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By FRED KRONER
The Comeback started on Friday (Aug. 26), 286 days after Mahomet-Seymour last played a football game.
That contest, in November of 2021, was against Morton and ended with a 12-point Bulldog loss.
The Comeback game was also against Morton and ended with a 37-point Bulldog victory, 51-14.
The true comeback wasn’t the team outcome on Friday, however, which didn’t alter the outcome of the previous game in the state quarterfinals.
The comeback that matters for the 2022 team – which is ranked third in Class 5A and 22nd among teams in all eight classes in Illinois – was the one made by seniors Luke Johnson and Ryan Yancy.
Both suffered season-ending injuries a year ago, but were returning to gridiron action in the 2022 season-opener.
Johnson was once again the workhorse running back – getting the call for 22 of the Bulldogs’ 41 running plays – and gained a game-high 90 yards on the ground to go with one touchdown.
“I felt good to go from the start,” Johnson said. “There were a few plays that could have gone better, but it felt good to be back out there.”
Johnson returned to action last spring in track, which he said, “helped me get my running form back.”
Yancy shared time on the defensive line with junior Jayvon Irwin. Irwin had three tackles and Yancy produced two stops.
“He did what we needed,” M-S coach Jon Adkins said.
As for Johnson, Adkins was satisfied with his return.
“At times, you could tell it was his first game back, and at times, he showed the old Luke Johnson,” Adkins said.
The Friday contest featured a comeback within a comeback.
In a game that attracted an estimated 3,100 spectators, M-S fell behind, 7-0, eight minutes into the game when Morton ended a 12-play, 53-yard drive with a TD on a fourth-and-1 play.
Morton had converted a fourth-down play to move to the M-S 1-yard line and then needed four more plays to reach the end zone.
Johnson didn’t sense any frustration within the team when they fell behind.
“I knew what we are capable of, and that was just a bump in the road,” Johnson said. “We have a great quarterback, a great offensive line, and all-around great receivers. They make my job easier.
“I was thinking it was time to show what we could do.”
Likewise, Adkins didn’t feel the situation was desperate, even when his team trailed.
“We made them earn it,” Adkins said. “We were so calm, collected and stayed together as a team.
“We had to fix a couple of things.”
His message – and the changes – were what was needed. During the final 40 minutes of the non-conference game, Morton managed just two more first downs.
The Bulldogs mounted a scoring drive on their ensuing possession and were locked in a 7-7 tie after the first quarter.
Valient Walsh – who nailed a first-half trifecta with three touchdowns – hauled in a 12-yard pass from Wyatt Bohm to account for the first M-S points of the season.
Senior Kyle Walmer booted the first of four extra-point conversions to create the tie and start a streak of 34 straight Bulldog points.
Adkins said no one within the M-S program was surprised by Walsh’s breakout game. In addition to catching two scoring strikes from Bohm, he also ran for one TD and returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for a score.
“If you listened to Wyatt Bohm (in a recent interview), when they asked who would be the unsung hero (this season), without missing a beat, he said, ‘I can’t wait for the crowd to see Valient,’” Adkins said. “He had an incredible off-season.
“No one worked harder. He deserved everything he got tonight.”
Walsh was one of the six Bulldogs who caught passes from Bohm, who threw for 228 yards and four TDs. Walsh had five receptions for 66 yards. Quenton Rogers had five catches for 78 yards.
Both players had a catch for 40, or more, yards.
Adam Dyer (45 yards), Trey Peters (23 yards), Braden Pagel (12 yards) and Carter Selk (4 yards) had the other receptions.
The Bulldogs took their first lead of the season on Walsh’s 6-yard scoring romp with 6 minutes and 34 seconds left in the second quarter.
That drive was kept alive by a 20-yard, third-down scramble by Bohm, who started at the Moton 44-yard line.
Walmer’s kick was blocked and the 13-7 Bulldog lead held until the final 2:37 of the period.
Displaying the same big-play tendencies that the 2021 squad exhibited with regularity, M-S scored twice within an 80-second stretch and carried a 26-7 cushion into the halftime break.
The first of the two scores came on a fourth-and-6 play when Bohm found Walsh on a 40-yard scoring strike for his third straight touchdown.
With 1:19 remaining before intermission, Bohm threw to Rogers for a 42-yard TD.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ defense was buckling down. On seven of the next nine possessions after its first score, Morton could not manage a first down.
“We thought our defense would probably be our strong suit,” said Adkins, who credited the play of “our six-pack,” from their gallant effort.
“They are our heart and soul,” he said, referring to linemen Jack Gallier, Mateo Casillas, Irwin/Yancy and linebackers Nick Golden, Brennan Houser and Ben Wagner. “Our offense feeds off the defense making great stops.”
Three of those defensive athletes – Irwin, Houser and Wagner – made their first varsity start against the Potters.
Houser finished with a team-high six tackles. Wagner and Braden Houchin each ended with five tackles. Gallier and Jake Waldinger contributed four tackles apiece.
The Bulldogs’ other points came on a 22-yard Bohm-to-Dyer pass, a 22-yard field goal from Walmer and a two-point conversion run by Houser.
With Apollo Conference play starting this week – with a Friday (Sept. 2) home game against Effingham – Adkins will make sure there is no complacency that sets in.
“We have bigger goals than beating Morton,” he said. “The kids know this is just a start.
“We have to come back to work. We’ve got things we have to clean up. There were too many missed tackles. We have to continue to fine-tune the little things.”
Following this week’s game, M-S will face back-to-back road games before returning for a Sept. 23 homecoming encounter.
