Brian Rosener, my esteemed colleague at the Daily American Republic Poplar Bluff, did this leading up to last week’s Cape Central-Poplar Bluff game, so I’m going to take a page from his playbook and count down to Friday’s big conference and district game against Dexter at Metz Cherry Stadium.

Like the Cape-Bluff game, Dexter has dominated this series, winning seven in a row dating back to 2000 and pitching mercy-ruled shutouts the last two years. The Indians’ last victory in the series was October 29, 1999, a 33-15 win.

The “streak” has also coincided with Aaron Pixley’s time at the Bearcats’ helm. Since 2000, Pixley has brought Dexter two district titles and the ‘Cats have played for the district title on two other occasions.

But things are a little different this year than they usually are in this series. For the first time since 2000, the Tribe enters the game with a winning record and seems to match up better with the ‘Cats than in past years. But more on that in Wednesday’s edition of the countdown...