Tiger quarterback scored 5 touchdowns but his best play was throwing a block

By Matt Junker, Bangor Daily News Sports Editor

ORONO — Bryce Cooper couldn’t be stopped Friday night.

The Dexter Regional High School football quarterback scored a whopping five rushing touchdowns in the must-win playoff matchup against Orono in 8-man Small School action. 

But even with that impressive string of scores, a relentless barrage of big yardage gains and a mountain of broken tackles, it was a play Cooper made without the ball that may have been his best effort on Friday night. 

It didn’t get as much attention as his five touchdowns. But the block Cooper threw for a teammate during a two-point conversion said as much, if not more, about the type of energy the senior quarterback brings to the Tigers squad. 

After a 13-yard touchdown scamper from Cooper, Dexter went up 30-22 with around 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Looking to stretch the lead with a two-point conversion, Cooper pitched the ball to teammate Kody Kimball. 

It seemed like Orono had Kimball swarmed, but he broke free and reversed field.

That’s when Cooper matched his teammate’s effort. Another quarterback might have given up on the play and stayed out of the scrum. But Cooper jumped into the middle of it. He turned into Kimball’s vanguard, running out front to block and leveling an Orono defender to help spring Kimball for two more points at a key inflection point in the game. 

Dexter went on to win 38-34. 

Asked about that sequence after the win, Tigers head coach Andrew Levensalor said that block “absolutely” deserved to be considered one of Cooper’s top plays of the night. And Levensalor is thrilled to have a quarterback who doesn’t hesitate to make sacrifices for the team. 

“He wants to throw the ball, he wants to run the ball. But when his number’s not called, he’ll also block for the ball,” Levensalor said. “So that’s really important.” 

Cooper said that he’s willing to do whatever it takes for Dexter. 

“I am, as long as we come out there and win,” Cooper said after his five-touchdown night. “And that we did.”

He wasn’t really sure how many scores he had notched after the win, but had no doubt leading up to the game about what kind of effort it would take to take down an impressive Orono team. 

“I’m a senior. I thought this could be my last game, so I’m going to fight my hardest to get in the endzone every time I can, and get every extra yard I can,” Cooper said.

While he enjoys playing all sorts of roles on offense and defense for the Tigers, he unsurprisingly likes scoring touchdowns the best. 

“Getting in the endzone does feel good, it does,” Cooper said. Though he doesn’t mind throwing his body around to help others make plays, either.

His Dexter coach credited him for showing up behind center under the bright playoff lights on Friday night. 

“He’s there for a reason, and today he showed why,” Levensalor said.