Lucas Dyer is Mahomet-Seymour’s junior QB. He has completed 65 percent of his passes, connecting on 102-of-158 attempts for 1,287 yards. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes and been intercepted six times. His favorite targets are junior Trey Peters and senior Braden Page. Both have hauled in 27 passes – Peters for 411 yards; Page for 285. Both have caught five TD passes.
“They also like to abandon the passing game and bring in another package, go toe-to-toe with you and run the ball,” Hefner added. “They are very big up front and don’t have a single senior in the line. They like to run the ball just enough to keep you honest.”
Senior Luke Johnson is the team’s leading rusher. He has played in just four games, carrying the ball 80 times for 385 yards. He has had two games with more than 100 yards rushing and has scored five touchdowns.
While the Bulldogs gain nearly 60 percent of their offensive yards through the air, it is just the opposite for the Hearts. The EHS running game has accounted for 65 percent of its offense, having racked up 1,316 yards – an average of nearly 220 yards per game.
The workhorse is Weldon Dunston. The junior running back has cracked the 100-yard plateau in five games. He has carried the ball 151 times for 908 yards. That’s an average of 25 carries and 151 yards a game. He has also scored nine touchdowns.
“We need to run the ball,” Hefner said. “They play an odd front, with three down linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs. But they rarely line up with just three guys along the defensive line. They are constantly in motion and constantly trying to apply pressure. They line their guys up in different spots on almost every play.”
Hefner said two players to watch out for on Mahomet-Seymour’s defense is junior linebacker Brock VanDeveer and senior nose tackle Jack Gallier. The EHS coach said both of those players were very good.
Hearts quarterback Gaige Gillum has completed 46 percent of his passes for 718 yards. He has thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions. His favorite target is Andrew Lotz. The senior receiver has hauled in 20 passes for 411 yards and five TDs.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Mahomet-Seymour High School.
“They have that good record for a reason,” Hefner said. “They are a very good football team. This will be a tough test for us.”