Football: Pioneer falls to top-ranked Dexter (See WLAA photo gallery)
With just under 6 minutes to play in the first half, Dexter’s Cole Cabana strolled across the goal line and into the end zone for a touchdown at Pioneer High School. In the background of his celebration with teammates was a giant “M” on the scoreboard at Michigan Stadium – shining brightly in the Ann Arbor evening.
Cabana will take his act across the street next year, but the talented senior running back was too busy focused on the present to think about the future. And the present and immediate future is shining brightly for the Dexter Dreadnaughts.
Dexter, the No. 1 ranked team in the state in D-2 in most polls, built a 23-0 first-quarter lead and cruised to a 51-7 win Friday night over host Pioneer in an SEC Red contest before a huge and enthusiastic crowd on a perfect fall night for football. The Dreadnaughts improved to 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in the league. Pioneer, coming off an impressive 41-25 win the week before over Skyline, falls to 1-4 on the year, 1-3 in the league.
Dexter hosts Huron (3-2), who have won three straight, on Friday at Al Ritt Stadium. It doesn’t get any easier for Pioneer who will play undefeated Saline on Friday night.
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Dexter’s first team was efficient during the first half – they didn’t run an offensive play in the second half. Senior quarterback Reeves Taylor completed 6 of 7 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Cabana had 112 yards rushing and two scores on just five carries. Senior Brennan Parachek had two catches for 65 yards and a score. Senior Joey Tessmer had three catches for 37 yards and senior Cole Darby had a 15-yard TD catch.
Dexter had a kickoff and two punt returns for scores in the game.
Defensively, the Dreadnaughts were solid all night long. Pioneer quarterback Kalan Wong made some nice passes and the home team was able to move the ball at times in the first half. But Dexter’s defense was able to shut them down when it mattered and keep them off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.
Five Dexter players finished with six tackles: Freshman Nathan Gersh (two tackles for loss); senior Brock Komaromi (three sacks); junior Noah Pitts (three for loss); junior Davis Taylor (two for loss); senior Micah Davis (one for loss); and Parachek (one sack, two for loss). Senior defensive lineman Corey Baker and Devon Emrick dominated up front for the Dreads.
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Cabana opened the scoring with an 80-yard punt return for a score with 7:30 left in the first quarter prompting a “this game is over” chant from the Dexter student section.
Dexter scored again without running an offensive play when they forced a safety. Pioneer’s Wong did the smart thing on a bad snap that bounced into the end zone by just pushing the ball out of bounds with Dexter players closing in.
On Dexter’s second offensive play of the night, Taylor hit Darby on an 11-yard TD pass to push the lead to 16-0 with 5:43 left in the first quarter. Cabana went 28 yards to make it 23-0 with 36 seconds left in the opening quarter.
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Parachek caught a 35-yard pass from Taylor to make it 30-0 with 8:54 left in the first half and Cabana scored again – this time from 55 yards – to push the advantage to 37-0 with 5:52 left in the half.
Cabana opened the second half with a 95-yard kickoff return to give the visitors a 44-0 lead. Davis then returned a punt 67 yards to make it 51-0.
Pioneer scored in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard pass play.
Dexter’s Gerzon Herter was perfect on extra points.
