According to the coaches around the league, Mahomet-Seymour is favored to win the title. 

Right behind them, Lincoln and Mattoon. 

So, it’s fitting that the beginning of the conference season features two of the top teams in the league according to the unofficial rankings. The way head coach Ryan Ghere sees it, Mattoon is a top team in the conference this season and this is road matchup to start the conference slate is a perfect indicator to see where the team currently stands. 

“I think we should be one of the top teams in the league,” said Ghere. “We will see after this week.  Going on the road and playing Mahomet and Lincoln is going to be a test.  The entire league is going to be competitive but I think both Mahomet and Lincoln are in the top tier of teams.”

Here is the preview of tonight’s game. 

Team Records: Mattoon (3-1) @ Mahomet-Seymour (1-2)

Where: Mahomet-Seymour High School

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at Mahomet-Seymour High School in Mahomet

School Size: Mattoon (930), Mahomet-Seymour (943)

JV Tip-Off: 6:00 p.m.

Varsity Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m.

Opponent’s History: Ryan Bosch enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Bulldogs. In his first season, the team went 12-17. That was followed by a 19-11 record in 2019-2020 and a second-place finish in the Apollo Conference. Last year, the Bulldogs were 9-4 in the shortened season. Altogether, Bosch owns a 40-34 record. 

Mahomet-Seymour’s Past Results: According to Maxpreps, the team has played just three games, but some could not be reported. Mahomet opened the season with a 86-79 triple-overtime victory over Champaign Centennial. The team’s two losses on the record appear to be  67-66 loss to Belleville West and 68-64 to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin. 

Mahomet-Seymour’s Top Players: According to coaches around the league, junior Brian Wolters could lead the league in scoring. Wolters is a top baseball prospect in the state of Illinois. He has already verbally committed to Purdue to pitch. Wolters led Mahomet-Seymour with 33 points in their win over Champaign Centennial. Dream Eagle-Morgan was Apollo’s top wide receiver this past football season and is listed at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds. Nolan Nierenhausen, a senior, appears to be a leading scorer for the team. 

Mahomet-Seymour’s Team Stats:  Individual and team stats are not available. 

Mattoon’s Past Results: Mattoon is coming off a stellar showing at the Effingham St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.  Mattoon opened the season with a 64-44 victory over Rantoul. They followed that up with a 63-30 win over Highland before falling to Teutopolis 43-34. In the third-place game, Mattoon took down defending Apollo champion Effingham 54-40. 

Mattoon’s Team Stats: Mattoon is averaging 54.3 points per game and allowing 39.25 points per game. The defense will have their hands full with potentially the league’s best overall scorer in Wolters, but with All-Tournament selections Sam Bradbury and Jaylen Middleton, the team might be able to match. 

“We need to just keep getting better,” said Ghere. “We need to handle the ball better, especially when our opponent puts pressure on us.  We are playing well as a team right now, but need to continue to be unselfish and share the basketball.” 

What Mahomet-Seymour Said: Coach was unavailable to comment.

What Mattoon Said: “I have watched a few games on film of Mahomet,” said Ghere. “They are physical.  They play really good man-to-man defense.  We will have to rebound well and take care of the ball to be successful.”