Semoball

Bulldogs Looking on the Bright Side

With several starters returning and change in philosophies, the Sikeston Bulldog football team enters the 2006 season with hopes of improvement.

The Bulldogs, 1-9 last season, return most of the offensive and defensive starters. And, after having a different starting quarterback every season for 10 straight years, the Bulldogs finally can breathe a little easier as their quarterback returns for his junior season.

"With the awful tough season we had last year, we went with a youth movement," said Sikeston coach Jerry Dement, in his third season as Bulldog head coach.

"We got some young kids some valuable experience. We had a lot of kids that got forced into playing varsity football before they were ready. The flip side of that is it gave them some game experience. I think we're a quicker team and I know we're a stronger team. We seem to be a little more aggressive. We have some playmakers. We feel pretty positive."

OFFENSE

With more experience behind center and increased speed at running back, Dement is moving away from the smashmouth mentality of last season.

"We're probably not as much a grind it out team as we've been the last couple years," said Dement. "We've got some kids that can do things in the open field. We've got good speed offensively. We're going to be a little more multi-dimensional, we've got a quarterback with some experience and we've got some kids that can go get it."

Junior signal-caller Chase Ferrell returns after starting every game as a sophomore. He threw for 630 yards, completing 62-of-139 passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.

"He's been doing a good job of running the show and being a leader and he's executing better," said Dement.

Ferrell will be backed up by junior Michael Payne, who moved to Sikeston last fall but came too late for football season, and sophomore Charlie Bohannon.

"Bohannon is a sophomore that had a good scrimmage in the soap game," said Dement. "He showed good toughness and decision-making. Mike Payne is a kid that's got some quarterback experience and he can make a lot of things happen."

The Bulldogs graduated leading rusher Acie Dixon, but Dement feels he has capable replacements. Junior Byron Davis returns after rushing for 117 yards on 30 carries in limited action last year. Davis put on a show at the Bulldog soap game, breaking off several impressive runs.

Also returning is senior Jerod Scott, who is the leading returning rusher for Sikeston with 208 yards on 40 carries.

"We're quicker in the backfield and we've got some depth there," said Dement. "Two kids right now that seem to have come to the front are Byron Davis and Jerod Scott. Jerod is more of a slasher-type runner with good speed and Byron is more of an open field guy. They both have a chance to go the distance and that makes it exciting."

Juniors Tyler Dame and Gavilan Bland also could figure into the mix at running back. Payne is slated to get the nod at slot back for the Bulldogs. Dement says the versatile Payne can do a number of things with the football.

"He's an electric-type kid," said Dement. "He catches the football and he can do a lot of things, running, throwing and catching. We're excited about his athletic ability."

Gerald Winfield and Josh Pierce will be pushing Payne at slot back. Joey Williams is the top returning split end after catching four passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Juniors Brandon Wright and Stephen Jackson and senior Austin Williams will all see playing time at wide receiver.

"Joey is coming back off a pretty good campaign as a junior," said Dement. "Brandon Wright is a track kid that's got a lot of speed. Most of the kids backing these boys up in the skill positions are pretty decent players."

The Bulldogs will offer up good size on the offensive line, including three returning starters. It's not the biggest line Sikeston has put on the field, but Dement feels the unit has mobility and can get to their blocks quicker.

The Bulldogs average 234 pounds up front with three-year starter Joe Moore and sophomore Dylan Tangen checking in each at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. Junior Ryan Mitchell is the biggest, a 6-0, 255 pounds. Center A.J. Vanover (6-0, 210) and right guard Chris Northern (5-8, 225) are returning starters. Josh Northern, Adam Brown, Chris Johnson and Robert Madison are all vying for playing time on the offensive line.

"I think we're going to be a bit more diversified," said Dement. "We were a young team last year with a young quarterback and we didn't expand things very much. Some of these guys can be difference-makers. If you don't have playmakers and explosive-type kids then you've got to grind it out and keep your mistakes down. Some people live and die by that, but I like to be more diversified. I like to be able to pass and run and dictate when we do that and not let the other teams dictate it."

The 2006 Sikeston Bulldogs

DEFENSE

Most teams on Sikeston's schedule feature strong running attacks with gifted running backs. In an effort to get more speed on the field, the Bulldogs have changed defensive schemes from a 4-3 to a 3-5 alignment. Dement hopes the change in philosophy can make a difference.

"Something we had trouble with last year was open-field tackling and people hurting us on the edge," said Dement. "We think we've shored that area up. The question mark now is how solid we're going to be on interior run defense."

Senior Salamar Cox, last year's leading tackler with 52 stops, has packed on some muscle in the offseason and has bulked up to 225 pounds.

"We've moved Salamar Cox from linebacker to defensive end to add more quickness and toughness up front," said Dement.

Cox will join all-conference nose guard Robert Madison (6-3, 280) and sophomore defensive end Adrian Dixon (6-1, 230), Acie Dixon's younger brother. Josh and Chris Northern, Vanover and Mitchell will all be seeing playing time on the defensive line. The Bulldogs will trot out five linebackers at times led by Scott, an all-conference performer last year with 51 tackles in just five games. Dame (16 tackles) and Bland (24 tackles) both saw starting action last year at linebacker. Payne and Ferrell will both see playing time at linebacker as well. Austin Williams (39 tackles) and Pierce will be pushing those five for playing time.

"We're still looking to develop depth, particularly at the linebacker positions," said Dement. "We feel like we've got some good front line guys, but we've got to find some depth behind them. We know we're quicker on defense and we're more physical. They've been more tenacious in practice."

Wright (22 tackles, 2 interceptions) and senior David Stovall (37 tackles) return at corner back while Joey Williams (20 tackles, 2 interceptions) and sophomore Courvirseya Strickland are pushing each other at free safety.

"We're putting in a scheme that is a little different," said Dement. "They're excited about it and they're starting to believe in it, but the bottom line is we've got to get out and stop people. We want to be predicated on defense first. We want people to fly around, be disciplined and get after people. "We're a faster team offensively and defensively. We think we're going to be a much better ballclub. But talk is cheap, we've got to get out and prove it. We've been losing and we're tired of it. We're going to try to do the best job we can to get out of that. I think if we can catch fire then we can do some good things."

SPECIAL TEAMS

Finding people in the kicking game is an early concern for Dement. Dame and Doug Pigg are the top candidates for place kicking and extra points. Scott and Dame are competing for the punting duties as well.

Finding a reliable kicker has been a point of emphasis for Dement after last year when the team struggled in that department. Davis and Payne are the early favorites for returning kicks and punts. Davis had the top kick return average on the team last year, returning eight kicks for 183 yards (22.9) with a long of 41.

SCHEDULE

Sikeston's schedule remains unchanged from last year. The Bulldogs will play longtime rival Charleston on the road in Week 2 and they will travel to play Jackson in Week 4 for their first conference game.

Sikeston opens district play at West Plains in Week 8 and will return home to host their final two conference and district games against Poplar Bluff and Cape Central, respectively.

OUTLOOK

The Bulldogs appear to be more talented and are certainly more experienced than last year's team. A point of emphasis has been ball control after the team's rash of turnovers last season, many of which were fundamental mistakes. Dement is hoping that with several returning players on offense, turnovers will decrease.

"We think we can be a team that can make big things happen," said Dement. "A lot of teams have one guy that you have to stop. We want to be a team where you have several kids you have to stop.

"We want to get our football program back to a championship level. Obviously last year was a very tough year. But the kids persevered through it and we've got some kids coming back that remember how bad that taste was and want to get it out of their mouth. We've got good things coming for Sikeston football. We've got good young classes coming. Our numbers are good. Our enthusiasm is good. We've just got to get out and prove it."

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