MAHOMET, Ill. (WCIA) – An exciting clash is set for Saturday as Mahomet-Seymour’s football team faces off against Marion in the first round of the 5A playoffs. This matchup carries a unique storyline that adds an intriguing layer to the game.

Walter Skeate holds the position of assistant coach for Marion, but his roots run deep with the Bulldogs. During his high school years, Skeate excelled on both the offensive and defensive lines for Mahomet-Seymour, earning him a place in the esteemed ‘Blue Dot Society.’ This accolade is reserved for exceptional players, and Skeate achieved it despite joining the school as a sophomore.

“Mahomet remains very special to me,” Skeate reflected. “I had some wonderful years there and still maintain contact with my head coach. This week, I’ve been flooded with messages from old friends. It truly means a lot.”

While Skeate has faced his alma mater as a coach before, this encounter marks his first playoff game against Mahomet-Seymour. The teams last met in 2019, with Marion securing a 34-14 victory. As the tension builds, both teams prepare to leave their mark on this postseason showdown.

It won’t be the first time he coached against the school he attended. Marion and MSHS met in 2019, when the Wildcats won 34-14, but this Saturday will be Skeate’s first team going against the Bulldogs in the postseason.

Skeate moved a lot growing up, with his dad in the military, and says Mahomet provided a community – and a true hometown- he didn’t realize he was searching for.

“I had never had those lifelong friends or anything like that,” he said, speaking of his time prior to moving to Mahomet. “And to this very day, 30 years after graduation, I still am in touch with the guys I played football with in Mahomet. Once a year we get together and we go to a Cardinals game or we get together whenever we can. That’s that thing I was looking for that I did get from my time in Mahomet.”