Dexter to tap 'explosive' athlete in hopes of trend reversal vs. Sikeston

Last year’s high school football battle between Sikeston and Dexter showed that no one could predict how the game would unfold.

The Bearcats led 25-7 at halftime and appeared to be rolling to a dominating victory before the Bulldogs roared back for a decisive 45-32 road win.

The two teams will meet tonight at 7 p.m. at Sikeston, and second-year Bearcat coach Chad Jamerson is looking forward to the competition.

“We’ve got some hard feelings about that one from last year,” Jamerson said recently. “We’re going to go down there and hopefully put our best foot forward.”

The outcome may be unknown, but who the athletes making plays won’t be, most notably, for Dexter.

The Bearcats (1-0) unleashed an impressive run game in last week’s stunning win over Scott City, as senior RJ Farmer (75 yards) and junior Jett Grams (69 yards) were really effective. However, no Bearcat was more impressive – or elusive – than junior athlete Lee-Michael McDonald.

“That is the kind of game that we want,” Jamerson said. “We want to be able to run the ball.”

McDonald ran for 137 yards (15.2 yards per touch) and scored once.

“There are a ton of adjectives that you could use to describe Lee-Michael,” Jamerson said recently. “He is explosive. He is a game-changer.”

Jamerson utilizes McDonald in just about every way he can dream up.

McDonald will get his touches out of any number of run formations, on screens, on kickoff returns, etc.

“A lot of the stuff that he does,” Jamerson continued, “it looks effortless.

“He is just a special kind of player. He is a guy that just creates offense on his own, which is really nice.”

Sikeston and Dexter resumed their series in 2020 and the Bulldogs have won all three contests.