Mahomet-Seymour Defeats Mount Zion 38-14 with Strong All-Around Performance
By FRED KRONER
Mahomet-Seymour Football
Mahomet-Seymour’s 38-14 football win on Friday night (Oct. 4) at Mount Zion was a case of the offense helping the defense and the special teams helping both units.
The offense scored the game’s first 31 points and the defense kept the home team off the scoreboard until the second half of the Apollo Conference contest.
And the special teams were, in a word, special.
“We recovered back-to-back onsides kicks (in the second quarter by Cody Moen and Henry Wagner),” M-S coach Jon Adkins said. “We had the ball the last seven or eight minutes of the first half.
“When you can steal a possession and keep those good athletes off the field, that’s what you want.”
The Bulldogs put up 17 points in the final 4 minutes of the first half, expanding a 14-0 lead into a 31-0 margin at intermission.
Cade Ashby scored the second of his three touchdowns with 3:35 remaining in the second period. That was followed by a 26-yard field goal by Jackson Davis – on his first varsity attempt – and then, with 2:03 to go, Luke Dyer connected with Mason Orton on a 28-yard scoring strike.
Ball possession was an important part of the M-S game plan against an opponent that features a University of Illinois recruit (Brayden Trimble), a UI target who has nearly three dozen scholarship offers (J.C. Anderson) and a third emerging receiver, who is also considered a major prospect (Jacob Harvey).
“When you face talented kids, you’ve got to adjust the game plan,” Adkins said.
Cade Harrell, in his first varsity start, was tasked by the coaches of shadowing Anderson. Brayden Garrett was assigned to Trimble and Paxton O’Malley had responsibility for Harvey.
“Those three went 1-on-1 with those kids,” Adkins said. “For us to hold Trimble to 39 yards (receiving), Anderson to 29 and Harvey to 28, our defensive staff and players were outstanding.”
Additionally, Wagner was shifted from linebacker to the secondary during the week to also help contain Trimble.
With the pressure applied to the passing game, the Bulldogs got Mount Zion to shift its offensive strategy.
“Keeping the ball out of J.C. and Bradyen’s hands, we forced them to run the football,” Adkins said. “Our front four dominated. They were outstanding.”
The quartet of Beau Back, Noah Frank, Jayvon Tompkins and Ethan Esker helped control the line of scrimmage.
Esker and Tompkins joined linebacker Brock VanDeveer as the tackling leaders, with six apiece. Finishing with five stops each were Back and Frank. Harrell was in on four tackles.
“Our defense was absolutely incredible,” Adkins said. “It was one of the best defensive performances I can remember seeing.
“They have incredible individuals. We have grit and toughness. Our theme for the week was, “Be a dog.’”
The Bulldog offense welcomed back Raymond Long, the team’s second leading receiver in 2023. The senior underwent surgery in mid-August and made his season debut against Mount Zion.
He led all players, totaling 122 yards on his five receptions.
“He is such a good weapon and it came back like riding a bike,” Adkins said. “(When he was sidelined), he never missed a practice and was helping our wide receivers.”
Long had been cleared to play a week earlier, but Adkins elected to hold him out as a precautionary measure.
“I wanted to see him go through more practices,” Adkins said.
Dyer completed 11 of 15 yards for 240 yards. Other targets besides Long and Orton were Gavin Hammerschmidt (four catches for 85 yards and one TD) and Bryson Tiefenthaler.
On his birthday, Dyer was able to catch a pass as well. The ball was thrown by his cousin, Ryan Pruitt, the backup quarterback. Dyer’s reception gained 23 yards.
As a team, M-S rolled up 403 yards of total offense, compared to 240 for the Braves.
Ashby was again the workhorse out of the backfield, gaining 66 yards on 24 attempts. VanDeveer rushed for 49 yards on six carries.
“We slowed the tempo down and ran the ball more,” Adkins said. “We went for little chunk plays.”
Davis converted 5-of-5 extra-point attempts and has tied his own school record, set in 2023, for consecutive conversions (17). The previous record of 16 was held by Kyle Walmer.
“Every single day, midway through practice when we are offense- and defense-focused, he goes to the game field with his dad (former M-S soccer coach Jeremy Davis) and works on things,” Adkins said. “I’m proud of the extra work he puts in.
“Jeremy has been instrumental in Jackson’s development.”
The field goal by the younger Davis was a no-doubter.
“It was like he had been doing it all year,” Adkins said. “He smoked it through the uprights.
“It was tremendous the way we executed the way we did in all three phases.”
M-S (4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Apollo Conference) owns a three-game winning streak entering a third consecutive road game this week.
The Bulldogs play at Effingham (4-2) on Friday. Effingham is coming off a 42-41 overtime loss at Taylorville.
“They will rebound,” Adkins said. “They will pack it in and run it, completely different from what we saw this week from a team that spreads it out and likes to throw.”
M-S is 3-0 in conference play and in sole possession of first place in the Apollo. With a win at Effingham, the team will clinch its fourth consecutive Apollo Conference championship.
The status of M-S seniors who were injured at Mount Zion, VanDeveer (shoulder) and Channing Byers (knee) has not yet been determined.
