Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year: Springdale’s Logan Dexter

By: Greg Macafee
Saturday, December 12, 2020 | 4:39 PM

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Alle-Kiski Valley Defensive Player of the Year

Logan Dexter

S, Junior, 6-2, 165 pounds, Springdale

In Springdale’s first scrimmage of the season, Imani Christian sent two receivers toward junior safety Logan Dexter in hopes they would force him to make a difficult decision about who to cover.

Dexter found himself in that situation a lot this season.

The Imani Christian quarterback threw the pass, then Dexter made his move, switching from one receiver to the other before picking off the pass and returning it for a touchdown.

At that moment, Springdale coach Seth Napierkowski knew Dexter was going to have a special season.

“That kind of set the tone for the entire season,” Napierkowski said. “He’s just one of those guys though that he’s so solid, and it’s nice having a guy back there that you feel comfortable with, not only defending the pass but if a running back breaks through, he’s the last line of defense.”

Dexter stood out on both sides of the ball for a Springdale team that finished 5-3, earned a WPIAL first-round playoff matchup against No. 2 Rochester, and only allowed 23.9 points per game. He recorded a team-high 79 tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a tackle for a loss.

For his efforts, Dexter has been named this year’s Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year.

Dexter has been starting for Napierkowski and the Dynamos since he was a freshman, and over the course of the past few years, he’s settled into his role within the defense. But he’s also displayed the talent and work ethic it takes to get to the level he played at this season.

From the time he was a freshman to this past season, Napierkowski said Dexter put in the work; his film shows how much he has developed.

“If you go back and look at the tape from the past few years, you can see the transition and the development of our entire defense, just being more sound in technique and execution,” Napierkowski said. “He’s in the middle of that defense now, and he’s been a big part of that.”

Whether he was in the box looking to pressure the quarterback or in the secondary, his familiarity with the defense allowed Dexter to take another step forward this season. On multiple occasions, he made plays when the Dynamos needed him to in key situations.

“He’s able to do a little bit of everything, and that’s what we like about him,” Napierkowski said. “He’s versatile, he can come down into the slot and play man coverage against a receiver and he’s a good run stopper.”

Outside of their three losses this season, which came against the top three teams in the WPIAL Class A playoffs, the Dynamos only allowed 15.2 points per game and held Imani Christian and Riverview to less than 10 points. Dexter said he felt the responsibility to step up any way he could.

Dexter didn’t just excel defensively though; he was an all-around player for the Dynamos and contributed in all three phases of the game. He rushed for 523 yards and eight touchdowns, caught 25 passes for 447 yards and four touchdowns, and also returned a punt for a touchdown on special teams.

“I knew for us to have a good year, a few of us had to have breakout years, and it came down to just certain players making plays during games,” he said. “Some players had to make big plays in big games and some of us just had to step up.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Springdale