finishing the season 17-1.

In 2008, the then fifth grade Dexter girls were playing with the #1 ranked U-11 girls team in the state of Missouri. They have played in major tournaments in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, representing teams from Sikeston, Jackson, and Cape Girardeau. Both girls were also guest players for a Kentucky team in the Kentucky State Cup in May 2011.

Hahn and Waldner are currently eighth grade students at T.S. Hill Middle School, and are playing on the undefeated girls’ basketball team. When not playing soccer, both girls stay busy with academics and other sports.

Both girls are members of the DMS Quiz Bowl team which won 1st in the state and region in 2011. Hahn is also a cheerleader and a member of the DMS Volleyball team, while Walder is an outstanding member of the track and field team at DMS, as well as the Cleats of Fire traveling team.

As you can see, the girls have been together a lot and consider themselves more like sisters than just teammates or friends.

Hahn and Waldner will be playing this weekend in the Fall River Rage soccer tournament in Cape Girardeau.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Athletes, coaches, parents, and school officials were all on hand Tuesday evening for the annual DHS Fall Sports Banquet, held in the DHS Cafeteria.

DHS Athletic Director Chuck Powers acted as the ‘master of ceremonies,’ and opened up the evening thanking everyone behind the scenes - the Press Box crew, the chain gang, Brett Dorton and his stats team, Dr. Bobby Jibben and Cory Blocker for treating injured Bearcats on the sidelines of Friday night football games, all the local churches that opened up for FCA breakfasts - that make Bearcat Athletics so successful.

The Lady Bearcat Tennis team was up first, and Coach Leanne Dooley expressed great pride in her team’s effort this season. The JV squad finished with an impressive 11-0 record.


“These JV girls really caught on quick, and they are mostly freshmen,” Dooley said. “In a few years, we will be awesome.”

The Varsity squad featured three seniors this season: Jessica Snider, Jamie Manuel, and Shanna Gant. They finished the season with a 9-7 record, and were the runners-up in the District Tournament for the second year in a row.
“We’re going to get Kennett one of these years,” Dooley said, laughing. “This season has been a lot of fun for me, and these seniors will be missed next year. I’d like to thank all the parents for their support, as well as all the boyfriends - one of the fun things with coaching the girls - for their support.”

The tennis team gives three awards; Most Doubles Wins went to Manuel and Hailee Hubbard, Most Singles Wins went to Baylee Cooper, and team MVP went to Jessica Snider.

Up next was the Cross Country team, coached by Chris Bolin. The CC squad had 18 medalists during their regular season meets, with the boys coming in First Place at two meets and the Girls coming in Third Place at one meet. Zach Connor posted a career-best 18:35 in the 5K for the boys, while Katie Justice posted a 22:06 for the girls.


“This was a young team with a lot of new faces,” Bolin said in a statement read by Powers. “I look forward to next year, and consider myself lucky to have such a great group of athletes.”

Katie Justice took home the Best Female Runner award, while Alex Rybolt was named Best Male. Malinda Mayo was named the Team MVP.


Second year head coach Lauren Hutchcraft represented the Volleyball team, and gave high praise to her squad for a successful season.


“I’m honored to be up here as a graduate of DHS; I’ve always thought once you were a Bearcat, you were always a Bearcat,” the 2003 DHS alum said. “I really enjoyed this season, and I want to commend the parents for all their support throughout the year.”

The JV squad had a highly impressive one-loss season, including a first-place finish in the SCAA Tournament. The Varsity posted a 19-10-2 record, including second-place finished in both the SCAA and District Tournaments.

“I’m proud of their hard work and dedication to the program,” Hutchcraft continued. “They were a fun, passionate group of girls.”


The three volleyball awards went to Erica Mouser (Most Valuable Defensive Player), Brittany Harris (Most Valuable Offensive Player), and Hannah Noe (Best Setter).

“It was a great year; very energetic kids,” DHS Cheerleading Sponsor Vicki Windham said. “I’ve never had as many compliments about the squad as I had this year. They’re all underclassmen, so I look forward to the next few years with these girls. I’d also like to thank our fans for always being there to support both us and the football team”

Head football coach Aaron Pixley took the stage next, and commended all his teams on one of the most successful seasons in Bearcat Football history.

“The freshmen were a hard-working group of kids, we really like this group,” Pixley said. “They struggled with injuries this year, but they’ve put up great numbers in the weight room so far. If they stick with it, they’ll see a lot of success in the future.”


“The JV did very well in the first half of the season, but they got hit by a lot of injuries as well,” he continued. “We had to bring up some freshmen to fill in, but this group also has great numbers in the weight room, and that excites me.”

“This is Dexter, we don’t outrun people,” Pixley said, laughing. “The teams we play on our schedule, they always have a lot more speed than we do. The weight room is a huge part of how we compensate for that.”


The Varsity Football Team posted a 9-2 record during their record-breaking season. They won back-to-back District Championships for the first time in over 20 years, and won the SEMO Conference Title for the first time since 2005.


“We had an outstanding season,” Pixley said. “They worked hard; nothing was given to them. This was one of the best seasons in DHS history, and I’m very, very proud of them.”


“I had 18 seniors this year, the most I’ve ever had,” he continued. “With this group, we believed we could win every game, and they put themselves in a position to win every game. They set a standard of excellence for these young guys to look up to in the coming seasons.”


The football team gives four awards at the end of the season. Left Tackle Zach Lacy was named Most Valuable Lineman; Josh Overall was named Most Valuable Back; Alex Cliff was named Most Valuable Defensive Player, but there was an interesting twist for the Team MVP Award - it was given to the entire Bearcat Offense.


“These awards are all voted on by the team,” Pixley said, “but this is the first time it’s been given to an entire group of kids. They all deserve it; this was the best offensive line I’ve ever coached. Cody Stevens ran for over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns and threw for over 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. Josh Overall ran for over 900 yards and 15 touchdowns, and Nick Summers ran for 600 yards and 7 touchdowns in eight games.”

“Alex Cliff is the best blocking fullback I’ve ever had; our fullbacks usually don’t run the ball, but when he did, he was extremely effective,” Pixley continued. “Tyler Miller had over 800 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns; he averaged 19 yards per catch, which is excellent. Cody Neldon and Chase Young both have bright futures here, and Jake Lee was one of the better blocking tight ends I’ve had.”

Brett Dorton was there to give an introduction to the evening’s ‘Main Event’ - the presentation of the 2011 Charles Bland Award.


“The Bearcats rewrote our record books this year, but they also found their way into the MSHSAA record books,” Dorton said. “They’re 16th in total offense per game with 434.2 yards, 5th in first downs in a season with 230, tied for 12th for touchdowns in a single game with 10 against Kennett, and 21st in average points per game with 44.8.”


“Tyler Miller’s four interceptions against NMCC tied the state record, and the two he returned for touchdowns tied him for second-best,” Dorton continued.

Dorton went on to thank several people, including: Charles Bland, avid supporter of DHS Athletics and whom the award and DHS Football stadium is named for; Alan Hedrick, founder of the Bland Award; Alan Gibson, sculptor of the original Bland Trophy; and Terry Hester, current sculptor of the award.

Jason Comfort, Bland Committee Member and ’95 winner of the trophy, was then brought onstage to announce the winner of the 2011 Bland Award: Tyler Miller.

Miller joins a brotherhood of 18 individuals, including Kevin Young, Comfort, Kent Essner, Mike Guethle, Justin Kelley, David Howard, Jason Mayer, Nathan McKay, Drew Wethington, Marc Thrower (currently a member of the DHS coaching staff), Derek Clark, Andrew Stuever, Drew Pixley, Eric Windham, Nick Hessling, Gary Summers, and Taylor Jarrell.

The Bearcats had a great fall athletic season, and look forward to the upcoming Winter Sports season. Congratulations to all who won awards, and best of luck in the upcoming season!

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Competing in its final fall tournament this year, the Arkansas State men’s golf team finished the opening two rounds of play at the Amelia National Intercollegiate in 14th place after recording a combined 612 (305-307) on Monday.

The Red Wolves were led by Chris Pledger, who turned in a 145 to end the 54-hole tournament’s first day tied for 19th place.  Pledger shot an opening-round 72, the lowest score by an ASU player on the day, before coming back to record a 73 for the second 18 holes.

Also competing for ASU, Cory Williamson and Chance Holden both shot a combined 155 to finish the day tied for 57th place.  Holden, a 2010 graduate of Dexter High School, is currently nine shots off the lead, held by Georgia Southern's Will Evans with a 146 (71-75), on the individuals scoreboard.

OTTAWA, Kan. - The 23rd-ranked William Woods University women’s basketball team earned a hard-fought road victory Saturday at Ottawa University.  The Owls fought off a second-half resurgence by the Braves, after holding a 31-23 lead at halftime, to claim the 68-62 victory.  William Woods improves their record to 2-1 early in the 2011 campaign.

  Dexter native Ashlee Taylor led the Owls with 14 points, four assists, and four takeaways; Taylor also had a block in the contest. 

Katie Scherder (Bowling Green, Mo.) added 13 points in the win.  Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) and Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) also reached double-digits with 12 points each.