After a week off, the Carmi-White County Bulldogs are preparing to hit the road and face the Sesser-Valier Red Devils in a battle of two unbeaten teams.
Sesser-Valier is coming off an 8-6 win over Fairfield, in a game that took nearly 5 hours to complete due to thunderstorms. Much like the Bulldogs, Sesser received a forfeit win from Vienna-Goreville in Week 2, they then defeated Hamilton County 22-6 in Week 1.
In their win over the Mules, the Red Devils only accumulated 166 total yards of offense. Despite graduating numerous starters from their 2023 team that made it all the way to the IHSA 1A Quarterfinals, the Red Devil offense still has potential to give the Bulldogs fits.
Sesser-Valier will run the same offense they have for years under John Shadowens and Mike Rude. They will spread things out, and use their size up front and speed in the backfield to run through the defense. In 2023, we saw the Red Devils pass the ball quite a bit as quarterback Colt Packer led the BDC in touchdown passes with 18. Packer graduated in May, so Shadowens and Rude have turned the offense over to junior Trace Payne. Payne (#15 6’1″ 180 lbs) has thrown the ball 20 times through 2 games, for 203 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. Payne has kept the ball to run just 7 times this season, rushing for 22 yards.
Payne’s favorite target is junior Kyan Short (#10 6’1″ 165 lbs). Short has caught 9 passes for 125 yards, including an 8 catch 116 yard performance against the Foxes in Week 1.
Junior Jace Erwin (#22 5’8″ 155 lbs) is Sesser’s leading rusher. He’s carried it 31 times for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior Caeden Hicks (#44 6’0″ 245 lbs) is a force to be reckoned with as the team’s fullback. They’ve handed Hicks the ball 21 times for 81 yards and 1 TD. When Hicks isn’t getting the ball, he practically turns into another offensive lineman, but faster. His impact goes beyond the statistics.
Speaking of impacts beyond the statistics, Sesser-Valier has a tough and experienced offensive line. Right guard Hayden McMurray (#50 5’10’ 230 lbs Sr) and left tackle Cash Acosta (#53 6’0″ 235 lbs Sr) were BDC All-Conference players in 2023. Friday night will be a game that will be won at the line of scrimmage.
The Bulldog defense has had an up-and-down start to the 2024 season. In Week 1, CWC gave up just 37 rushing yards against Flora. But in Week 2, Carmi let the Foxes rush for 247 yards, 215 of those yards were ran by Braxton Miller alone. Carmi has also had their struggles against the pass. They did much better against Hamilton County, but they allowed Flora’s quarterback to throw for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sesser-Valier has the ability to throw the ball around the field, don’t be surprised if they try to do so against the Bulldog defense.
“They have a good offense, but the biggest key for us will be to not give up the big play,” said CWC head coach Kurt Simon. “They have the athletes to mix up the run and pass better than any team we’ve seen so far this year.”
As for the Bulldogs, they shouldn’t feel the need to change up much of what they’ve done through the first two games of the season. Senior Noah Pollard is 6th in the entire state in rushing yards with 550, and that’s with one less game than the 5 guys in front of him on the list. Kade Stockton has been able to add a nice punch to the Bulldog offense also, he had his first career 100-yard game against Hamilton County in Week 2. However, Sesser-Valier knows how run-heavy the Bulldog offense can be – expect them to stack 8 to 10 defenders in the box on any given play.
“We have to be able to run the ball with a lot of guys in the box,” said Simon. “That’s how they’ve always played defense against us, and we expect no different this time around.”
Sesser-Valier has been one team that has had Carmi’s number over the past decade. The Red Devils have won seven of the last eight matchups between these two teams. The Bulldogs nearly pulled off the upset last season, before a last-second touchdown won the game for Sesser. These two teams always seem to play in close, nail-biting games. The Red Devils won by two points in 2023, four points in 2021, fourteen points in 2019, and eight points in 2018.
Calpreps.com predicts yet another nail-biter, with Sesser-Valier winning 24-22.
Fans who can’t make the road trip to Sesser on Friday will be able to listen to the game on 97.3 FM WRUL and online at WRUL.com.
They can also watch all the action on the WRUL Sports YouTube Channel.
Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
