Mahomet-Seymour’s football team won its seventh straight game on Friday (Oct. 13) and matched a season’s high for points scored in a 49-6 Apollo Conference victory at Mattoon.
For the third consecutive year, M-S completed Apollo play with an unbeaten conference record. The last time the school had teams unbeaten in league play three years in a row was more than 60 years ago when the Leo Vitali-coached 1960, ’61 and ’62 teams were members of the Sangamon Valley Conference.
The highlights for the Bulldogs on Friday the 13th started before any time was run off the clock.
With the wind at his back, Tyler Majeres booted the opening kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.
After not allowing the Green Wave a first down on their first possession, M-S took over on the Mattoon 40-yard line following a short punt.
The Bulldogs were off and running from there.
Bulldog senior Luke Johnson scored three touchdowns and accounted for 157 yards between rushing and receiving.
“It was awesome to see Luke back in Luke Johnson form,” M-S head coach Jon Adkins said. “He ran the ball well.”
M-S built a 49-0 halftime lead and had its fourth running clock game in the past five weeks. A running clock is used in the second half when a school has a lead of at least 40 points.
Adkins began pulling starters with 4:27 left in the second quarter after the Bulldogs’ lead reached 42-0.
“We played very well on all three cylinders (offense, defense and special teams),” Adkins said.
Bulldog quarterback Luke Dyer completed 9 of 12 passes for 175 yards. For the second week in a row, Dyer fired five TD passes. They came in a span of less than 15 minutes on the game clock.
Besides the two scoring strikes Johnson hauled in (covering 24 and 53 yards) Trey Peters caught two passes and reached the end zone each time (covering 14 and 16 yards). Gavin Hammerschmidt had the other receiving TD, on a 48-yard play.
Peters’ two scores came within 47 seconds of one another in the second quarter.
M-S also had another first-half flurry where it tallied two TDs within 64 seconds of one another (by Hammerschmidt and by Johnson on a run).
Cade Ashby rushed for the team’s final score on a 3-yard run. Johnson’s rushing TD was on a 2-yard run.
Jackson Davis converted 6 of 6 extra-point attempts and Majeres was successful on his lone placement.
M-S held an edge of 327-116 in total yards. For the fourth time in the last six games, the Bulldogs held their opponent to fewer than 120 yards of total offense.
“Our five guys up front, for the second week in a row, allowed no sacks,” Adkins said. “They have progressed so far from where they started in Week 1.”
Line coach Nate Sievers has started the same group of all-underclassmen linemen in all eight of the team’s games.
Junior Kolton Metcalf-Poulus (left tackle), sophomore Oliver Smith (left guard), junior Tyson Finch (center), sophomore Noah Daniels (right guard) and sophomore Philip Daniels (right tackle) average 234 pounds per player. That average bumps up to 248 per player if the 180-pound Finch is excluded.
Johnson gained a team-best 79 yards on the ground, Wade Manual rushed for 24 yards and Ryken Kirby generated 18 rushing yards.
Johnson (78 yards) and Hammerschmidt (54) were the two top Bulldog receivers.
Defensive leaders were Jayvon Irwin with six tackles, Brock VanDeveer with four tackles, Tyler Majeres with three tackles, Brayden Garrett with three tackles, Colby Crowley with two tackles, Hayden Hart with two tackles and Noah Scott with two tackles.
For the sixth time this season, Donovan Lewis picked off a pass. Hughey Allen also had an interception and Manuel recovered a fumble on a kick-off to set up a Bulldog TD.
Since a Week 1 loss to Morton (20-14), the Bulldogs’ first-team defense has yielded just two more touchdowns in the next seven games.
“Defensively, we are fun to watch,” Adkins said. “I catch myself being a fan.”
The nucleus of the defensive brigade includes six seniors, Evan Anderson, Colby Crowley, Jack Gallier, Jayvon Irwin, Donovan Lewis and Tyler Majeres along with four juniors, Ethan Esker, Brayden Garrett, Brock VanDeveer and Henry Wagner. Sophomore Noah Frank is the other defensive regular.
“Jayvon was incredible, flying all over the field disrupting passes and in the backfield causing havoc,” Adkins said. “On a screen pass, VanDeveer had one of the hardest hits I’ve ever seen in a high school game.
“It’s something you watch on highlight tapes. Lewis is an incredible leader and one of the best defensive backs I’ve coached in my entire career.
“Gallier had an incredible play on a sack and disrupts things in the run game. Ethan Esker, in the last two weeks, has had his two best performances in the last two years. He’s playing physical and knows his assignment and jobs.
“I’m excited to see where we’re at.”
M-S (7-1) will close out the regular season on Friday (Oct. 20) at Class 7A state-ranked Quincy (780). M-S was ranked 12th in the latest Associated Press Class 5A state poll. Quincy (8-0) was sixth in the most recent 7A state poll.
None of Quincy’s first seven wins were against opponents with a record over .500. The Blue Devils have outscored their first eight opponents 359-138.
However, Quincy’s Week 8 win (over 12th-ranked Class 4A Geneseo, now 6-2) was by a 35-7 margin.
Quincy will be the largest school that M-S (enrollment 996) will face. Quincy has an enrollment of 1,876 students, according to the IHSA.
Adkins had no qualms filling his schedule with a powerful Class 7A program.
“You schedule teams that will give you a look you need in preparation for the playoffs,” Adkins said. “They are very solid, but I definitely like our chances.
“Win, lose or draw, when we come out of the game on Friday, we’ll be a better ball club. It’s not every year you can play a state-ranked 7A opponent to prepare you for the 5A playoffs.
“You don’t go 8-0 and not be a good club. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the state, four of the best athletic receivers we’ve seen, and offensive and defensive lines which are ginormous.
“They are comparable to what we’ll see in Week 10, and beyond. This will answer a lot of questions. The past couple years, we didn’t have opponents challenging us enough to see where our deficiencies are before getting into the playoffs.”
