By FRED KRONER
Within the entirety of the Mahomet-Seymour football team this year were a series of small groups.
Small, but mighty groups.
Powerful groups.
When everything was put together, the offensive and defensive units were a cohesive group of outstanding players with more than half of them on each platoon earning some sort of all-Apollo Conference honors.
The achievements of the various position groups were well-deserved as the Bulldogs reeled off a school record-tying 11 consecutive wins.
Linebackers get tackles.
Defensive linemen get sacks or quarterback hurries.
Defensive backs get interceptions or shoestring tackles to prevent touchdowns.
Quarterbacks get passing yards.
Receivers pile up the catches.
Running backs gain yards on the ground.
The kickers convert extra points or field goals or pin teams deep with their punts.
But what about that other group of players who take the field: Offensive linemen?
Everyone knows what they get: Overlooked.
News stories don’t focus on how many snaps the center makes without a fumble on the exchange.
The television highlights don’t dwell on the tackle who opened such a huge hole that the team bus could have plowed through untouched.
There are no stats on how many times the guard pulled and made a key block that resulted in extra yards gained.
Casual M-S fans will immediately recognize names such as Wyatt Bohm, Quenton Rogers, Dream Eagle, Luke Johnson, Mitch Gallier, Jack Gallier, Mateo Casillas, Nick Golden, Ashton Heiser and Jake Waldinger.
But what about Marshall Bachar, Mikane Didier, Will Jones, George Moore, Brayden Smith and Tyler Uken?
Those names don’t roll off the tongue and prompt immediate recognition except for family members and close friends.
And yet, if those six offensive linemen hadn’t been so adept on the football field, few of the rest of the team’s accomplishments would have been possible.
You can bet the coaching staff didn’t overlook their yeoman efforts.
“These guys had so much fun and made the offensive line their own,” M-S head coach Jon Adkins said. “They made up their own terminology and really enjoyed themselves.
“They took ownership in that aspect of the offense.”
Football practice for the 2021 season officially started in early August.
For four of the top six linemen, their preparation began months earlier when M-S played an abbreviated six-game schedule during February and March.
Smith, Uken, Jones and Didier were line starters throughout the 3-3 spring season.
“From Week 2 (in February) when we hung with Mount Zion (losing 44-34 to the 10th-ranked Braves), we said, ‘We have something special with that (line) group,’” Adkins said. “They were a fraternity of brothers within the bigger picture of the football family.
“In the spring, they were huge contributing factors to our success.”
The fifth starting lineman last spring, right tackle Karson McKee, transferred out of the district during the summer.
That created a void filled capably by Moore.
One more change was required when Uken suffered a season-ending injury. At that time, Jones switched from right guard to left tackle and Bachar was inserted on the right side of the line at guard.
In real time, Bachar did what was asked. In retrospect, he said it was somewhat mind-boggling.
“I went from barely knowing the playbook to starting on the line,” Bachar said. “Six games really gave me so much to learn from and that really helped put me in the spot that I’m in now.”
The experience and continuity of the overall line was invaluable even though there was a massive turnover from spring to fall in the players for whom they were blocking.
“There was a major transition,” Uken said. “We went from having a run-first quarterback and a senior-experienced running back to a pass-first quarterback and a running back who had no experience at the varsity level.
“We had to change some schemes up front and focus on pass protection more. It was not a difficult transition, but was definitely different.”
Though the backfield starters this fall were new to the varsity lineup, they were not unfamiliar to their teammates.
“During my time on JV I played with Bohm and Johnson, so I understood what to expect,” Jones said. “I think that by the second game, our line and backfield were working to our potential together.”
The adjustment was made almost seamlessly by the veteran linemen.
“The six games in the spring season were huge for us,” Uken continued. “We got that game experience when at many points it seemed like we would not get any games at all.
“The chemistry and bonds that were formed during this spring season laid the foundation for our success as a group in the 2021 fall season. We lost one starter from the spring, so heading into our fall season, which we knew included playoffs, we had virtually the exact same line.”
The fluid nature of the offense – which generated a school-record 4,709 total yards – is more impressive due to the internal changes that took place.
Bachar and Moore are prime examples.
A standout in youth hockey – a sport he may pursue in college – Moore tried out for football for the first time as a junior last spring.
He played linebacker and was credited with six tackles though Adkins said, “he wasn’t a constant starter.”
Moore welcomed the position change.
“To be a senior and have coaches come to you and ask you to play offensive line, what a shock that could come your way,” Adkins said. “Sometimes kids might view that as a demotion, but not George.
“He wanted to play and get on the field.”
Moore pulled off the switch, Adkins said, because “he’s probably one of the hardest workers on the team. The offensive line was a new position. He hadn’t done it before, but he’s a smart kid and with his hockey background, we knew he had the physical toughness.
“I’m proud of what he accomplished in a short amount of time.”
Moore was a willing learner.
“I had no clue,” he said. “I had never played O-line and wasn’t even the starting right tackle until about one week before our first game.
“I would say I never felt the transition because I never blocked for the old running back. When I came to the line, Luke (Johnson) was our running back.”
In 3 ½ months, he made quantum leaps of progress.
“Having never played O-line before in my life, I had to rely on my strength and size,” Moore said, “but the fact that I’m a 6-foot, 185-pound right tackle, every football player knows that is not the desired dimensions for someone blocking.
“I had to pick it up quick, I knew that I had to perfect my basic O-line skills if I even wanted a shot at playing this fall. I learned how to do all the basic O-line skills and was able to get to a point of proficiency that I was able to block kids as much as 260.”
He grew to love the position.
“I like playing O-line because of the feeling of adrenaline I get right before each snap, wondering what my opponent will do,” Moore said.
Moore at least had the entire preseason to become accustomed to the rigor and ruggedness of varsity play.
Bachar had two days to get ready after Uken was injured near the end of a Wednesday evening midseason practice.
Adkins was trusting that Bachar would get the job done.
“For six (varsity) games, he sat and watched, never knowing if his time would be called,” Adkins said. “He’d had a great JV season (for the Apollo Conference JV champions) and that was one of the main reasons why he was ready.
“From the beginning of the year to where he finished, I don’t know if there is another player in the program who is more improved. I’m so happy he is coming back.”
Uken – who hopes to play college football – was satisfied with the line play after his departure.
“When I got hurt, I originally thought that I would be back in a week or two,” Uken said. “It broke my heart to be told that my senior season was done and that I would require surgery to repair my knee.
“Becoming a cheerleader from the sideline was an easy role to take on because of the bonds and brotherhood of this team. The guys that took over for me, Will Jones moving to left tackle and Marshall Bachar moving to right guard, did a great job.”
Uken marveled at how smoothly they adapted.
“They had two days before their first games at those positions and they picked things up very well and did a great job for the remainder of the season,” Uken said. “The number of teammates who stopped in after surgery to keep me updated on what I was missing at practice and giving me a scouting report on our next opponent was substantial and demonstrated the closeness of our team.”
Bachar said there was indeed an adjustment period once Uken was sidelined.
“When Tyler was hurt, I was substituted in, the line itself had to get used to playing with each other again and with one of our key anchors out for the season that would be a heavy task,” Bachar said. “However, we made it work.
“The team in general has a philosophy of ‘next man up’ when someone goes down. The next man must be ready to play his absolute best and must be mentally and physically ready to take on the tasks thrown at us.
“That next man when Tyler went down was me. The main key to the line returning to normalcy was everyone being versatile mainly. Everyone had to adapt to what was happening as soon as possible.”
Added Smith: “We pushed ourselves and it ended up being OK and we did well with our new players.”
To a player, the M-S offensive linemen are able to handle the lack of notoriety.
“It can be frustrating, yes,” Bachar said, “but seeing my teammates get the recognition they deserve because of the line really does it for me.
“It gives so much satisfaction that I can see or read what the media says about those guys and think to myself, ‘Wow, I’m a big reason why these guys are successful.’ It ties directly to why I love the line so much.
“The responsibility that’s there to allow my teammates to play the way they do, just really makes me happy that I’m playing where I’m playing. The coaching staff and teammates have all been really good about recognizing us, and even when they don’t, or when they forget, that comes with our job. We make others stand out over ourselves for the greater good of the team.”
The team aspect was Bachar’s focus.
“Being a part of this team especially gives me so much satisfaction because we are a team,” he said. “These records broken and accomplishments are a team effort.
“They can’t be done alone and that’s what satisfies me the most with this season … our names will be forever remembered in Mahomet-Seymour history for a long time to come.”
Smith and Uken said they get recognition outside of the media.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Smith said. “The coaches have definitely done a great job giving us credit on good blocks when good plays happen.”
Added Uken:
“Honestly, it is not frustrating when the running back gets all the credit,” he said. “As offensive linemen, we pride ourselves in doing the dirty work and never getting any of the glory.
“The coaches and running backs are great at giving us credit when we do good and getting on us when we do not. When we see the running back get a shoutout in the newspaper this is also kind of a shoutout for the offensive line as we help them with that.
“We do appreciate it though when we get back to the sidelines after a scoring drive and the quarterback or running back gives us a high five and thanks.
Moore said the linemen are understanding about the lack of publicity.
“It isn’t frustrating at all, when I see those stats in the paper like, the running back rushed for so many yards,” Moore said. “Then I know as the O-line we had to have a good game to open up holes for him and when they say the quarterback threw for a bunch of yards, that’s another backhanded compliment because the O-line had to block enough for him to have the time to find his receivers.”
Didier said it’s all a matter of perspective.
“I never have a problem seeing the stats of backs in the paper without recognition (for linemen),” he said. “All I see is the fruits of my labor. Seeing them do well is enough for me.
“Not to mention our quarterback is very nice to us and always thanking us. The whole program is supportive of us.”
Uken (first-team) and Smith (second-team) were the two M-S offensive linemen who earned All-Apollo Conference accolades.
Adkins agreed with their worthiness, but said there was a third deserving Bulldog, Didier.
“I can say I am extremely upset our conference coaches did not vote him as a member,” Adkins said. “I don’t understand how you can go undefeated (in the conference) and only get two all-conference linemen.
“Those dudes were opening holes. I’m extremely disappointed Mikane didn’t get honored. We ran left more than we ran right and there was a reason. Mikane was on the left side.
“He is so big (5-foot-10, 255 pounds) and strong. I’m lucky he is coming back. When he started in the spring as a sophomore, we knew we had something special.”
Since jumping into football as a third-grader living in Morris, Didier has played every position across both the offensive and defensive fronts.
He enjoys the offensive aspect.
“I’ve always loved the protectorate aspect of the position,” Didier said.
Bachar and Didier were the only juniors on what was otherwise an all-senior offensive line.
“Next order of business for me is getting next year’s offensive line ready for the varsity,” Didier said.
Uken and Smith were two of the line’s most experienced players. The 6-foot-10, 260-pound Uken first moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and by his junior season was an all-conference first-teamer.
Smith started all 18 games the past two seasons, each of which were played in a 10-month stretch in 2021.
Uken has been entrenched in the offensive line since he joined the Mahomet-Seymour Youth Football program as a third-grader.
“The thing I like about playing offensive line is being able to line up every play and hit the man across from you,” Uken said. “Dominating the same person over and over all game is a lot of fun.”
Smith shifted to the offensive line as a ninth-grader after playing linebacker in youth leagues.
Smith said the linemen weren’t fazed by working with new personnel in the backfield this fall.
“It was an adjustment for sure, but we knew we could trust Wyatt (Bohm) and our running backs,” Smith said. “We did our thing and they did theirs, and good things happened.
“Bringing back most of our O-line from the six-game (spring) season, it gave us varsity experience considering we all had little to none (previously).”
Smith and Jones are two-sport athletes who also play baseball. Didier is in wrestling.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Smith is not the prototype for an offensive lineman.
“He is undersized for the center position, especially,” Adkins said. “He makes up for it with his work effort and his technique.
“He will always be right on his first step. With his coachability and work ethic, he was able to impress a lot of guys.”
While all of the linemen played significant roles, Smith’s was of vital importance.
“He is the only player who touches the ball on every single play,” Adkins said. “He makes all of the line calls and checks.
“He’ll definitely be a big loss.”
Jones displayed his versatility at midseason, moving from right guard to left tackle for the final six games.
“What a utility player he is,” Adkins said. “To shift from right guard after six games says a lot for him.
“He works incredibly hard and we trusted him at the left tackle spot. He didn’t play (football) his sophomore year, but ended up having a great last two years, when we ended up losing four of five linemen from my first year (in 2019).
“We had holes to fill and his size (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) was a huge factor. He committed himself to the weight room.”
Jones began learning the nuances of line play as a ninth-grader.
“I started playing offensive line during my freshman year,” he said. “All of the form for playing O-line is an unnatural task.
“Because of this, we needed to learn how to move and hold our bodies on the field. Learning all of the form and having something new to learn is what I like about it.”
Over the years, he used the knowledge to his benefit.
“Freshman year, I understood most of the plays and what I did, but I didn’t understand everything that was going on,” Jones said. “Since then, I have learned everything about almost every play, which helps me understand why I am doing what I’m doing up front.”
Uken, a repeat all-conference first-teamer, was also a two-year team captain. As yet, he has no college offers.
If seeing is indeed believing, Adkins said college coaches only need to watch game film.
“He put together six games where he was absolutely dominating,” Adkins said. “I hope the coaches look at those games and don’t shy away because of the injury.
“They’ll be getting a great, hard-working kid. His leadership is incredible. When he spoke, guys listened.”
Adkins said he was equally impressed with Uken even when he wasn’t on the field.
“I’m so proud of how he continued to keep a positive attitude and continued to be a leader, even with the injury,” Adkins said. “That is not easy when you know your high school season is over. He will be tough to replace.”
The enthusiasm over a season where M-S moved up the state rankings in Class 5A to the No. 4 position made it easy to stay positive.
“Being part of a special season like the one we had meant everything for me,” Uken said. “The journey we have been on these last three years has been a lot of fun and it was nice to see it all culminate in something historic like it did.
“Even though the season ended earlier than we wanted, the culture that us seniors have helped implement and the bonds I have made with teammates this year has been something I will take pride in and cherish forever. To see the support of my fellow classmates and the community was awesome.”
The disappointment that Uken felt with the injury was shared by his teammates.
“When Tyler went down, it broke my heart to see his season cut short, and college offers fly away,” said Moore, who wants to become a military pilot. “We brought up Marshall as a replacement and we just had to deal with what had happened.
“There was no bringing back Tyler from injury, so we just had to make do with what we had. Some kids had to step up as leaders. I would say Brayden Smith and I did just that. It was a big gap to fill, him having two full seasons as a varsity starter and going on three, he was a huge leader for us.”
Didier, the left guard, took the change in stride.
“It was weird at first playing next to Will after playing next to Tyler for so long, but after a while we were rolling smooth just like old times,” Didier said.
Adkins said it was not accidental that the line performed consistently at a high level.
The position coach for the offensive linemen is a former college assistant, Nathan Sievers.
In 2012 and 2013, Sievers coached offensive linemen at Southern Virginia University.
In 2014 and 2015, he coached offensive linemen at Frostburg State University.
In 2016, he worked with defensive linemen at Virginia Military Institute.
Immediately prior to joining the M-S staff in 2018, Sievers was the offensive line coach for one season at Oakwood High School. He also coached offensive linemen for six years to start his career at a high school in Henderson, Nev.
“I’m blessed to have a lot of good coaches,” Adkins said, “but Nate has to be up there as one of the best.
“He works a regular day job (away from the school) and then shows up and puts in the time to make the kids better.
“The work the man has done is absolutely incredible. There are positions to fill (next year on the offensive line) and I’m glad we have the offensive line coach we’ve got.”
Uken concurs.
“I think Coach Sievers was an unsung hero of the team and especially the offensive line this year,” Uken said. “His leadership, and preparedness of the line each week was phenomenal.”
Jones said the results of Sievers’ work were shown on the field.
“Our entire line has become more technically sound since last year, and I credit that to our O-line coach, Nate Sievers,” Jones said.
Moore’s takeaway from the season is the team camaraderie.
“I was just playing football because it was fun to be around the guys and bond with them, and to play the sport,” Moore said.
“I feel very proud and very fortunate to be part of this team,” Didier added. “As my head coach would say, we’ve done something that no one can take away from you.
“Making history with your friends is always enjoyable.”
In a season with a plethora of highlights, Jones said perhaps one of the best was to be surrounded by friends on the practice field and the game field.
“This year one of our mottos for the team was being Family Strong,” Jones said. “I think we all picked that up and ran with it.
“One of the reasons we were so successful this year is because of how close of a family we were. It is the best team I have ever been a part of, not only because of our success, but also because of how close we all were. I am going to miss it.”
Even as the 11-1 season, and a state quarterfinal appearance, is put to rest, the memories will linger. For all of the words that have been spoken or written, there’s no disputing one contention: The Bulldogs had a great line.
The final lines belong to Bachar, who said the season was more than just football.
“This team is my family,” Bachar said. “My teammates and friends on the team really make up the way I am.
“There is no doubt that football has made me a better man and a better athlete and I am extremely excited for the team to bounce back next season and continue the legacy.”
***
The Apollo Conference announced its all-conference team for football this week.
M-S had five first-team selections on offense and five on defense.
The honored Bulldogs were tackle Tyler Uken, running back Luke Johnson, quarterback Wyatt Bohm, receiver Dream Eagle, receiver Quenton Rogers, defensive lineman Jack Gallier, defensive lineman Mateo Casillas, linebacker Mitch Gallier, linebacker Nick Golden and defensive back Ashton Heiser.
Two M-S players were picked for the all-Apollo second team: center Brayden Smith and defensive back Jake Waldinger.
Additionally, the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association released its all-state team.
In Class 5A, Bohm was one of the 18 first-teamers. Golden was one of 13 athletes to receive honorable mention all-state status.
Additionally, three M-S athletes were accorded Academic All-State honors this week. They were Bohm, Uken and Jack Gallier.
