Mahomet-Seymour Dominates Senior Night with 63-7 Win, Clinches Fourth Straight Unbeaten Apollo Conference Season
By FRED KRONER
Three passing touchdowns.
Three different players reached the end zone.
The game was less than 8 ½ minutes old.
Mahomet-Seymour’s football team scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and four more in the second quarter on Friday (Oct. 18) and completed an unbeaten run through the Apollo Conference with a 63-7 Senior Night win at Frank Dutton Field over Mattoon.
The Bulldogs have gone unbeaten in league play four consecutive years and have earned wins in 23 straight Apollo contests.
“The conference feat, making history, is special,” M-S coach Jon Adkins said. “They left a mark that can’t be taken away.
“Their kids and grandkids will talk about this. For us to do what we did, with a bullseye, speaks volumes, It’s really, really hard.
“The seniors as a whole deserve this mark in history. They are a great group of kids.”
Lucas Dyer fired five touchdown passes – including three to Raymond Long – and got M-S on the board with a 48-yards strike to Long with 8:21 left in the opening period.
The first five Bulldog TDs were scored by different players.
Reaching the end zone besides Long in the first 15 minutes were Gavin Hammerschmidt, Maston Orton, Dyer and Brock VanDeveer.
After Long tallied two more TDs, Ethan Esker and Channing provided the Bulldogs with their final two touchdowns.
“Ethan and Channing are two of our unsung heroes,” Adkins said. “I’m glad they were able to get scores.”
In five Apollo Conference games this season, M-S outscored their opponents 192-9 in the first half after building a 56-0 lead at the break over Mattoon.
The defense was an area of concern entering the season. The majority of the team’s returning starters were on offense. As the season progressed, two freshmen are starting on the defensive front and two sophomores are also playing regularly.
“From where we started in Week 1 to now, I said we had a lot of inexperience and we’d have to grow up,” Adkins said. “Our kids are now executing at a really high level.”
To illustrate the improvement, Adkins cited the play of Paxson O’Malley in the secondary.
“Against Mattoon, there was a throw deep in the corner of the end zone,” Adkins said. “He made a textbook turn and made a great play on the ball with great technique.
“That’s an example of how far we’ve come. In Week 1, he gave up a touchdown to Morton on the same play.”
All nine M-S TDs against Mattoon were scored by seniors.
“At the beginning of the season, we knew our offense would be special,” Adkins said. “We know what we’re capable of doing.”
Dyer completed 13 of 16 passes – with one interception on the team’s third play from scrimmage – for 313 yards. It was his second consecutive 300-yard passing game and third of the season.
He has thrown nine TD passes the past two weeks. Long had four receptions in the last two games and all four were turned into TDs.
Long amassed 145 receiving yards against the Green Wave.
What the Bulldogs are doing is sustaining drives, involving multiple weapons on offense and showing the ability to move the ball consistently through the air or on the ground.
Through eight games, the team has punted nine times.
“Our offensive staff is manipulating situations and putting kids in spots where we can take advantage,” Adkins said.
Jackson Davis continued his record-setting season. He converted all nine extra-point placements and has now hit 33 in a row.
The previous school record (before Davis made 17 straight last year) was 16 in succession.
Davis also booted two of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.
The home team received a boost from a large and boisterous crowd.
“After our second or third score, I glanced up at the stands,” Adkins said. “From rail to rail, top to bottom, it was packed.
“I can’t remember the last time a Week 8 game had so much in-person attendance. It was a great atmosphere.”
Cade Ashby (79 yards), Cody Moen (67 yards) and VanDeveer (35 yards) were the leading M-S rushers.
Dyer’s other top receiving targets after Long were Orton (80 yards), Bryson Tiefenthaler (35 yards), Wade Manuel (32 yards) and Hammerschmidt (21 yards).
M-S collected 546 total yards and held Mattoon to 184 yards of offense.
Esker led the defensive charge with seven tackles. Other team leaders were Henry Wagner (four tackles and one fumble recovery), A.J. Demos (three tackles), Jack Jessup (three tackles), VanDeveer (three tackles), Luke Buh (two tackles), Noah Frank (two tackles) and Noah Scott (two tackles).
Coy Benway also recovered a fumble.
M-S (6-2) returns to action on Friday (Oct. 25) at Peoria Richwoods (2-6).
Adkins believes a win on Friday would virtually cement a first-round home playoff game the first weekend of November.
“I love the way our kids are playing, Adkins said. “They’re playing with a high level of preparation and at a high level of execution.
“In Richwoods, we will see a different type of athleticism. We have to prepare for different plays and looks.”
The Bulldogs have had five consecutive games where the second team has played nearly as many minutes as the first team.
“The last full game (for the starters) was Week 3 against (still unbeaten) Sycamore,” Adkins said. “That’s why we ramped up the practice last week and this week to get full-game conditioning.
“In Week 10, and beyond, we’ll probably be playing full games (with the starters).”
