By Kyle Daubs

Two rivals.

Two football teams with a 2-4 record.

After tonight, one team will be eliminated from postseason contention.

The other will still have a chance to earn a playoff berth.

Expect several thousand fans to make this feel like playoff football at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium. Here is tonight’s preview Coles County Clash. 

Team Records: Mattoon (2-4, 2-2), Charleston (2-4, 1-4)

Past Results: Mattoon is coming off its second straight tough loss, a 35-34 nailbiter to Lincoln last week. Before that, Mattoon lost 28-22 game to an undefeated Collinsville team that became playoff eligible with the win. Mattoon started the season with a 26-13 loss to Troy Triad and then a 31-7 loss to Mt. Zion. The team’s two wins have been thrillers – a 12-9 come-from-behind victory over Taylorville in Week 3 and 20-14 over former Apollo champ Effingham in Week 4. 

“We are in a one-game season right now,” said Mattoon coach Troy Johnson. “That’s pretty much what we do anyway. Every game is a new one. We talked about how we are a handful of plays from being 4-2 or 5-1. For the most part, we have been competitive in the fourth quarter, but just didn’t pull out the plays in the end.” 

Charleston had dropped games to Lincoln, Effingham, Collinsville and Mahomet-Seymour since a forfeit win over Robinson before beating Taylorville last week, 34-28. 

“It was nice to get the win and pull it over,” said Charleston coach Jerry Payne. “It was nerve-wracking at the end, but nice to get it. We told the guys that this is now the biggest game of the year. I’m not worried about anything in the future except for winning this game.”

Tickets: Tickets were sold at both high schools starting Tuesday, but you can also look to purchase tickets at O’Brien Stadium. 

“We told them that this is going to feel like a playoff atmosphere with the number of fans that come to the Clash,” said Payne. “Last spring, the number of fans was down, but I think tickets are back up. Both schools will bring a big crowd. We talked to the guys about not getting caught up in the stuff going on and just be ready to play football.”

School Size: Mattoon (929), Charleston (796)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Clash History: The first Coles County Clash began in 2012 after a 25-year break between the two schools. Mattoon had played in the Big 12 Conference, but the 2012-2013 school year was the first for the Green Wave to transition to the Apollo. After Charleston won the first official Coles County Clash, which includes a trophy presented to the winning school, Mattoon won the next seven meetings before Charleston reclaimed the trophy last year. 

This will be the final Coles County Clash for Troy Johnson, who is retiring at the end of the season. 

“We want to get the trophy back home,” said Johnson. “As far as a personal level, this is my last one. I hope we can get that delivered back for these seniors. They have worked hard enough for a big win.”

In the head-to-head matchups, Mattoon leads the overall series 21-5. Down below are all the meetings in school history between the two schools. 

**The scores feature Charleston’s score first with Mattoon’s second. Mattoon (5-21-0) **Taken from CHS Sports Records Book


1933……………………………0-13
1934……………………………0-19
1935……………………………..0-6
1936……………………………..0-6
1937……………………………0-24
1938………………………….18-12
1939……………………………..6-0
1942……………………………0-24
1943……………………………0-19
1946……………………………0-32
1947……………………………7-13
1948……………………………0-54
1949……………………………0-46
1984………………………….20-18
1985……………………………..0-6
1986……………………………8-48
1987……………………………0-24
2012…………………………..55-28

2013……………………………28-56

2014……………………………14-41

2015……………………………14-48

2016……………………………0-27

2017……………………………24-41

2018……………………………24-33

2019……………………………14-27

2020……………………………27-7

Mattoon Running Game: Taeriek Grace has led the Green Wave on rushing for five of the six games. Grace is coming off his best performance of the season – 147 yards on 20 carries. For the season, Grace has compiled 312 yards on 72 carries for a 4.33 average per carry. Jackson Spurgeon ran for 103 yards on 19 carries. He owns a total of 67 carries for 219 yards. 

Mattoon Passing Game: Against Lincoln, Spurgeon completed 13-of-25 passes for 202 yards. On the season, Spurgeon has completed 64-of-129 passes for 1,022 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. Receiver Derrius White owns two 100-yard games. 

Mattoon Defense: After leading 22-8 in the second quarter, the Green Wave defense allowed four straight scores to Lincoln. On the season, Mattoon has allowed more than 25 points in four of its six games.

Miscellaneous: The weather is projected to be 69 degrees at kickoff with a humidity of 74% and a 4 percent chance of rain. Winds will be barely discernible at 1 mph. 

Charleston Rushing Game: Nate Shrader is coming off the best performance of any running back on the season for Charleston. Against Taylorville, he rushed 22 times for 137 yards, just over 6 yards a carry. On the season, Shrader leads the team with 50 carries for 239 yards for a 4.78 yard average. Jack Nelson has rushed 34 times for 111 yards and has the team’s only rushing touchdown. 

Charleston Passing Game: Nelson has completed 37-of-76 passes for 325  yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Backup Nate Schrader has completed 3-of-7 passes for 43 yards. Luke Nelson leads the team with three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Hunter White added five receptions for 69 yards. Langdon King owns five receptions for 70 yards. Wade Wright has two receptions for 59 yards. 

Charleston Defense: After struggling all season against the run, Charleston allowed just 107 yards rushing to Taylorville. That also included two interceptions against the Tornadoes. Shrader leads the team in tackles with 26, including 17 solos. Next up is Collin Patterson with 19 total tackles. 

What Mattoon Said: “They have some athletes offensively,” said Johnson. “They are big up front. We aren’t. For the most part, most of our issues come from giving up some weight. They will be a challenge for us defensively. They have pride. They will be feisty. We are going to have to be ready to play all four quarters.”

What Charleston Said: “I joked and said my career in the regular season is dictated upon by one game by the public,” said Payne. “Mattoon wants to beat Charleston and Charleston wants to beat Mattoon. Last year’s win was huge for us. Huge for the program. It brought back seniors who hadn’t played since their freshman year. It keeps the younger groups enthusiastic. We are going to get on the field, compete, and play like there are no guarantees. If we do that, we will continue to play better and compete.”