By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
The Mahomet-Seymour football program is on the move.
There is no sauntering to reach the practice field.
“That’s part of their conditioning,” first-year head coach Jon Adkins said. “As soon as their stuff is on, they jog out there.”
Adkins is among the joggers.
“I wouldn’t ask them to do something I wouldn’t do or haven’t done,” he said.
As junior quarterback Braden Finch jogged past a reporter — on a day the heat-humidity index was nearly 100 – he said, “it’s a great day to have a great day.”
That’s a mantra Adkins hears frequently.
“It started with Noah Crowley, and now everyone says it,” Adkins said. “That is a slogan that our team has adopted.”
Adkins and his staff of 10 assistants are working with 86 prospects. Thirty-two of them are in the freshman class.
“That’s a fantastic class,” Adkins said. “I’ve never seen a group that is this tight-knit like they are.
“It will be an exciting future with them.”
As Adkins looks to fill out his varsity lineup, he will look everywhere. Except the freshmen class.
“I don’t like to separate that group at such a young age,” he said. “I like to keep the freshmen together.”
After the first week of official preseason practice, Adkins likes what he is seeing from the Bulldogs.
“We’re a million times ahead of where we’ve been before (at his other coaching stops),” he said.
“I know for a fact after the first week, in my first year (elsewhere) we haven’t been this far.
“That’s a testament to the kids buying into our changes. I’m lucky to work with a great group that works hard and has great energy.”
Though the opener is 10 days away – at home on Aug. 30 against Marion at 7:30 p.m. – Adkins wishes it could be sooner.
“I’m ready,” he said. “I wish it was here right now.”
That’s not always a feeling he has expressed entering the first game.
“Before, it was the opposite,” he said. “I was glad to have another week to practice.”
The Bulldogs will make their public debut on Thursday as part of the school’s Fall Sports Kick-Off, a free event starting at 6 p.m. at the high school football field.
All fall sports teams – including cheerleaders – will be introduced. Some sports, such as soccer and volleyball, will then go to their respective game sites and conduct a scrimmage.
Football, which will be introduced last, will also scrimmage under the lights, starting with the freshmen team.
Adkins split his squad into Orange and White units.
“We will give them a little game-like feel,” he said. “I tried to divide them as evenly as I could.”
There’s one detail that still must be resolved before the opening game: a starting lineup.
Adkins believes it is possible that as many as 20 different squad members could be starters.
“I’ve always been a believer of two-platoon football,” he said. “It does wonders for your program.
“It keeps kids fresh and from a program standpoint, it gives kids an opportunity to play.”
Very few varsity starting positions are set.
“I feel we’re battling at about every position,” Adkins said. “Quarterback is one where we’re not battling.
“Braden Finch has stepped into that role and has taken it over, but we have competition for the backup spot.
“Other than that, there are a lot of kids competing.”
The two individuals most likely to see duty on both the offensive and defensive platoons are Crowley, a receiver and defensive back, and Harrison LaCour, a two-way lineman.
They are part of a 16-member senior class.
M-S, which is coming off of a 3-6 season, will play four of its first six varsity football games at home this season.
“We’re ready to put on a good show,” Adkins said.
