By FRED KRONER
In the last high school football season – which actually took place earlier this calendar year – Luke Johnson was a starting linebacker for the Mahomet-Seymour football team.
As a freshman.
He played well enough to rank second on the team in total tackles after the abbreviated six-game season.
This season, when the Bulldogs’ defense takes the field Johnson is no where to be found.
M-S Coach Jon Adkins has a separate offensive and defensive platoon, consisting of 22 different players.
Johnson has been shifted to the offense.
The 180-pound running back made his presence felt on Friday (Aug. 27) when the Bulldogs opened the season on the road and produced a 40-14 triumph over Canton.
Johnson scored three touchdowns and was the game’s top rusher (118 yards) and the game’s top receiver (66 yards).
Adkins didn’t feel like it was a risky move.
Johnson was able to audition for the role last spring.
“We let Luke play running back on the JV and we saw what he could do,” Adkins said. “We prepped him to take over.”
In some areas, M-S fields a lineup with battle-tested varsity veterans. The ball-carrying positions don’t have that experience, however.
The top three rushers from the spring graduated.
Friday’s game marked the varsity starting debut for quarterback Wyatt Bohm. Johnson took over from the graduated Skyler Yancy as the featured back.
Adkins was confident that the defensive void could be covered.
“Logan Petro started as a sophomore (in 2019), but as a junior was injured and didn’t play as much,” Adkins said. “(The move) was out of necessity.
“We knew we needed a running back and we had more depth at linebacker. We felt it was the best move for our team.”
And how did that go?
Besides Johnson’s offensive heroics, Petro picked up the slack on defense. He was the team’s top tackler with 10 stops.
“Overall, our kids played hard and aggressively,” Adkins said. “We played really fast on both sides of the ball.”
Bohm, meanwhile, directed an offense that held a 422-219 edge in total offense and converted 8 of 12 third-down plays.
“Wyatt did a great job of managing the game and got the ball to our playmakers,” Adkins said. “I was pleased with our effort and energy.
“Our entire offensive line returns. We’ll be tough to stop.”
Bohm completed 14 of 23 passes for 279 yards and three TDs. He hooked up with Dream Eagle and Quenton Rogers on scoring strikes as the Bulldogs recovered from a 7-6 deficit after the first quarter.
M-S went ahead to stay with a three-TD second period, starting with Johnson’s 1-yard run and a two-point conversion by Rogers at the 11:24 mark of the period.
Before halftime, Rogers ran 34 yards to the end zone and Eagle hauled in a 33-yard scoring strike. Both TDs were followed by extra-point placements by Kyle Walmer.
Rogers finished with 98 yards of total offense, including 64 on three pass receptions. Eagle had a team-high four receptions and also totaled 64 receiving yards.
Adkins was pleased by how his squad responded to the first game.
“We traveled for 2 hours in all the heat, with masks on (during the bus ride),” he said. “It was nice to come away with a win.
“There are so many unknowns in Week 1. You don’t know the opponent and you don’t really know about your team.”
An unheralded sophomore, Leif Olson, set the tone early.
“Leif played a few games at the freshman level, but on the opening kickoff, he closed in on the ballcarrier and made a fantastic tackle to get the momentum going,” Adkins said.
Other tackling leaders, besides Petro, were Nick Golden (nine), Ashton Heiser (seven), Mateo Casillas (four) and Kale Schweighart (three).
Ethan Grindley, who led the Bulldogs in interceptions last spring, picked off a Canton pass in the opener.
M-S will play defending Apollo Conference champions Effingham on Friday (Sept. 3) in Effingham.
“We respect all, but fear none,” Adkins said. “We’re not scared, but open and willing for the challenge.”
Effingham decisioned M-S 21-7 in March in a game that was tied, 0-0, at halftime.
In Friday’s season-opener, Effingham lost a 42-7 decision at Decatur St. Teresa.
In the state’s preseason football rankings, Effingham was in a tie for 10th in Class 4A. St. Teresa was ranked first in Class 2A.
