DEXTER -- The Dexter Bearcats' special teams Friday night were definitely special.
The Bearcats capitalized on a pair of bad snaps by Salem in the third quarter and beat the Tigers 28-20 in their home opener at Charles Bland Stadium.
Both plays resulted in touchdowns that rallied the Bearcats from a 14-6 deficit to a 21-14 lead.
Mason Keena recovered the ball both times.
The Tigers were punting from their own 11-yard line late in the third quarter. Punter Nick Holliday corralled the bad snap but fumbled with Keena recovering it in the end zone for a touchdown.
"The punter, when he went to catch it, he kind of bobbled it a little bit," Keena said. "He had a lot of pressure coming in on him from our whole team."
Added Caleb Hoggard, "I was on the sideline, and we were just praying. Seeing that happen, we were rejoicing, you know. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget."
Corbin Strong scored a two-point conversion to tie the score at 14.
After gaining a first down on their ensuing drive, the Tigers lost 5 yards on three plays and were forced to punt from their 38.
Following another bad snap, Keena recovered the ball inside the Tigers' 10, and four plays later, quarterback Peyton Driskill rolled to his right and threw to Nate Gargas in the end zone to give the Bearcats their first lead of the season after Dexter was shutout 21-0 by Ste. Genevieve last week.
Hoggard kicked the extra point following the 5-yard touchdown pass, giving the Bearcats a 21-14 advantage.
The Bearcats not only shined on special teams, but they excelled on offense and defense.
"Make no mistake about it. It took the whole football team," Dexter coach Aaron Pixley said. "It wasn't one guy. This win was a team win. They all are. I think it's easy to talk about the big play. ... But our offensive and defensive line had to show up. That's kind of how we're built. We have to play well up front, and we're capable of it. We just have to get more consistent."
Dexter rushed for 259 yards, and two players gained more than 100. Strong rushed for 139 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns, and Hoggard rushed for 118 yards on 19 carries. Hoggard took several snaps at quarterback in place of Driskill.
"We couldn't even have a running game without our line," Hoggard said. "We were able to keep our heads down, lead with our shoulders, break through any tackles and keep on pushing."
The Bearcats outgained Salem by 80 yards. They posted 320 total yards, while holding Salem to 240.
"Their offense is very difficult to defend," Pixley said. "We bent but we came up with some huge plays."
After the Bearcats took the lead, Salem responded by driving 74 yards for a touchdown. Sam Ball had one of two big plays on the drive. On the option, he raced 33 yards to the Bearcats' 28. Tristan Newman, who had a team-high 74 rushing yards and scored all three Salem touchdowns, capped the drive with a 19-yard run.
However, the Bearcats' special teams came through again, blocking Holiday's extra-point kick, and the Bearcats remained on top, 21-20 with 6:32 left in the game.
Dexter's offense responded with a 76-yard scoring drive that was completed by a 12-yard touchdown run by Strong. Hoggard's PAT gave the Bearcats a 28-20 lead with 1:45 remaining.
Behind their passing game, the Tigers drove 68 yards on their final possession and had three shots at the end zone inside the Dexter 15 in the closing seconds.
Salem quarterback Chandler Gray completed four straight passes on the drive, including a 35-yarder to Boone Schrader. However, Gray's final two passes fell incomplete, securing the win for the Bearcats.
Dexter's Braxton Foster sacked Gray, and Jett Featherston and Dalton Warren teamed for another on the closing drive.
Salem appeared to have the upper hand early, scoring two first-quarter touchdowns. Newman scored on a 1-yard run with 6:20 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and capped a 34-yard drive on a 24-yard run by Newman. Holliday kicked the extra point both times, and the Tigers led 14-0 with 4:07 t0 play in the first quarter.
The Bearcats offense began to click late in the first quarter and drove 91 yards for their first touchdown of the season. Strong scored on a 1-yard run with 9:59 left in the second quarter. Hoggard's two-point conversion run failed, but Salem's lead was reduced to 14-6.
The Tigers' next possession was stalled by three straight penalties following a hard hit by Austin Guy on the Salem quarterback.