CHS football loses to Apollo Conference champion

CHS football loses to Apollo Conference champion Categories: Football CHS football loses to Apollo Conference champion JD Golden, Sports Reporter • October 10, 2026 Jason Coulombe The Charleston High School Trojans football team stands in a huddle in its game against the Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs at Mahomet-Seymour High School in Mahomet, Ill., on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Charleston High School football began its final road stretch of the season with a trip to the undefeated Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs. The Trojans’ uphill battle had begun before the game even began as both junior starting quarterback Brody Wilson and senior starting running back Treylin Couch would each miss their second consecutive game. “It’s pretty simple, and it’s been this way the last two weeks; it’s next man up. We’ve got injuries, we’ve got athletic code violations, and we’ve got academic ineligibilities. We’ve got to handle our business as young men, get our bodies healthy, and until then it’s next man up,” said head coach Brian Halsey. As the game kicked off, things would only get worse as the opening kickoff to Bulldogs receiver Bryson Tiefenthaler was returned 90 yards for a touchdown, putting the Trojans in a 7-0 hole just 13 seconds into the game. That was a sign of things to come, as the Bulldogs pulled away for a 41-7 win over Charleston Friday at Frank Dutton Field. After forcing a punt, the Bulldogs marched right down the field and quickly scored another touchdown by way of a seven-yard rush by sophomore running back Marco Casillas. The Trojans briefly showed signs of life following a massive gain by junior running back CJ Patterson into Bulldog territory, however a fumble on the ensuing play ended the Trojans drive and returned possession to the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0) took advantage of the turnover and capitalize on the takeaway with a third touchdown in the opening quarter. Casillas would add his second of three touchdowns on the ground, which he’d pair with his seven carries and 65 rushing yards. Mahomet-Seymour would match this output in the second quarter as well, adding three more touchdowns to their lead, including two more rushing touchdowns and a defensive scoop-and-score following a strip-sack and recovery by junior lineman Luke Buh. The Bulldogs dominance on both sides of the field helped them secure a commanding 41-0 lead heading into the halftime break. Without their lead initiator and star rusher, the Trojans (0-8, 0-5) struggled to move the ball down the field for the second game in a row. In the past two games without Wilson and Couch, the Charleston offense has only been able to muster 147 yards of total offense per game. The Trojan offense has, however, been able to turn to junior back CJ Patterson in Couch’s absence to provide efficient rushing. Tonight, with just 14 carries, Patterson was able to provide 112 yards on the ground and Charleston’s lone touchdown score in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Charleston’s final game of the season will come next week on the road in Salem, where the Trojans will hope to rest up and make the most of their final chance at a win this season. “We have to keep getting better at something fundamentally and try to end the season on a good note. Hopefully we have some guys back and I hope we just compete to wrap things up,” Halsey said. “Although things didn’t go the way we wanted them to go, I hope we can honor our seniors and end this the right way.” The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. on Friday. (Statistics courtesy of Victory 103.9) JD Golden can be reached at [email protected]. View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment Tags: Brian Halsey CHS football More to Discover More in Football EIU running back aims for childhood dream EIU football resets ahead of OVC play Shorthanded Trojans fall on senior night to Taylorville Takeaways: EIU football's 42-7 loss to No. 2 South Dakota State Mt. Zion scores 42 points in 2nd quarter, beats Charleston 63-14 Panthers cap non-conference play at No. 2 South Dakota State About the Contributor Jason Coulombe, Assistant News Editor Jason Coulombe is a junior journalism major and can be reached at [email protected].