Joey Tessmer returned to play football for really one reason. Sure, he wanted to be with his good friends and be a part of this awesome program. Yeah, winning a state championship certainly has its appeal – and who wouldn’t want to play in Ford Field. And, yeah, he missed football after not playing the last two years.
But there was one overriding reason Tessmer decided to play football in this his senior year, and he doesn’t hesitate for one second revealing it – CHELSEA!
In 1995, the Dexter football team won just one game. The Dreadnaughts defeated rival Chelsea 16-5 on Oct. 6, 1995. Little did anyone know at the time it would be the last time Dexter would beat Chelsea in a varsity football game. The Bulldogs have won every game ever since, 26 consecutive games.
“I’m just sick of hearing about it,” says Tessmer, who played freshman football but didn’t play again until this year. “I really want to beat Chelsea. If I can help do that, then I want to be out there when it happens.”
Don’t think for one second that just because Dexter has the postseason locked up and the No.1 goal is to win a state championship that Coach Phil Jacobs is going to be resting players on Friday night and getting ready for the Division 2 state playoffs. No chance. Not happening. All hands on deck for the “biggest game of the year.”
“Yeah, we won’t be taking Friday off,” says Tessmer with a laugh. “In our eyes this is the biggest game of the year. It’s been 26 years and we have said that every day since the first day of practice. We have had countdowns on the TVs in the weight room. It’s time for this streak to end and this is the group of guys who can do it.”
The other goal on the big board for Dexter, 8-0 overall and the No. 1 ranked team in Division 2, is to win it all. They want to make that run in the playoffs and finish with a “W” at Ford Field in late November.
“I think we have the talent to go all the way,” Tessmer says. “I’m not surprised that a lot of guys have stepped up and we’ve been able to overcome injuries to some important players. That’s just the kind of program we have. Injuries are going to happen and our defense has taken a few hits. But guys have stepped in and our defense has been amazing. They are the reason we are winning these close games. They are tough to play against and going against them every day in practice has made our offense better.”
The Dexter offense has been “better” and then some, rolling along since week one. The Dreadnaughts have scored 40 or more points five times and their lowest total has been 21 points – wins over D-1 teams Huron and Saline.
“Our offense is a lot of fun to be a part of and I’m sure it’s a lot of fun to watch,” says Tessmer. “A lot of it is centered around (Cole) Cabana because of his spectacular talent, especially his speed. But in case some teams figure out a way to stop him, we have a lot of other guys we can get the ball to that can make big plays. Brennan (Parachek) can catch anything thrown his way and he’s so difficult to bring down in the open field.”
None of the Dexter receivers – including Tessmer – go down easy. They all are very capable of picking up big yards after the catch. “Everyone on offense has a lot of heart and they fight with everything they can to get the ball in the end zone,” Tessmer said.
In his first game of varsity football, Tessmer had four receptions for 90 yards and two scores in Dexter’s win over Grosse Pointe South. In the second game against Skyline, he had five catches for 66 yards and a nice TD catch and run in the second quarter. He was off and running and hasn’t looked back.
Tessmer says Saline was the toughest and most physical opponent they have faced this season – and the Dreadnaughts went toe-to-toe with the Hornets and never backed down. “They hit hard and run fast,” says Tessmer, who had a team-high five catches in the win. “There was a big difference between them and some of the other teams we’ve faced so far this year. They have talent all over the field and also are very well coached. They are a solid program and a lot of fun to play against.”
Tessmer says he feels “great” heading into Friday night’s showdown at Chelsea. “You always wake up a little sore on Saturdays but by practice on Monday, I’m pretty much at 100 percent and ready to go,” he said.
Tessmer also plays basketball and baseball and plans on playing both in his senior year at Dexter. He earned Honorable Mention All-SEC as an outfielder for the Dreadnaughts’ excellent baseball team last year.
Football, however, is catching on as his favorite sport and he’s even heard from some colleges interested in him playing at the next level. “I would like to play in college,” he says. “I’ve been in touch with a few schools and hopefully a few more will make some offers.”
Saline might be the toughest team Dexter faces the rest of the way – although there will be plenty of exceptional programs in the Division 2 playoffs. There are no easy ones in the postseason but Saline was an excellent measuring stick for the Dreadnaughts.
“We learned a lot about ourselves and what we’re capable of from that game,” Tessmer says. “The biggest thing is confidence and that we were able to win that game takes our confidence to another level. We feel we can win any football game regardless of who we are playing.”
And that includes Chelsea.
