Mattoon is playing for its season this week. One loss will eliminate the Green Wave from playoff contention. The task is a true David vs. Goliath situation. Mattoon travels to 7-0 Mahomet-Seymour with hopes of knocking off the top team in the Apollo Conference and keeping their season alive. Meanwhile, a win at home would clinch the Apollo title for the Bulldogs. Here is tonight’s preview. 

Team Records: Mattoon (3-4, 3-2), Mahomet-Seymour (7-0, 5-0)

Past Results: Mattoon is coming off a gutsy 32-27 win over Charleston in the Coles County Clash. Before that, Mattoon lost two close games, a 35-34 nailbiter to Lincoln and a close 28-22 game to an undefeated Collinsville team that became playoff eligible with the win. Mattoon started the year with a 26-13 loss to Troy Triad and then a 31-7 loss to Mount Zion. The team’s two wins have been thrillers with a 12-9 come from behind win over Taylorville in Week 3 and a 20-14 win over former Apollo champ Effingham in Week 4. 

Mahomet-Seymour is perfect on the schedule. That started with a 40-14 win over Canton. Then, the Bulldogs started to tear through the Apollo schedule, including a 37-7 win over Effingham, 35-27 win over Mount Zion, a 53-20 win over Lincoln, and a 48-10 win over Charleston. The Bulldogs also own a 41-0 win over Quincy Notre Dame and a 54-28 win over Peoria Richwoods. 

Tickets: Tickets will be sold at Mahomet-Seymour High School field. 

School Size: Mattoon (929), Mahomet-Seymour (943)

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.

Opponent History: From 2002 to 2014, Mahomet-Seymour qualified for the playoffs in each season, but has not qualified since 2017. After Keith Pogue led the Bulldogs to an impressive 72-39 record in 11 years as head coach, the former CHS grad, Adkins, took over full time in 2019. His first full season as head coach featured a 4-5 record. Last year, the team finished 3-3 to give Adkins a 13-8 overall record if you include his wins this year. Before Mahomet-Seymour, Adkins coached at Peoria Heights from 2010 to 2015, where he recorded an 11-44 overall record rebuilding the program, which included a playoff appearance in his final season. 

Mattoon Running Game: Taeriek Grace leads Mattoon on the ground with 107 carries for 537 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Jackson Spurgeon leads the team with six rushing touchdowns. On 99 carries, Spurgeon owns 295 rushing yards. 

Mattoon Passing Game: On the season, Spurgeon has completed 81-of-150 passes for 1,332 yards, 10 touchdown passes, five interceptions, and a QBR of 92.0 Derrius White will get a chance to show off as one of the top receivers in the Apollo. White owns 28 receptions for 607 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. 

Mattoon Defense: Linebacker Aiden Spurgeon appears to be ready to make another bid for the All-Apollo team, leading Mattoon with 122 tackles, including 72 solo tackles. Koby Cardwell leads the team with four interceptions. The team defense has nine interceptions altogether. 

Miscellaneous: The weather is projected to be 58 degrees at kickoff with a humidity of 76% and a 42% chance of rain. Winds will be at 12 miles per hour. 

Mahomet-Seymour Rushing Game: The Bulldogs have a powerful rushing attack, which owns 1,044 yards on the ground as a team and 4.8 yards per carry. Sophomore Luke Johnson leads the charge with 110 carries for 634 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Johnson averages 5.8 yards per carrying. Two other players have just over 100 yards on the season. 

Mahomet-Seymour Passing Game: Junior Wyatt Bohm has completed 104-of-181 attempts for 2,019 yards with 21 touchdown passes, five interceptions, and a completion percentage of 51.5%. Quenton Rogers and Dream Eagle-Morgan have separated themselves as the two top receivers in the league. Rogers owns 32 receptionsas for 773 yards and nine receiving touchdowns. Eagle-Morgan owns 32 receptions for 538 yards and six receiving touchdowns. 

Mahomet-Seymour Defense: Linebacker Nick Golden leads the team with 54 tackles. Mitchell Gallier (47 tackles), Ashton Heiser (43 tackles), Jack Gallier (41 tackles), and  Mateo Casillas (40 tackles) round out a stout defense that is allowing 15.1 points per game. The defense owns 25 sacks this season with 12 coming from Golden and six coming from Casillas.