Most teams would have punted.
If ever there was a moment that separated the good from the very good on Saturday afternoon in downtown Detroit it came with 46 seconds left in the first half. After the Dexter defense stopped Grosse Pointe South and forced a punt, the Dexter offense strolled onto the field.
Most of the attention was focused on the right knee of senior quarterback Reeves Taylor as the Dreadnaughts lined up at their OWN 26-yard line. Dexter led 14-6 on a very hot afternoon, and halftime was calling – but Dexter called something completely different.
SEE WLD PHOTOGALLERY – 140 PHOTOS!!!
Taylor tossed a screen pass that went for a few yards and took even more time off the clock. The Dreadnaughts rushed to the line of scrimmage, but instead of taking a knee and being content with an 8-point lead, Taylor threw a pass to Brennan Parachek who was tackled just inside Grosse Pointe South territory.
Taylor then hit Cole Cabana, who raced 45 yards up the middle – breaking a few tackles along the way –for the touchdown and a 21-6 halftime lead. While the Blue Devils fielded a strong team, that score right there was pretty much the ballgame – there would be no catching Cabana and the talented Dreadnaughts in the second half.
Cabana, the senior running back who has already committed to Michigan, carried the ball 32 times for 237 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-21 win over Grosse Pointe South in the 2022 Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University. This is Dexter’s second appearance in the well-run and organized event – they defeated Birmingham Groves 40-8 last year at Wayne State.
SEE WLD PHOTOGALLERY – 140 PHOTOS!!!
Taylor finished the game 16 of 27 passing for 252 yards and three TDs – and no picks. Parachek had six catches for 94 yards and Joey Tessmer had four receptions for 90 yards and two scores. Cabana also had three catches for 60 yards and the big score just before halftime.
The Dexter offense racked up over 500 yards of total offense, all in just the first game of the season and with a “rookie” quarterback at the helm.
“He was a little nervous and came in really high strung which you would expect in your first start,” Dexter Coach Phil Jacobs said of Taylor. “So we wanted to slow the game down a little for him. Giving Cole the ball that many times, he’s going to wear down but he found a way.”
And Dexter found its way into the win column.
The Dreadnaughts don’t have much to worry about on offense this season and the defense looked solid – after they stopped committing a few early penalties. Dexter was called for six penalties in the first half, mostly on the defensive side of the ball.
SEE WLD PHOTOGALLERY – 140 PHOTOS!!!
“We have some things to work on especially with the penalties on defense,” Jacobs said. “The penalties were costly. I don’t know how many times we had a chance to get the defense off the field but a penalty extended the drives. They scored on two drives where we had just dumb penalties – otherwise it would have been fourth down and they’re punting.”
The Dreadnaughts scored twice on their opening drive against Grosse Pointe South. While one was called back, Cabana’s 24-yard TD run right up the middle gave Dexter a 7-0 lead with 9:16 left in the first quarter.
The Blue Devils answered with a 15-yard TD pass play to cut the lead to 7-6 with 6:30 to play in the second quarter.
Cabana scored his second TD of the game with 2:03 left in the first half to push the lead to 14-6. Dexter’s late second quarter score made it 21-6.
SEE WLD PHOTOGALLERY – 140 PHOTOS!!!
After Dexter’s Micah Davis picked off GPS quarterback’s Anthony Benard’s pass on the Blue Devils’ first possession of the second half, Taylor and Tessmer converted on a 51-yard TD play to give Dexter a 28-6 lead with 3:31 left in the third quarter.
With 1:15 left in the third, the Blue Devils cut the lead to 28-14 on a 37-yard pass play and two-point conversion.
Tessmer caught a 19-yard TD pass from Taylor to make it 34-14 with 9:13 left in the game. Cabana scored his third TD of the game on a 53-yard sprint up the middle to make it 41-14 with 7:49 left in the game.
Dexter hosts Skyline at 7 p.m. on Friday at Al Ritt Stadium in their home opener and first game of the year in the SEC Red. The Eagles lost on the road 28-13 at Pinckney on Thursday. The Dreadnaughts defeated Skyline 42-6 last year.
