Sikeston names Dement head football coach

Thursday, January 15, 2004
Jerry Dement

SIKESTON - Two months after longtime head coach Charlie Vickery announced his resignation, Sikeston High School announced Jerry Dement as his successor late Wednesday night.

Dement, 46, and a 1975 graduate of Sikeston High School, will take over a program that Vickery led for 26 years, compiling a record of 156-104 with seven playoff appearances and nine conference titles.

Dement spent much of that time roaming the sidelines with Vickery as an assistant from 1979-1988 and then again from 1999-2003.

Getting the head job was something that he has been eyeballing for some time now.

"It's time and I'm very, very excited about this opportunity," said Dement. "I look at it as a big opportunity to lead my alma mater. I owe a lot to the town and I'm going to try to put some more back into from what I already have."

During his 10-year absence from the school, Dement was the head coach at Malden for four years before taking the head job at Cape Central for six years.

While at Malden, Dement had a record of 30-12, including a 10-2 season in 1992 where the Green Wave reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion John Burroughs 9-6 in overtime.

At Cape Central, Dement compiled a record of 31-29, leading the Tigers to their first seven-win season since 1989 when they went 7-3 in 1997.

Dement says he just hopes to live up to Vickery's legacy at Sikeston.

"Number one, I just want to continue the excellence of the program that we've had," said Dement. "Of course, every coach has his own unique way of doing things and we all have our own high aspirations. I want to carry on the tradition of Sikeston as being a tremendous football town and football community. I look forward to continuing to work with the kids of Sikeston and their parents and the community members. My job title's just changed a little bit, but I want to do the best job that I can for the betterment of the community and the program."

Look for more of Dement's hiring in Sunday's edition of the Standard Democrat.

Sikeston High School also announced that Brent Keefer will take over the athletic director position, a title Vickery had held for a number of years as well.

Keefer, a 1979 graduate of Sikeston High School, served as an assistant coach under Vickery from 1986-2002.

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