Young Dexter TE has emerged as 'Cats 'go-to leader'

A year ago, first-year Dexter High School football coach Chad Jamerson would joke at times “When you throw a rock, you’re going to hit a sophomore.”

The Bearcats had just six seniors, so a lot of the leadership roles through the challenging season were filled by very young athletes.

That time – though trying – has now paid dividends.

Dexter has 13 seniors on its 2023 roster, and 15 juniors, one of which has been the indispensable tight end, Logan Pullum.

“Logan has had an excellent off-season,” Jamerson said recently following a training camp practice.

And Jamerson wasn’t just speaking of Pullum getting bigger, faster, and stronger in the weight room, but he has done that, as well.

Last fall, then-sophomore quarterback Jackson Howard showed potential at times, but he also was a young player with a heaping of responsibility put on his shoulders.

Jamerson said that Howard made significant strides during this off-season, but that growth was in large part due to Pullum.

“What has helped Jackson understand the offense better,” Jamerson explained, “is Logan.”

Throughout the spring and summer, it was Logan, who would often go to Jamerson and ask the coach what are aspects to work on. What are some of the schematics to emphasize?

“Logan really took on a leadership role in the spring,” Jamerson said of Pullum, who was All-SEMO Conference as a sophomore. “And he really took on a leadership role early this summer of getting guys out here together.”

Logan would take the plays off the whiteboard that Jamerson explained, put them in his mind, and take them to the field for the Bearcat offensive players to drill on continuously.

“Logan was the catalyst that got a lot of our passing game taken care of for us,” Jamerson said. “He has emerged as one of our go-to leaders in this group.

“He constantly got guys up here, including Jackson, working on our passing game, working on route timing, and working on installing our offense.”

The Bearcats will host Poplar Bluff, Caruthersville, and Fredericktown on Friday at 6 p.m. for a jamboree, before hosting Scott City on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. for the 2023 regular-season opener.

Dexter won four games in 2022 but has had just one winning season since finishing 9-2 in 2011.

If the Bearcats are to break through for a winning season this fall, the diligence of the Bearcat leadership throughout the past spring and summer will have played a vital role in that success.

“Logan has been the gasoline in Jackson Howard’s engine this off-season to really get things going,” Jamerson said. “Both of those guys, along with (senior running back) RJ Farmer, and some others, have really emerged as offensive leaders for us.”