Charleston High School football won its first game of the season Friday 37-35 over Mattoon in the Coles County Clash.

The Trojans (1-4, 1-1) led 21-0 after the first quarter and held on for their third clash victory in the last four years.

Now that the dust has settled on the game, here are four takeaways from Friday’s game at O’Brien Field.

Treylin Couch is legit 

Junior running back Treylin Couch has rushed for 554 yards and nine touchdowns in two weeks in Apollo Conference play, and he is putting the rest of the conference on notice.

In the clash, Couch rushed for a school-record 290 yards and scored all four of the Trojans’ offensive touchdowns. Couch has established himself as one of the top players in the conference and is making a case as one of the best in the area. He will be the focus of every opposing team’s defense for the rest of the season, and likely next season too.  

Couch showed flashes of his quality last year, including in the 2024 clash when he ran for an 85-yard touchdown run.

Busted plays worked in Mattoon’s favor

A few times, Mattoon had big passing plays with wide-open receivers downfield after a rough snap or something else rough in the backfield, leading to Charleston’s defensive backs rushing the line. Then, as a result, when Mattoon sophomore quarterback Brayden Hackett was able to recover and get enough space, he would find a wide-open receiver. 

There’s a couple of moments that particularly standout. In the final minute of the third quarter, Mattoon went for it on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Hackett, who was under center, fumbled the snap and picked it up before diving across the goal line for the touchdown.

Inside three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Hackett dropped a shotgun snap, which drew the attention of the Charleston secondary. Hackett recovered quickly, recovering the loose ball and throwing it deep to senior Cooper Spencer. He was left open at the 10-yard line and plowed into the endzone for a touchdown.

Charleston has grown as a team. 

The bond the Charleston Trojans hold has blossomed beautifully. They are learning how to depend on each other

and have become visibly more patient with each other, as some are learning for the first time or reshaping what they have known before.

As the season progresses, head coach Brian Halsey continues to voice how proud he is of the boys who are all working hard and improving their craft, and it showed with how the Trojans picked each other up throughout the game. Luckily for them, getting a win against their arch-rival is a culmination of the team’s ability to come together to accomplish one goal: a win. 

The crowds had an effect on the game. 

The amount of people that filled the stands was pretty split between Charleston and Mattoon. Athletes never want to admit it, but crowds really do have an effect on how you play, even when you don’t want them to.

The opposing crowds were respectful to each other which made for an uninterrupted game, but sometimes it’s not even the opposition that can trip someone up. There was so much enthusiasm for both teams, but at the end of the day Charleston’s side seemed to voice their support more than Mattoon’s, and this may have influenced Charleston on the field. Hearing the cheers and praises of their loved ones, friends and fans is a key component to their belief in themselves.

Charleston’s next game is away against Mt. Zion. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Bryce Parker and Kaylee Unruh can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]