Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Park & Recreation Little League Football program was given a beautiful day for the rescheduled "Day With Bearcat Football" event that was held this afternoon on the hallowed grounds of the Dexter High School.  Why "hallowed"?  Because the essence of this event is the exposure of the Bearcat football athletes to some of their greatest fans - the DPR Little League teams.

This is a large commitment by many involved in the community.  Jamie Rowe, who heads up the DPR program, organizes the majority of the event and pulls everything together.  Just getting 120+ third through sixth graders collected for an extra practice is a big undertaking for DPR, the team coaches, and the parents. 

With poor weather causing the postponement of Friday night's high school game against the Sikeston Bulldogs to Saturday, the event was forced to be rescheduled this year.  

Coach Aaron Pixley, Coach Brian Becker, and other members of the Bearcat staff have been committed to this program, seeing it as a building blocks for their own program.  The DPR league has always attempted to teach the basic fundamentals of football while trying to share the teachings of Pixley and his staff. 

Day with Bearcat Football offers the young athletes a direct and personal workout with the high school players.  The Bearcats run the drills and offer individual instructions throughout the afternoon. 

During breaks, Coach Pixley took opportunities to share with the overall group and even took time to specifically teach the art and technique of tackling.  Many of the league coaches were on hand to sharpen their own knowledge and to affirm the teaching they perform each week with their teams. 

The event was capped off by a generous donation of subway sandwiches from the local Subway Restaurant.  The students built up quite an appetite and were anxious to get in line for the food.  Each participant also received a Day With Bearcat Football t-shirt.

The idea originated in the late '90s when Coach Paul Hale sponsored a similar event known as "Day with Bearcat Basketball".  A proven success, the event was picked up by the Dexter Bearcat Booster Club then taken over by the Dexter Parks & Rec just a few years later.  The event has been expanded and continues to be the highlight of all ages.