DEXTER -- On the two biggest plays of the night, neither Dexter player realized what was happening until after they reached the end zone.
In a scoreless game just before halftime, safety Seth Rogers read the Ste. Genevieve quarterback, picked off a fourth-down pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown.
"It didn't even sink in until I was in the end zone and everybody was running at me. When I was running down I was just like, 'Oh God, I hope somebody doesn't catch me,'" Rogers said of his first varsity interception in Dexter's 16-8 win at Charles Bland Stadium.
"It's surreal," Rogers added. "I can't even describe it. In front of all the fans, especially Ste. Gen."
Dexter coach Kevin Goltra was on the sideline chasing after him, but there was little chance the coach was catching the fastest kid on the team.
"And then I went and clipped the official over there on it ... I didn't move that quick because I didn't avoid him. I'm just glad that didn't cost us. That would have killed me inside," Goltra said. "That's just another example of a kid who played all last year as a sophomore, takes every snap, works hard all summer long in the weight room and in practice and it completely pays off. He was exactly where he was supposed to be on the exact play he's practiced against for 30 different practices and it was successful. He's a great kid."
With 90 seconds left in the game, Ste. Genevieve was down by eight and staring at a fourth down.
Quarterback Chad Donze dropped back to pass, but the ball slipped out of his hands. Dexter defensive end Braxton Foster shoved him out of the way and alligator rolled over the ball, picking it up and running for the end zone in the process.
"I thought they were going to give me a touchdown," said Foster, who finished with five tackles a sack and a fumble recovery. "I thought I was going all the way."
Foster was ruled down on the play, but didn't know it until after he crossed the goal line. He was disappointed at first, he wanted to score. He was halfway back to the huddle before he started celebrating the fact that his fumble recovery sealed the win.
Dexter (1-0) did not celebrate like a team that was 1-0, but like a team that had been working for this win for a long time. It is the first time the Bearcats have beaten the Dragons (0-1), an annual week 1 opponent, since 2011, which was also Dexter's most recent winning season.
"I was getting a little worked up about it. We didn't win the Super Bowl or anything," Goltra said. "They made sure to let me know that that was important to them, and that was a goal. I have to realize, not that I haven't, but when you reach a goal, a milestone, you need to celebrate because those are hard. They have busted their tails since Nov. 1 of last year until tonight to achieve that goal of winning that first game against Ste. Gen."
Dexter lost 35-6 to Ste. Genevieve last year. Goltra credited the 37-point swing to "Weight room. Attitude. Leadership."
Along with Rogers' interception, Corbin Strong barreled in from 9 yards out for a rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
Dexter had 165 yards of offense, all on the ground.
Caleb Hoggard had 25 carries for 100 yards and Strong added 79 yards on 10 carries.
Dexter quarterback Ben Sindle was 0 for 8 passing with no interceptions, though he did have a 40-yard heave to Nick Trout for a touchdown called back for a holding penalty.
The Bearcats were also plus-6 on turnovers. Along with Rogers' interception, Strong, Trout and Trevor McDonald picked off passes. Foster and Austin Adams came up with fumble recoveries.
Strong led the defense with 13 total tackles. Jett Featherston had nine and Bo McMullin got eight.
Ste. Genevieve leading rusher Camden Roe had 87 yards on 11 carries. Nearly a third of those yards were on Ste. Genevieve's only scoring play.
Donze went 7 for 20 passing for the Dragons for 58 yards. His longest throw of the night was a 20-yard hook-and-ladder on third-and-28 with 2 minutes left in the game.
The next play, Foster shoved Donze out of the way and sealed the win.