By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

There were 120 offensive plays ran Friday night.

But two of them were easily the most pivotal.

In real time, they happened about a half an hour apart.

In football game time, just three minutes.

A long touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the first half and a pass interception on the sixth play of the third quarter proved to be the catalyst for Highland and the downfall for Effingham.

The Bulldogs used those two plays to break open a tie game and then roll to a 42-21 victory over the Hearts on Senior Night and the regular season finale at Jake Klosterman Field.

After the Hearts scored with just 1:14 left in the opening half, it appeared the two teams would head to the locker room with the score knotted at 14-14.

But Highland had other ideas.

The Bulldogs took over the ensuing possession at their own 20-yard line and immediately went to the air. Junior quarterback Brent Wuebbels completed 3-of-5 passes to move the ball to midfield.

And then on a second down call – and only 20 seconds showing on the clock – Wuebbels threw a perfect strike to receiver Cade Altadonna, who had gotten behind the EHS secondary. Altadonna caught the ball in-stride and raced untouched down the sideline to complete the 50-yard scoring play and put the Bulldogs on top to stay, 21-14.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Eight weeks into a season, there are reasons why some teams are undefeated.

Those squads are generally able to put points on the board offensively and defensively keep their opponents out of the end zone.

And, they take advantage of mistakes.

That’s exactly what happened Friday night.

The Effingham Hearts played the unbeaten and highly-ranked Breese Mater Dei Knights really tough for most of the first half.

But a fumble and interception helped the hosts score four touchdowns in 6½ minutes to break the game open.

And when the final horn sounded, Mater Dei had a 41-13 victory on a rainy night in Breese.

“They are a talented group,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said. “But when we do things right, we’ve proven to be a pretty good football team, too. We just weren’t consistent enough tonight.”

Midway through the second quarter, the Hearts were in a 7-7 game and holding their own.

The Knights then put together their most impressive drive of the game, a 13-play, 76-yard march to take the lead for good. They mixed the run and the pass in this possession. Quarterback Bryce Revermann completed five straight passes and went 6-for-7 for 49 of the yards.

Running back Jayce Napovanice picked up 39 yards on the ground and the drive was capped when Cameron Haag scored one of his five touchdowns with a short one-yard burst. That made it 14-7 with 5:36 to play in the first half.

But that was just the beginning of Mater Dei’s scoring surge.

The Hearts had trouble moving the ball much of the game. Four of their five first-half possessions were three plays or less. Sandwiched in between, however, was an excellent 13-play, 51-yard drive that took six minutes off the clock.

Quarterback Tanner Pontious had a six-yard run on fourth down to keep the drive going, John Westendorf broke loose for a 21-yard gallop and then Pontious got Effingham into the end zone when he found Evan Waymoth for a two-yard scoring pass – again on a fourth down play. That knotted the game at 7-7 with 10:12 to go in the first half.

The Knights followed with their go-ahead scoring drive and then put the game away during the next 6½ minutes.

After the Hearts went three-and-out, Mater Dei struck quickly. This time it was five plays and 51 yards. Revermann connected with Napovanice for 31 yards and then found Haag for an 11-yard scoring strike to make it 21-7.

It appeared as if the Hearts would try to just run out the clock to end the half, but Pontious fumbled and the Knights recovered at the EHS eight. Two plays later, Napovanice scooted six yards around the end to give the Knights a 28-7 advantage at intermission.

Effingham got the ball to start the second half, but the turnover bug hit again on the very first play. A Pontious pass was intercepted and Mater Dei had the ball just 39 yards away from the goal line. Napovanice broke loose for 21 yards and the Revermann-to-Haag combination hooked up again, this time from 18 yards out to increase the lead to 35-7.

“You can’t give away plays or give away the ball,” Hefner noted. “When you play against explosive teams like this, your margin for error is pretty slim.”

Breese Mater Dei added one more TD in the third quarter and it was that guy Haag that scored again after hauling in a 17-yard strike from Revermann.

The Hearts also managed to find the end zone again late in the game.

After Mater Dei had a bad snap on a punt, Effingham took over at the Knights 35. The Hearts ran seven plays. Pontious connected with Armando Estrada for 17 yards and Westendorf bulled across the goal line from one yard out to account for the final score.

The Knights, who entered the game as the No. 2 ranked team in Class 2A and improved to 8-0, racked up 277 total yards despite the inclement weather. Napovanice ran for 103 yards on 17 carries, Brevermann completed 13-of-21 passes for 146 yards and Haag turned in a solid all-around game, catching seven passes for 91 yards and running for 23 more.

Mater Die will finish its regular season next week at Mt. Zion.

The Hearts finished with 163 yards. They ran for 136, with Westendorf accounting for 91 of those on 24 carries. Pontious completed 5-of-14 passes for 27 yards.

EHS is now 4-4 overall. The Hearts will wrap up its regular season at home next week against Highland. It will be Senior Night at Jack Klosterman Field.

“It’s important that we recognize and honor our seniors,” Hefner said. “It’s also the last home game and I know the boys will want to play well for that.

“One thing I love about these kids is that they always play hard,” the coach added. “They take coaching well and they always try their best. Myself, and the entire coaching staff, appreciates that.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Friday night’s regular-season finale will match two teams with identical records and similar schedules.

Both Effingham and Highland sport 4-4 records and are completing what has been a brutal schedule.

The Hearts have played three schools – Decatur St. Teresa, Mahomet-Seymour and Breese Mater Dei – that are still undefeated and at least five opponents that will make the playoffs.

The Bulldogs have also faced talented football squads throughout the 2021 fall campaign. They, too, have already played at least five opponents that will earn spots in the post-season.

Highland started the season 0-3 after losses to Washington (30-20), Edwardsville (41-33) and Marion (48-28). The Bulldogs other loss was a 31-26 setback to Troy Triad. They had a great chance to win that game. But after driving to the one-yard line, they failed to score on the game’s final play.

The Class 5A school has defeated Jerseyville (54-12), Bethalto Civic Memorial (34-14) and Waterloo (48-14). Last week, the Bulldogs knocked off previously undefeated Mascoutah (29-27).

“Like us, they have played a very difficult schedule, although they play bigger schools,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said. “And like us, because we’ve both won a lot in the past, other schools won’t play you.”

Highland has had a strong program for years. The Bulldogs have earned playoff berths 21 times, including the last seven years in a row.

They will enter Friday night’s game averaging 34 points per game on offense, while allowing 27 points. They are a junior-dominated team with just one senior starter on offense and four or five on defense.

“Offensively, they will be similar to Breese Mater Dei, although Highland is a little more run-oriented,” Hefner noted. “Their quarterback is a junior, but has started since he was a freshman. They also have a good running back and a good receiver, plus they’re big up front.”

The quarterback is Brent Wuebbels, while Travis Porter is the top running back and Cade Altadonna is the main receiver. Each of those are juniors.

“Defensively, they are always sound fundamentally,” Hefner added. “They will load the box, play man-to-man in the secondary and make you beat them that way. They’re just a really good team.”

Win or lose, both teams have a good chance to reach the playoffs this year. The winner will finish with a 5-4 mark and is certainly a lock for the postseason.

And for the first time, teams with 4-5 records might qualify due to the number of schools that have either not played at all or had to forfeit games due to COVID.

Teams qualify for the playoffs based on a point system. Those points are accumulated from the number of wins their opponents have. Since both Effingham and Highland have played teams that have won a large number of games, their playoff point totals are high.

“Right now, there are only four teams in the state in the four-win category that have more playoff points than we do,” Hefner said. “With Highland’s schedule, they also have a lot of points. We’ll just have to see how everything plays out.”

Friday night will be Senior Night at Jack Klosterman Field. The Hearts will recognize their nine seniors – Noah Jones, Keegan Baker, Max Nelson, Damon Kalber, Edgar Castillo, Dalton Fox, Cohen Woods, Chase Kiefer and Emma Kessler.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It seems like every week the Effingham Hearts face a high-powered offensive football team.

Decatur St. Teresa, Mahomet-Seymour and Mt. Zion could score on any play, anywhere on the field, and Mattoon and Lincoln also possessed the ability to rack up points.

It won’t be any different this week when the Hearts travel to Breese to face the always-tough and dangerous Mater Dei Knights.

The Knights will enter the contest with a perfect 7-0 record and a No. 2 ranking in the state’s Class 2A poll.

The Hearts are riding a three-game winning streak. They finished the Apollo Conference schedule at 4-2 and are 4-3 overall.

“Mater Dei is very, very, very talented,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said. “They run the same stuff every year, but they do it very well. They’re big, they’re physical, they’re quick and just a very good football team.”

So far this season, Breese Mater Dei has defeated Waterloo 31-13, Breese Central 21-7, Belleville Althoff 31-13, Alton Marquette 65-12, Quincy Notre Dame 28-7 and DuQuoin 50-14. Last week’s opponent, True Divine Word Academy out of St. Louis, forfeited.

The Knights have outscored their opponents 226-46. They enter the contest averaging 38 points and 382 yards per game.

They can move the ball through the air or on the ground, averaging 139 yards rushing and 243 yards passing. They are especially strong at the skill positions – sophomore quarterback Brock Revermann, senior tailback Jayce Napovanice, senior receiver Cameron Haag and junior tight end Dalton Markus.

Revermann has completed 72 percent of his passes, connecting on 89-of-123 attempts for 1,427 yards. He has thrown 16 touchdown passes and only four interceptions. Napovanice has run for 464 yards, a 77-yard average. Haag has hauled in 42 passes for 727 yards and 11 TDs, while Markus has 22 receptions for 286 yards.

“They run a lot of motion and play action,” Hefner noted. “Their sophomore QB throws it well and their tailback is a good one. They are very skilled.

“They are also big and physical up front,” the EHS coach added. “There’s a reason they’re putting up all those points and why they’re undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the state.”

The Hearts will counter with a game plan similar to the Mt. Zion game. They will try to run the ball and control the clock. To do so, the offensive line will need to open holes for running backs John Westendorf and Keegan Baker. Westendorf enters the game with 808 yards rushing, an average of 115 per game.

“We need to control the ball and limit their possessions,” Hefner said. “We’ll also need to throw it some, but we have to be able to run it and try to shorten the game. And we can’t turn the ball over.”

This is also the time of year people start thinking about the playoffs. The Hearts are just one win away from a playoff berth, although there is some speculation that a few four-win teams could qualify this year due to the number of schools that either didn’t play football or had to forfeit games due to COVID.

Kickoff in Breese is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.