Mahomet-Seymour football’s strong schedules evident in Playoff schedule
By FRED KRONER
Jon Adkins’ belief about the strength of the Mahomet-Seymour football team’s schedule in 2023 was confirmed by the IHSA on Saturday (Oct. 21).
When the 256 playoff-qualifying teams were announced – with the Bulldogs gaining a first-round Class 5A playoff home game on Friday (Oct. 27) against Troy Triad – the biggest revelation was that M-S indeed faced one of the state’s toughest schedules this season.
Of the nine schools that the Bulldogs played throughout the regular season, eight wound up in the playoffs. Only two other state playoff qualifiers faced as many successful teams (Class 7A entries Chicago St. Rita and Chicago Brother Rice).
They also went against eight playoff-bound squads. Both St. Rita and Brother Rice had 5-4 season records.
M-S concluded the regular season with a 7-2 mark, following a 56-33 loss to unbeaten Class 7A qualifier Quincy on Friday (Oct. 20).
The Bulldogs were within striking distance in the final quarter, trailing 35-33 with less than 12 minutes remaining.
The past two M-S teams carried perfect 9-0 records into the playoffs, but stumbled both years in the Class 5A quarterfinals.
“It’s a different look this year (after a 7-2 regular season), but it’s also a different look as far as how we prepared,” Adkins said. “Last year, it was still an unknown what the first tough game would look like. Now, we’ve had several tough games under our belts.
“The strength of our schedule will do more to prepare us for the playoffs. It’s not like we’ve gone into any game having it easy.”
In the regular season-finale, the Bulldogs fell behind early against the Blue Devils (21-6 after one quarter) before roaring back and pulling within 21-19 in the second quarter and 35-33 with 2:05 to go in the third period.
“We knew going in the challenge we were up against,” Adkins said. “I’m proud of the way we faced it head on.
“Our kids did not back down from adversity.”
Though Adkins said, “you can’t make costly mistakes at the wrong time,” the biggest difference in the game was the team on the other side of the field.
“At the end of the day, that’s an incredible Quincy club,” Adkins said. “They were flat-out superstars on the field.
“It took them making superstar plays. I’ve never seen a high school running back make a jump-stop cut move, and they had three or four one-handed catches.
“We threw one interception, but it was a great play by their kid. He came out of nowhere.”
Not all of the great players were on the opposing side.
“We have some special players ourselves,” Adkins said.
Among them were Donovan Lewis, Jayvon Irwin and Brock VanDeveer on defense as well as Luke Johnson and Luke Dyer on offense.
“Luke Johnson had the best game I’ve ever seen him have,” Adkins said, “because of how he ran.
“There’s no doubt it’s the hardest he has ever run. He was lowering his shoulder and driving ahead, getting the tough, hard extra 1 or 2 yards.
“He was a warrior.”
Johnson scored two touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards on 21 carries. He was also one of Dyer’s favorite receivers, catching a team-high seven passes for 58 yards.
Dyer connected on 20 of 33 passes for 198 yards and two TDs (both to Raymond Long).
“He is showing confidence, sitting in the pocket and delivering the ball,” Adkins said. “We didn’t have a single catch that wasn’t contested.”
Long and Braden Pagel both had five receptions and totaled 98 and 20 yards, respectively. Trey Peters caught two passes and Gavin Hammerschmidt hauled in one pass from Dyer.
Less than 3 minutes after Quincy took a 7-0 lead, the Bulldogs closed within 7-6 on a 38-yard run by VanDeveer.
The Blue Devils added two more TDs in the first quarter before M-S posted scores from Johnson (4-yard run) and Long (12-yard pass play) within a 1-minute, 22-second stretch of the second period, cutting the deficit to 21-19.
Though the Bulldogs allowed Quincy 472 yards of total offense, the M-S defense had its share of standouts.
Lewis – who ranks among the state leaders in interceptions – picked off his seventh pass of the season.
VanDeveer matched his season’s high for tackles with 10. Colby Crowley had eight stops, Irwin and Ethan Esker were each involved with seven tackles. Henry Wagner had five tackles. Jack Gallier and Tyler Majeres each collected four tackles.
“To start the second half, we started on defense and Donnie intercepted a pass and took it down to about the 20,” Adkins said.
That led to a Bulldog score before the third quarter was a minute old (on a 35-yard pass play to Long).
In addition to his defensive heroics, Lewis was a factor on special teams. He returned four kickoffs for a total of 107 yards. Pagel had three kickoff returns for 83 yards.
“The game was much closer than the ultimate score showed,” Adkins said. “For 3 ½ quarters, we had a 7A team on the ropes.”
Despite the loss, Adkins doesn’t regret entering into a two-year contract with Quincy.
“I wouldn’t change anything about taking this game or the approach we took,” he said. “We are excited that the playoff season is now.
“The kids are up for the challenge.”
M-S will take on Troy Triad (6-3) at Frank Dutton Field in a Friday (Oct. 27) game that will start at 7 p.m.
By chance, Adkins had already watched tape of one Triad game even before the matchup was announced.
“They played Mount Zion and I saw them on film once before we played Mount Zion,” Adkins said. “I know the style they play and I think it’s a favorable matchup.”
Triad played three teams during the season that wound up in the playoffs, including Mount Zion.
Triad lost to Mount Zion 39-28. M-S defeated Mount Zion 26-7.
Despite yielding 56 points in its Week 9 game the Bulldogs have one of the 10 best defensive averages among 5A playoff teams (13.8 points per game). Triad is allowing an average of 24.8 points per game.
Adkins doesn’t have a status report on injured Bulldogs Pagel, Brayden Garrett and Kolton Metcalf-Poulos.
Junior Brayden Lamb filled in on the line after Metcalf-Poulos went down with a fourth-quarter knee injury.
