Tigers return to LTC playoffs, against the odds

They’re 6-2 with one game left to play before postseason begins – good enough for second place and home field advantage in the first round of the LTC Class C playoffs.

Not bad for a team many of its own fans figured wouldn’t win more than a game and would finish near the bottom of the league.

Football is back in Dexter, where that sport and fall have been synonymous for decades.

After two straight losing seasons and offseasons marked by school budget debate over whether Dexter High School should disband its football team, the Tigers are once roaring on the gridiron.

“The (player) numbers weren’t good and some people didn’t think we’d even win a game this year,” said Dexter coach Haggie Pratt, the architect of the team’s rise back to prominence. “So this is definitely a pleasant surprise.”

Dexter’s breakthrough season seems remarkable, given the size of the team. Pratt has only 22 players on the varsity squad this season, and 11 of them are seniors.

“I guess we’re kind of a ragtag bunch. We’re small in size, and some of the kids have mismatched uniforms. And we only have 22 players,” Pratt explained.

The Tigers don’t have the luxury of calling up extra players from the junior varsity or freshman teams, because Dexter has neither.

“We have a middle school team, but we don’t see a lot of freshmen,” Pratt explained, adding that he thinks many freshmen wait to play until their junior years, when they think they’ll play more.

Ironically, Dexter’s lack of depth would probably have given those kids plenty of playing time.

“With this playoff appearance, maybe we can generate some excitement and get those kids plus the good athletes I know are at the school who aren’t doing anything in the fall,” said Pratt.

Those who are playing have led the Tigers to their first home playoff berth in four years.

Dexter has a talented senior class including Brad Sherwood, James Kirk, Brent Cunningham, Brad Olson, Joe Spaulding and Chuck Moninski.

Sherwood, the third-leading quarterback in the LTC “C” ranks, has completed 49 of 110 passes for 656 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a free safety, he is fifth on the team in tackles with 47.

Kirk and Cunningham give Dexter a potent 1-2 punch in the backfield.

Kirk leads the Tigers in rushing and is ranked among the LTC’s top 10 backs with 331 yards and three scores on 74 carries. Fullback-noseguard Cunningham has 295 yards on the same number of carries and is second on the team in tackles with 66.

Spaulding is among the LTC’s top 10 receivers and leads Dexter with 202 yards and one TD on 12 catches. Moninski has 145 yards and one TD on 10 receptions.

Olson has been a good target for Sherwood all year. The 6-foot-9, 215 pound split end-defensive has made several scoring drive-saving catches and leads the team in interceptions with three.

Seniors aren’t the only players behind Dexter’s playoff drive, Josh Annis, the team’s lone junior, has filled many roles: split end, flanker, wingback, placekicker, and cornerback. One of Dexter’s fastest players, Annis ranks sixth among LTC scorers with 39 points (six TD’s, one field goal).

“What I thought was going to hurt us was having so many sophomores who had no experience. I thought that might hurt us in close games, but they’ve stepped up and played well in pressure games,” said Pratt.

Sophomore linebackers Kenny Welch and Jim Hartford are two of the top three tacklers on the team. Welch leads the Tigers with 67 and Hartford has 59.

Pratt credits come-from-behind wins over Bucksport, Hampden Academy, and Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield for getting the Tigers on a roll.

“We reached our goal in making the playoffs and now it’s a whole new season,” said Pratt. “Now our goal is to get to the Eastern Maine championship game.”