By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
What a difference 15 days can make.
On October 13, the Effingham Hearts controlled the football, ran for 262 yards and came away with a huge 21-14 victory over the Mt. Zion Braves. That was the start of two back-against-the-wall wins to make EHS playoff eligible.
Now fast forward to Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, there’s not much to report – especially on the offensive side of the football.
Effingham’s defense played extremely well.
But the offense simply couldn’t move the ball. Mt. Zion’s defense dominated. The Hearts barely averaged 2 yards a snap. There were 10 plays that resulted in negative yardage. The longest gain on any one play was 13 yards.
You get the picture.
When the final horn sounded, the host Braves had a 21-2 win in an opening-round game of the Class 4A playoffs.
The Hearts season ends with a 5-5 record.
Mt. Zion, now 8-2, will next travel to Breese Central. The Cougars, also 8-2, defeated Cahokia, 19-2, to advance.
“Our defense had to face way too many plays,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said. “Overall, I thought our defense played very well. You just can’t play defense that much and not expect to give up some points. Especially against an offense like they have.”
Effingham’s inability to move the ball was evident from its very first possession. A Mt. Zion penalty helped the Hearts get a first down, but consecutive runs by quarterback Gaige Gillum and running back Weldon Dunston resulted in losses and set the tone for the rest of the game.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The Effingham Hearts are playoff bound.
After a rollercoaster season – with plenty of ups and downs – the Hearts strung together two “win or go home” victories to close out the regular season to become playoff-eligible for the fifth time in the last seven years.
That berth became possible after posting a 61-34 win Friday night at Centralia.
Pairings for the playoffs will be announced at 8 p.m. Saturday.
“A couple weeks ago, we were 3-4 and left for dead by a number of people,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said. “Our backs were against the wall. After our big win against Mt. Zion, there was a bounce in our step this week. It was one of the best weeks of practice all year. I am really proud of these kids.”
If you like offense, you got your money’s worth Friday night.
Effingham and Centralia combined to score 95 points and rack up more than 1,000 total offensive yards – the Hearts had 594, while the Orphans finished with 427.
But their offensive attacks were not the same.
Effingham used its ground attack to control the game, but was also effective through the air. The Hearts ran for 374 yards and passed for 220 more. The running game was spearheaded by Weldon Dunston. The junior running back ran over, through and around Centralia defenders the entire game. He had 38 carries for an eye-popping 307 yards.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Somebody forgot to tell the Effingham Flaming Hearts they weren’t supposed to win Friday.
They weren’t supposed to be able to stop Mt. Zion’s quick-strike aerial attack.
They weren’t supposed to be able to score enough to keep up with that potent Braves offense.
And since virtually nobody picked them to beat the highly-favored Braves, they weren’t supposed to have a chance to reach the playoffs.
But when the final horn sounded, it was the Effingham sideline that was celebrating a huge 21-14 victory over Mt. Zion.
And it means the Hearts are now one win away from being playoff eligible.
“I just knew the kids would come out and fight tonight,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said moments after the contest. “I told the kids at halftime we had them right where we wanted them. We just needed to come back out and execute and that’s exactly what they did. What a huge win. I’m so happy for these kids.”
The game was reminiscent of last year’s contest. The Hearts controlled the ball, but the Braves came away with a 39-36 win in overtime.
It appeared like it might be déjà vu Friday night at Washington Savings Bank Stadium.
The Hearts dominated the time of possession. They ran nearly 20 more offensive plays and used a bruising running game to stay in control. But this time, it didn’t get away from them.
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Win and they’re in.
For the Effingham Hearts, it’s that simple.
A victory Friday night at Centralia and the Hearts are assured a spot in the playoffs.
A loss and their season is over.
Again, it’s that simple.
“There’s no more or less on the line this week than there was last week,” EHS coach Brett Hefner noted. “This is a must win.”
Effingham will enter with a 4-4 overall record. Last week’s 21-14 victory over Mt. Zion also gave the Hearts a final 3-2 mark in the Apollo Conference and a shot at that all-important fifth ‘W’.
“With the type of year we’ve had, that was a huge win,” Hefner said. “We’ve had our ups and downs and we let a couple games slip away. But last week, with our backs against the wall, we finished one off against a really good opponent.”
Centralia will enter the regular season finale with a 2-6 record, with one of those wins coming as a result of a forfeit. The Orphans only real victory was against Marion. Their losses have been to Salem, Collinsville, Belleville Althoff, Carbondale, Cahokia and Mt. Vernon.
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Sometimes stats tell the story.
But sometimes they don’t.
Take last year’s Effingham vs. Mt. Zion football game, for example.
The Hearts controlled the ball nearly 75 percent of the game, running 84 offensive plays, compared to just 43 for Mt. Zion. They also piled up 305 yards rushing.
Stats like that normally result in a victory. Sometimes a blowout.
But that was not the case.
The Braves quick-strike aerial attack was a potent one. And when quarterback Makobi Adams connected with Grant McAtee for a 10-yard scoring pass in overtime, it gave Mt. Zion a 39-36 victory.
Could Friday night’s matchup at Washington Savings Bank Stadium be a repeat of last year’s thriller?
“They return all their skill guys,” EHS coach Brett Hefner quickly responded. “All four of their receivers and their quarterback are all back. You saw how explosive they can be last year. And those skill guys are all a year older and stronger.”
In other words, expect another hard-fought game between two teams with contrasting styles.
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