Bulldog soccer season comes to an end with loss to Rochester

By Fred Kroner

Mahomet-Seymour’s boys’ soccer season came to an end on Tuesday (Oct. 24) in a semifinal match of the Rochester Class 2A sectional tournament.

The Bulldogs dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Rockets in a match that was tied, 1-1, until the final 15 minutes.

The lone M-S goal came in the second half when Isaac Warren maneuvered free and booted a shot from 35 yards that hit the top post, then bounced off the jumping goalkeeper and settled into the back of the net.

The Bulldogs were short-handed in the season-finale. All-Stater Kai Jones suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the regional finals against Centennial four days earlier.

“The boys did a great job of learning a new formation in two practices and putting it in place against the top seed in the Springfield area,” M-S coach Jeremy Davis said. “Overall, I was really proud of the boys.

“Kai Jones has been critical to our mid all year.”

M-S finished the year with a 16-5-4 overall record, two wins shy of tying the school’s single-season school record, set by the 2022 squad (18-6-2).

Jones led the Bulldogs in assists (31) and concluded his career with a school-record 56 assists.

Seven Bulldogs netted at least five goals this year, led by Nolan Wheeler (38), Warren (27), Travis Hoffman (nine), Colin Jackson (six), Brian Woodbury (six), Brody Back (five) and Jones (five).

Other assists leaders besides Jones were Warren (27), Woodbury (15), Wheeler (14), Preston Sriver (five), Hoffman (four) and Back (three).

Warren and Wheeler – both of whom earned all-sectional recognition – are deadlocked for the No. 1 position on M-S’ all-time scoring list that combines goals and assists.

Each has 99 points. Wheeler totaled a school-record 72 goals in his career to go with 27 assists. Warren tallied 50 career goals and 49 career assists.

“Wheeler and Warren, along with Travis Hoffman, were pivotal in what has been the most complete offense I’ve ever had the joy of coaching between both the boys and the girls,” Davis said.

Jones finishes fourth on the all-time scoring list with 74 points based on 18 career goals and 56 assists. In third place is 2022 graduate Eli Warren with 85 points (47 goals and 38 assists).

The Bulldogs produced nine hat tricks this season. Warren and Wheeler each collected four. Jackson had the other one.

Davis won his 100^th career match this season with the boys’ program and has 109 wins overall.

Eight seniors will graduate from the Apollo Conference championship team, including Jones, Warren and Wheeler. The other seniors are Cohen DiFilippo, Charlie Hawley, Wesley Jones, Alexander O’Brian and Woodbury.

Goalkeeper Hayden Litteken and the majority of a defensive brigade which produced 13 shutouts this season and yielded 25 goals in 25 matches are underclassmen.M-S held an edge of 111-25 over its opponents in goals scored this season.