MAHOMET - Opponents didn't see much of Andrew Brewer last year. A hip injury sidelined him after the season opener, and Brewer did not return until the regular-season finale.

"The muscle was connected to my growth plate, and it was splitting my growth plate (by pulling away)," Brewer said. "If I didn't stop, it would have split it in half."

The hip is better now, and opponents are seeing a lot of Brewer … mostly from the back.

The Mahomet-Seymour High School junior has rushed for 700 yards and 14 touchdowns on 79 carries, leading the Bulldogs to a 4-0 record and No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press Class 4A state poll.

"I think what everybody (in the Corn Belt Conference) is saying is, 'Who is this Brewer kid, and where did he come from?' " said Central Catholic coach Bobby Moews, whose Saints meet Mahomet-Seymour tonight at Bloomington. "He's a whale of a player. He runs hard and he's hard to tackle."

Brewer reported to practice in August with confidence after having successful wrestling and track seasons last year. Still, he did not foresee a start like this, or a night like last Friday. The 5-foot-8, 180-pounder ran for 321 yards and five TDs on 40 carries in a 44-26 win over state-ranked Rochester. He also scored on a 62-yard punt return.

"After the game, when coach (Tom Shallenberger) was telling us some of the stats, it was amazing. I had no idea," Brewer said. "When you're in there, you're just worried about winning the game."

Brewer no longer worries about his hip. It held up well last year in wrestling, where he reached the state tournament for the second year in a row, and in track, where he is a hurdler.

He considers himself to be back "full-fledged."

"You have to stretch it (the hip) and ice it sometimes," Brewer said. "But it's given me no problems."

Thus, Mahomet-Seymour has had few problems moving the ball. The Bulldogs lead the Pantagraph area at 45.5 points per game. They have defeated state-ranked teams the past two weeks in Pontiac (35-14) and Rochester, and face another tonight in No. 3 Central Catholic (4-0).

Shallenberger said tonight will be "the true test" going against the area's stingiest defense (3.3 points per game), though he likes what he's seen from Brewer.

"He has decent speed, he has good vision and he's very patient," Shallenberger said. "Against Rochester, they stuffed us for the first part of the game. He just was patient and finally things started opening up a little bit and he got it going."

Brewer's touchdowns include a 92-yarder against Pontiac. He attributes his speed to running the hurdles in track, saying the explosiveness needed translates well to football.

"You know, Gale Sayers was a hurdler," Brewer said of the former Chicago Bears' Hall of Fame running back. "It has helped me immensely."

Brewer also has benefited from the play of his offensive line.

The Bulldogs lost all-state tight end Jason Seaman (now at Southern Illinois) and all-Corn Belt center Michael Burner to graduation. Senior Jon McComb, an all-Corn Belt linebacker, has moved into Burner's center spot. He is flanked by guards Marcus Robinson and Andrew Griffeth and tackles Ethan King and Zach Bansner.

"There have been some good holes," Brewer said. "We're still working things out a little bit, trying to get a hold of everything."

Shallenberger agreed, saying the line has played well, but added, "I don't think we're there yet. We still have a lot of work to do."

Blocking for Brewer provides some margin for error, McComb said.

"Sometimes we'll give him the biggest hole in the world, but sometimes he'll have to make it for himself. He has the talent and ability to do so," McComb said.

"We knew with a healthy Brewer we were going to have a pretty good running game. They're not going to catch him very often (in the open field). He makes a move one way, and then he'll take you the other way. It's pretty hard to stay with him."