By Matthew Bartow / WLD
After a wild first quarter in which Dexter and Jackson traded two touchdowns apiece, it looked as though the fans at Tony Dungy Field in Jackson would be treated to an epic shootout between two SEC White Division title contenders.
Dexter had other ideas. As it turned out, it was a one-sided shootout.
The Dreadnaughts put up a barrage of 43 unanswered points, cruising to a 57-21 victory over previously unbeaten Jackson Friday. With the win, Dexter improves to 3-1 on the season, and 2-1 in the SEC White. Jackson falls to 3-1 (2-1 SEC White).
With deep passes, short passes, screens, quarterback runs, crossing patterns, it seemed that Dexter’s offense could do no wrong. Dexter head coach Phil Jacobs said that the offense just clicked on all cylinders. He wasn’t kidding.
“We had it clicking,” Jacobs said. “The run game was there, the pass game was there, our screen game was opened up because of the passing game. Colin [Parachek] did a remarkable job finding open receivers, and our running backs did a great job getting yards after catches.”
The Dreads were equally as impressive on the other side of the ball.
“It was a tough offense to prepare for, and our defensive staff really did a great job preparing our kids for assignment football,” Jacobs said. “When you got a running back like they do back there, an All-State kid [Dorion Riley], I mean, he’s a Mack truck, and you can’t simulate that in practice. The game slowed down for our kids after we adjusted and changed some assignments on the sideline.”
Dexter’s offense wasted no time. The Dreadnaughts had great field position after recovering an onside kick at its own 47, and marched the ball into Jackson territory. Six plays later, on third-and-short, Dexter running back Evan Krolewski took the handoff, broke an arm tackle, scampered outside, and trucked a Jackson defender at the goal line for a 26-yard touchdown. Brady Keough’s extra point was good, and Dexter led 7-0 only 1:51 into the game.
Jackson, the defending SEC White division champion, responded with a 9 play, 78 yard scoring drive. Dexter had two chances to stop Jackson on third down, but the Dreadnaught defense was unable to get off the field, and the Vikings scored on a 47-yard touchdown run up the middle by running back Dorion Riley. Jackson’s two-point conversion attempt was stopped by Dexter, and the Dreadnaughts held a 7-6 lead with 6:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Jackson then attempted another onside kick, and Dexter recovered, setting its offense up at midfield. Dexter drove the ball deep into Jackson territory, but the drive looked like it would stall after Jackson defensive back Brendan Blood sacked Dexter quarterback Colin Parachek, forcing a fourth-and-13. On fourth down, Parachek hit wide receiver Trevor Bazzy with a perfect pass over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown, capping a 7 play, 50-yard drive. Keough’s extra point made the score 14-6 Dexter with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.
Jackson’s option offense continued to give Dexter fits early on. Dexter’s defense looked to have stopped Jackson on the next drive after defensive back Daniel Troncalli came up with a big run stop on third down. But on fourth-and-seven, from inside its own 35-yard line, the Vikings decided to go for the first down, and Jackson quarterback Noah Bush connected with receiver Cornel Taylor to keep the drive alive. Riley then struck with another long run, giving Jackson a goal-to-go on Dexter’s 2-yard line. Bush scored on a quarterback keeper on the next play. Jackson’s two-point conversion was successful, knotting the game at 14 all in the final minute of the first quarter.
The score was 14-14 at the end of the quarter.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, Dexter dominated the second quarter, outscoring Jackson 28-0.
On Dexter’s third drive of the game, a long pass play from Parachek to receiver Rhett Jacobs set Dexter up inside the Vikings’ 35-yard line. Two plays later, Parachek took a deep shot, and receiver Antwan Ficklen made a reaching catch in the corner of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown. Keough’s extra point gave Dexter a 21-14 lead with 11:23 remaining in the first half.
Jackson was pinned deep on its next drive after a great tackle on the ensuing kickoff return by Jasper Howell. Dexter forced a three-and-out, and took over at Jackson’s 40-yard line after a short punt. Two plays later, Parachek found a soft spot in Jackson’s defense, and scrambled for 34 yards down to the Vikings’ 4-yard line. Jordan Watson punched the ball in on the next play. Keough’s extra point was good, and the Dreadnaughts led 28-14 with 8:37 remaining in the half.
Jackson was able to move into Dexter territory on its next drive, but the Dreadnaughts forced an incompletion on fourth down, ending the threat.
Dexter took over at its own 37-yard line, and needed only three plays to score again. A 29-yard screen pass from Parachek to Krolewski on the second play of the drive set Dexter up at Jackson’s 35-yard line. On the next play, Parachek scrambled to the right to avoid a rushing defender, and found Ficklen, who caught the pass, cut around a defender, and scored his second touchdown of the game. Dexter increased its lead to 35-14 with 3:48 left in the first half.
Once again, Jackson moved the ball into Dreadnaughts’ territory, but Dexter’s defense held again. On fourth down, Bush was flushed out of the pocket by Dexter defensive lineman Caleb Drenner, and he was forced to throw the ball out-of-bounds. Dexter then took over in Jackson territory after the Vikings were flagged for intentional grounding on the play.
Dexter’s offense only had 58 seconds to operate, but it was enough. Parachek connected with his brother Brennan Parachek three times, including one on fourth down to move the ball into the red zone. On the eighth play of the drive, Krolewski caught a screen pass, broke outside and scored down the sideline with less than a second remaining in the first half. Dexter’s offense scored touchdowns on all six of its drives in the first half. Keough’s extra point was good, giving Dexter a 42-14 halftime lead.
Jackson returned the opening kickoff of the second half into Dreadnaught territory, but Dexter’s defense held once again. On third down, Howell intercepted a pass, preventing Jackson from cutting into Dexter’s lead. Three plays and 68 yards later, Dexter scored again when Parachek hit Ficklen on a crossing pattern for a 46-yard touchdown. The Dreadnaughts scored a 2-point conversion as Watson ran the ball up the middle into the end zone, increasing the lead to 50-14 with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Dexter’s 36-point lead forced a running clock, but it did not stop them from scoring again. Two plays after its defense forced a turnover on downs, Parachek and Ficklen connected again on a crossing pattern for a 40-yard touchdown. It was Ficklen’s fourth receiving touchdown and Parachek’s sixth passing touchdown of the game. Keough’s extra point made the score 57-14 Dexter with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Jackson finally answered when Bush scored a 5-yard touchdown on a keeper to cut Dexter’s lead to 57-21, but it was too little, too late. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
Dexter heads home next week to take on SEC White division foe Adrian. The game will be played on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The game is Dexter’s homecoming.
Box Score
1st Quarter
10:09 – Dexter – Evan Krolewski 26 yard TD run (Brady Keough kick) – Dexter 7, Jackson 0
6:36 – Jackson – Dorion Riley 47 yard TD run (2-pt. conversion fails) – Dexter 7, Jackson 6
3:59 – Dexter – Trevor Bazzy 26 yard TD pass from Colin Parachek (Keough kick) – Dexter 14, Jackson 6
0:39 – Jackson – Noah Bush 2 yard TD run (2-pt. conversion succeeds) – Jackson 14, Dexter 14
2nd Quarter
11:23 – Dexter – Antwan Ficklen 25 yard TD pass from Parachek (Keough kick) – Dexter 21, Jackson 14
8:37 – Dexter – Jordan Watson 4 yard TD run (Keough kick) – Dexter 28, Jackson 14
3:48 – Dexter – Ficklen 35 yard TD pass from Parachek (Keough kick) – Dexter 35, Jackson 14
0:01 – Dexter – Krolewski 17 yard TD pass from Parachek (Keough kick) – Dexter 42, Jackson 14
3rd Quarter
9:45 – Dexter – Ficklen 46 yard TD pass from Parachek (2-pt. conversion succeeds) – Dexter 50, Jackson 14
4:55 – Dexter – Ficklen 40 yard TD pass from Parachek (Keough kick) – Dexter 57, Jackson 14
2:20 – Jackson – Bush 5 yard TD run (PAT succeeds) – Dexter 57, Jackson 21
4th Quarter
No Scoring
DEXTER INDIVIDUAL STATS
Passing
Colin Parachek 15-20, 298 yds, 6 Passing TDs, 0 INT
Rhett Jacobs 1-3, 17 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
Other SEC White Division Scores
Tecumseh 18, Adrian 16
Chelsea 28, Ypsilanti Lincoln 18
Pinckney 34, Ypsilanti 6
SEC White Division Standings
Chelsea (4-0, 3-0 SEC White)
Dexter (3-1, 2-1 SEC White)
Pinckney (3-1, 2-1 SEC White)
Jackson (3-1, 2-1 SEC White)
Ypsilanti Lincoln (2-2, 2-1 SEC White)
Tecumseh (1-3, 1-2 SEC White)
Adrian (0-4, 0-3 SEC White)
Ypsilanti (0-4, 0-3 SEC White)
