Dread Not: Jacobs Directing Dexter Rise
September 28, 2018
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
DEXTER – Dexter has long had outstanding football facilities, a large fan base and the support of school officials. What it hasn’t had in recent years is a winning football team.
With each passing week, however, it looks like that is about the change.
The Dreadnaughts enter tonight’s game at Tecumseh with a 3-2 record and legitimate chance to make a run at the MHSAA football playoffs over the next few weeks. What’s remarkable is Dexter is seeking its first appearance in the tournament, which began in 1975.
“The previous coaches were good guys,” said superintendent Chris Timmis. “They tried hard to get things going. Sometimes it’s about timing.”
The timing right now has a lot to do with the arrival of head coach Phil Jacobs. The Adrian native spent nearly two decades on the Maples staff, including 11 seasons as head coach. He stepped down as the head coach after the 2014 season and spent two seasons as an assistant at Siena Heights University, before he was brought into the Dexter fold by Timmis, his former boss at Adrian.
“It took a lot of persuasion,” Timmis said.
Jacobs called it a “full-court press” to lure him back. Whatever it was, it looks like a successful move for Dexter.
“I was confident it would be,” Timmis said. “What I knew about Phil from when I was superintendent and principal at Adrian was he is a fantastic teacher. When we were working on a lot of academic improvement, Phil had a model classroom. I knew what he could bring to us was a lot more than just a football coach.”
Dexter was looking to hire a football coach a couple of years ago when Timmis made a short list of coaches from across the state that had rebuilt programs. Jacobs was on the list but wasn’t interested in coaching himself. Dexter made a hire, but it was short-lived. That coach left after only a short time on the job.
Timmis called up Jacobs.
“I told him I wanted to talk to him again,” he said. “I think it was meant to be.”
Jacobs came on board in late April and started working with the Dreadnaughts players, getting them into the weight room in particular. Dexter went 0-9 in 2017, but as the season went on, Jacobs and others saw progress.
“He was putting the pieces together,” Timmis said.
Dexter began this season with a 41-game losing streak and lost the season opener. In Week 2, however, Dexter pulled out a 36-22 win over Ypsilanti Community to break the streak. The next week the Dreadnaughts won again, this time a 37-14 win over Ann Arbor Huron. In Week 5, they topped Adrian, 42-30, as junior receiver Antwan Ficklen caught six passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns to lead Dexter to the win. Sophomore quarterback Colin Parachek threw for more than 300 yards and ran for a couple of touchdowns.
The Dreadnaughts aren’t just winning – they are exciting. Through five games, Dexter is averaging 30.8 points per game.
That Adrian win leaves Dexter with regular-season games against Tecumseh (2-3), Pinckney (1-4), Ypsilanti Lincoln (4-1) and Whitehall (3-2). Win three, and the team is automatically in the playoffs.
Jacobs points to three differences with this season’s Dexter team. For one, the players’ commitment to the weight room is paying off.
“We are stronger. With strength comes confidence,” Jacobs said. “We are nowhere near where we want to be or can be, but we are headed in the right direction.”
Another difference is the players’ football knowledge is growing. With each week of practice, each week of repetition, Jacobs said the players are learning more about the game.
“Our football I.Q. is so much better than last year,” Jacobs said. “Last year, we were yelling things from the sidelines on every play, ‘get here,’ ‘get there.’ This year, we aren’t doing that as much. Our kids are learning. They speak our terms now.”
Lastly, Jacobs said having enough numbers so that his players are starting on only one side of the ball has paid huge dividends.
“In the third and fourth quarters, they are fresh,” he said. “They are learning one position. Plus, when you get your athletes playing on only one side of the ball, it frees them up to play special teams. You find creative ways to get your best kids on the field.”
Dexter’s most recent winning season was a 5-4 finish in 2010. The Dreadnaughts have had two winning seasons total during their players’ lifetimes.
“It’s great to see the kids believe in themselves,” Timmis said. “The whole community is feeling it right now.”
Dexter athletic director Mike Bavineau said the school and community are excited about the football team. There’s a buzz in the halls and at the Dexter field on Friday nights.
“The kids are excited, everyone is excited,” he said. “When you can win a little bit, it breeds confidence.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Dexter coach Phil Jacobs gives his players some pointers on the sideline. (Middle) Quarterback Colin Parachek works to elude a pair of Ann Arbor Huron defenders. (Below) Students fill the stands to support the Dreadnaughts. (Photos by Terry Jacoby.)
Molded by Early Losses, Cass Tech Closes Season by Taking Back D1 Title
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 30, 2024
DETROIT – The players and coaches on the Detroit Cass Tech football team heard the rumblings when they started this season 2-2.
They heard the calls for coach Marvin Rushing’s job. They heard the doubts sprouting up about their ability to compete for a Finals title.
Rather than let the noise break them apart, they used it to rally, and Saturday they put it all to bed with a 42-20 victory against Hudsonville in the Division 1 championship game at Ford Field.
“Everything we did was intentional – we purposely played Rockford to get ready for Dakota – we played those teams knowing we’d have games like this. We went to Ohio intentionally to get ready for all this, and every lesson we seemed to get better from,” Rushing said. “The biggest reason we’re here is our two losses. Those prepared us for today. It’s unfortunate that so many people don’t understand that great things can come sometimes from setbacks.”
The title was the fourth in program history for Cass Tech, and first since 2016, when it completed a remarkable run of three titles – and four Finals appearances – over six seasons.
“The day before check-in day, I chose to stay and play for my team and with my little brother James Johnson,” said senior receiver and defensive back Alex Graham, a Colorado commit who was at IMG Academy in Florida a year ago. “One of my goals my whole season was to win a state championship, and we got the job done. So, I’m real happy to do that.”
Graham had his usual stat-stuffing performance for the Technicians, who closed the season with 10 straight wins to finish 12-2. He had 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground, 57 yards on four catches through the air, and added six tackles, a forced fumble and an interception on defense.
His fellow wideout, Corey Sadler Jr., meanwhile, had six catches for 47 yards and two TDs.
“I have Batman and Batman,” Rushing said. “Some people say they have Batman and Robin, I have Batman and Batman.”
All those catches and yards came from the hand of freshman quarterback Donald Tabron II, who finished the night 15-of-20 for 176 yards and three TDs.
“It’s a great thing to have around me. It helps me play a balanced game on offense,” Tabron said. “We can run the ball, pass the ball. When you have guys like CJ and Alex, it kind of makes it easy for me as the quarterback. I know that no matter where I put the football, they’re going to make a play.”
Cass Tech dominated the first half, and by the time Hudsonville found its footing, the hole was too deep.
The Technicians scored on their first three possessions, driving 81 yards in nine plays on their first, and taking advantage of short fields on the second two, putting Hudsonville in a tough spot early in the second quarter.
Jaylen Spates scored the first touchdown on a five-yard run, while Sadler scored the next two on passes of 16 and six yards from Tabron. Sadler’s first score followed a short Hudsonville punt, while his second came after a Cass Tech fumble recovery deep in Hudsonville territory.
Tabron added a third TD pass late in the second quarter, hitting Will Sykes for a 19-yard score. That was also a short field, as Graham had intercepted a pass, setting Cass Tech up on the 19.
“We made some mistakes, and Cass Tech’s a really good football team,” Hudsonville coach Brent Sandee said. “They played really well, they’re very athletic. We had to play a clean game, and unfortunately we didn’t. But our kids battled the whole time and represented our school and our community real well. I’m really proud of us and the way we played. They’re great representatives of Hudsonville, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Cass Tech had a chance to add another score after recovering a fumble in Hudsonville territory with 1:10 to play in the first half, but the Hudsonville defense made a stand to keep the score 27-0.
That didn’t last long, though, as Graham scored on a 54-yard run two plays into the third quarter.
Hudsonville got on the board with a one-yard QB sneak for a touchdown by Griffin Baker. The score was set up by a 22-yard throwback to Baker from Braden VanLaecke.
The Eagles got some extra life when they recovered an onside kick following the score before exchanging turnovers near midfield – an interception for Cass Tech’s Derrick Jackson and a fumble recovery by Hudsonville’s Tyler Strick.
Bryce Fox cashed in for the Eagles, scoring on a 14-yard TD run to pull his team within three scores at 35-13 with 5:07 left in the third.
The Eagles threatened to make it even closer, getting down to the Cass Tech 6-yard line, but the Technicians’ defense held, forcing a turnover on downs.
By the time Hudsonville saw the ball again, it was trailing 42-13 – Cass Tech added a 24-yard TD run by De’Mari Hendrix – and there were fewer than four minutes remaining in the game.
Carson Dykstra ended the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Baker.
Baker finished 8-of-12 for 112 yards passing for the Eagles (12-2), with Dykstra catching four passes for 74 yards. Owen Haarsma led the Hudsonville ground game with 95 yards on 13 carries.
“I just feel like we have something special with this team, and it’s special for our community, too,” Hudsonville senior Jalen Oosting said. “I just think it’s an awesome story just to hear all the whispers, and all the talk and chatter at school. I just think it’s awesome it’s affected our community. I just loved being here with these guys.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Cass Tech’s Julian Taylor (23) works to break a Hudsonville tackle Saturday evening at Ford Field. (Middle) Dylon Pace (13) wraps up Eagles quarterback Griffin Baker. (Below) Cass Tech’s Logan Howell raises the championship trophy in the air as his teammates cheer around him. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)