Mahomet-Seymour Opens 2024 Football Season with Record-Breaking 69-37 Victory Over Morton
By FRED KRONER
High school football in the state of Illinois got its start with the first game being played in 1885.
Now, in the 140th year of interscholastic football in the state, the Mahomet-Seymour program opened its 2024 season on Friday (Aug. 30) with a record-setting 69-37 victory at Frank Dutton Field over Morton.
Seniors Luke Dyer and Trey Peters turned in a series of school-record performances that also rank among the top five all-time on the IHSA single-game charts.
Before examining their exploits, there’s another takeaway from the weather-delayed (90 minutes) opener that concluded 30 minutes before the midnight hour arrived.
Senior Brock VanDeveer shared the team-lead in tackling (with Noah Frank, 10 stops apiece), but according to M-S head coach Jon Adkins was “not happy with himself.”
VanDeveer took it upon himself to make changes immediately.
“He demands better from himself,” Adkins said. “After the game, he was on the practice field running laps to punish himself, and tackling the sled.
“That’s the type of leader he is.”
Adkins didn’t share VanDeveer’s feelings of disappointment about his opening-week contributions.
“He lived up to expectations,” Adkins said. “There was a reverse, and he read it perfectly. We expect that out of Brock.”
The Bulldog offense – which didn’t even get the ball to start the game – nonetheless put points on the scoreboard before 2 minutes had elapsed.
M-S forced Morton – which had an 8-2 record in 2023 – to punt after three plays – and then Dyer and Co. went immediately to work.
“We scored on our very first play,” Adkins said. “It was a rollout to Gavin (Hammerschmidt).”
The scoring play covered 60 yards and the first of nine successful conversion kicks by Jackson Davis lifted the Bulldogs into a 7-0 advantage and a lead they never lost.
The points came at the 10:01 mark of the quarter.
Ninety seconds later, Dyer connected with Peters on a 14-yard scoring strike. At the 8:29 mark, M-S’ lead was 14-0.
By game’s end, major changes were needed to the all-time M-S record book.
Dyer completed 26 of 33 passes for 593 yards and threw for eight touchdowns.
The completions, yardage and TD tosses are all school records.
In all, six Bulldogs caught passes. The 6-foot-6 Peters was the major target, garnering 11 receptions and gaining 344 yards. He hauled in five TD passes.
His yardage and TD receptions are new single-game school records.
Dyer orchestrated an offense which delivered 801 yards of total offense. That was a team school record as was Dyer’s collection of 642 yards (593 passing and 49 rushing) of total offense.
Here’s where the Bulldog duo – and their team – will stand once the IHSA records are updated:
–Peters, tied for second for TD receptions in a game (five);
–Dyer, tied for third for TD passes in a game (eight);
–Dyer, third for single-game total offense (642);
–Dyer, fourth for single-game passing yards (593);
–Peters, tied for fifth for receiving yards in a game (344);
–M-S team, tied for third with eight TD passes in a game;
–M-S team, fourth for passing yards in a game (593);
–M-S team, eighth for total offense in a game (801).
With an offensive unit that returns nine of 11 starters – including every lineman – Adkins expected the Bulldogs to move the ball effectively.
“With that many starters back, we were further advanced than ever going into our Week 1 game,” Adkins said. “There are things we’re able to do and I expected our performance.
“The execution level was very high. We had few if any mistakes (just one turnover while the starters were on the field) and we didn’t give up a single sack. Our offensive line was incredible.
“I’ve been saying it the past couple of years: These kids are special as far as their work ethic and how they want to be great.”
Peters is part of a varied aerial assault.
Hammerschmidt finished with six catches for 138 yards (and one TD), Mason Orton had three receptions for 64 yards (and one TD) and Wade Manuel caught four passes for 32 yards.
All four players had catches generating at least 17 yards.
Dyer averaged 22.8 yards per completion, but his eight TD strikes covered an average of 45.6 yards.
Channing Byers caught one pass, and turned it into a touchdown.
“If any college coaches were on the fence (about whether to recruit Dyer and Peters), they answered some questions,” Adkins said. “Dyer is the smartest quarterback I’ve ever coached and Peters is one of the best wide receivers to ever come through here.
“I don’t know why teams don’t double- and triple-cover him. That should never be a question. You guard him with one, and he’ll have his 344 yards. He would make a great tight end at the next level.”
If upcoming opponents focus more attention on Peters, Adkins won’t fret.
“It’s ‘pick your poison,’” he said. “We’re incredibly versatile and tough to stop.
“This week, it happened to be Trey and Luke. Next week, it could be Gavin, Mason, Wade or Cade (Ashby, who rushed for a team-high 77 yards).”
When rain and lightning forced the start of Friday’s game to be moved to 9 p.m., Adkins wasn’t concerned.
“We had faced adversity all week,” Adkins said, “practicing at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday (because of the temperatures and humidity) and then Thursday being outside in the heat for our walk-through.”
Adkins wasn’t the team’s entertainment director as they waited out the delay, first in the field house and later in the air-conditioned weight room.
“It’s a credit to our team, especially the senior leadership, that I don’t have to babysit them,” he said. “Our group of seniors, and the way they lead, is second to none.
“They made it easy. I told them to sit, hang out, throw on some tunes and don’t be running around.”
Not only did the players maintain their focus, but the field remained playable.
“Thanks to Steve Kreps and Dave Kiest (and their crew), our field held up incredibly well and never got muddy,” Adkins said.
The special teams unit was able to excel even with less than ideal conditions. Davis connected on 9 of 10 conversion placements. Tyson Finch is the long-snapper and Hammerschmidt is the holder.
The IHSA limits schools to four captains on the field for the pre-game coin toss. For M-S, those individuals in 2024 are Byers, Dyer, Peters and VanDeveer.
They are chosen by the M-S coaching staff and are part of a larger group of team leaders.
“We have 15 kids in our leadership council, and they lead in different ways,” Adkins said. “My job as a coach is to create as many leaders as I possibly can.
“You can be a leader without being a captain.”
Against Morton, the Bulldogs forged a 21-7 lead after one quarter and then proceeded to add three more TDs in both the second and third periods.
“Our philosophy is “pedal to the metal, all gas and no brakes,” Adkins said. “That shows in our tempo.”
The offense was so effective that Dyer was called upon to punt just once, and booted a 42-yarder.
An oddity for the M-S defense is the presence of 305-pound freshman Jayvon Tompkins up front.
“I’ve only ever had one other freshman who started, Jack Gallier (2024 graduate),” Adkins said, “and as soon as he graduates, in rolls another freshman who plays the same position.”
Tompkins was credited with one tackle in his varsity debut, but Adkins said the statistics don’t reflect his value.
“He did awesome for any noseguard, and especially for a freshman,” Adkins said. “There were times he was double- and triple-teamed, and that allowed Brock to get 10 tackles.”
Other defensive stalwarts for the Bulldogs included Noah Frank (10 tackles and one sack), Beau Back (seven tackles and one sack), Henry Wagner (six tackles and one interception) and Ethan Esker (five tackles).
Not to be overlooked, Adkins said, is safety Kaleb Collins.
“He was our most significant defensive player,” Adkins said. “He has been a backup, but another kid couldn’t attend a practice, and we threw him in a day before the game.
“He played the entire game and never came out. He was always in the right spot and knew the scouting report so well that he was putting other kids in the right spot.
“He was a true leader in the secondary, our most inexperienced position group.”
After yielding 30 first-half points, the Bulldogs’ defense allowed just one TD after intermission.
“As inexperienced as we were, we did certain things very well,” Adkins said. “It was a completely different experience defensively (after the 10-minute halftime).
“But, we have to finish. There were times we let them get big third-and-longs and once a fourth-down conversion. That’s where our inexperience showed.”
Next up for the Bulldogs is a 21/2-hour road trip to Highland (0-1), for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday (Sept. 6).
Highland lost its opener to Breese Central, 24-21, an opponent which is projected as one of the state’s top Class 4A teams.
Highland lost to M-S last season and then won nine of its next 10 games.
“Their linebacking corps is the best we’ll see,” Adkins said. “Their defensive and offensive lines are ginormous, and their quarterback is probably the best quarterback we’ll see.
“No question, we will have our hands full. These are the kinds of teams I wanted for this group. It’s another opportunity for us to continue to get better.”
The Bulldogs suffered no injuries against Morton and Adkins expects Hayden Hart to return to action this week.
