By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

What started off as a promising season came to a disappointing end Friday night.

Centralia scored on all four of its offensive possessions in the first half to open a sizeable lead and went on to post a 35-19 victory over Effingham in the season finale at Washington Savings Bank Stadium.

The Hearts won four of their first five games to climb within one victory of a playoff berth. But four straight setbacks prevented them from qualifying for postseason play.

“It’s very disappointing,” said EHS coach Brett Hefner. “The last couple years, there has been one game that came back to haunt us. This year, it was Taylorville. That’s one we should have had. It would have been our fifth win and we’d playing again next week.”

Despite the three-game skid, Effingham entered Friday night’s game with still a chance to reach the playoffs. And after the first possession for each team, it looked like we might be in for a shootout.

The Orphans, behind the running of junior Mike Brown and passing of freshman Archie Goewey, showed why they had cracked the 40-point plateau four times this season. They marched 77 yards on 12 plays to take the early 7-0 lead.

But the Hearts responded, putting together a 13-play, 6½-minute drive that covered 68 yards. A fourth down, 21-yard completion from Jaxon Bridges to Wade Bushur kept the drive alive. Co-quarterback Max Buzzard had a pair of 6-yard runs and Weldon Dunston IV capped the possession with a one-yard drive to knot the score at 7-7 at the 1:30 mark of the first period.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For the second straight year, the Effingham football team will face Centralia, needing a win to make the playoffs.

Like Yogi Berra said – “It’s déjà vu all over again.”

Win and the Hearts are in.

Lose and the season is over.

It’s that simple.

The Orphans will enter Washington Savings Bank Stadium, sporting a 5-3 record, knowing they will be in the postseason.

The Hearts are 4-4, having dropped their last three games.

“We’re in this situation strictly due to us, which is frustrating,” EHS coach Brett Hefner admitted. “We put ourselves in this position. That’s the negative part.

“But here we are in Week 9 and still have something to play for,” Hefner added. “That’s the positive part.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For the Effingham Hearts, it has come down to a one-game season.

Win and they qualify for the playoffs.

Lose and their season is over.

That will be the case next Friday night when Effingham will play host to Centralia in the regular season finale.

Needing five wins to qualify for postseason play, the Hearts looked to be in good shape three weeks ago when they sported a 4-1 record.

But they have now dropped three straight, the latest being a 28-0 setback Friday night at Mt. Zion.

For the second week in a row, the EHS defense struggled to stop a high-powered passing attack.

And for the second week in a row, the offense was unable to generate much of an attack and was kept off the scoreboard again.

“It’s the same thing we had last week,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said. “You can’t give up the big plays on defense and then not be able to run the ball and expect to win. You just can’t.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It’s quite simple.

The Effingham Hearts are not going to win the Apollo Conference.

But they can still have a winning season and qualify for the postseason playoffs.

It takes one more victory.

And they have two weeks to get that done.

The first hurdle will be Friday night at Mt. Zion. The Hearts will then close out their regular season with a home game against Centralia the following week.

Effingham and Mt. Zion will enter with identical records – 2-2 in conference play; 4-2 overall. It takes five wins to become playoff eligible.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Six touchdowns.

42 points.

376 offensive yards.

Two receivers with more than 100 yards in receptions and another with 92.

And that was only in the first half.

Mahomet-Seymour showed why they were the overwhelming favorites to win the Apollo Conference and why many believe they can make a deep run in the Class 5A playoffs.

They scored on all six of their first-half possessions, built a 42-0 halftime lead and finished with a 49-0 victory Friday night over the Effingham Hearts at Washington Savings Bank Stadium.

“There’s a reason why they’ve had the success they’ve had,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said following the contest. “They’ve got a lot of kids back and they play quality people in their non-conference schedule. I fully expect them to make to the quarterfinal round in the playoffs.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Effingham Hearts are about to enter a tough three-game stretch that will determine if their 2024 season will include a trip to the playoffs.

The Hearts are 4-2 overall, but the most difficult part of their schedule lies ahead of them. That three-game gauntlet begins Friday night when Mahomet-Seymour, the overwhelming favorite to win the Apollo Conference, visits Washington Savings Bank Stadium.

The Bulldogs are also 4-2 overall, but their two losses are to a pair of Class 5A powerhouse programs – a 42-41 overtime setback to Highland; and a 21-13 defeat to Sycamore.

Their last three games – all against conference foes – have been won in dominant fashion. They include a 56-3 romp over Charleston; a 28-6 decision over Taylorville during the heavy rains and winds; and a lopsided 38-14 win last week over Mt. Zion.

“They haven’t lost a conference game since the 2021 spring season of COVID,” EHS coach Brett Hefner pointed out. “They are a very talented team. We will have our work cut out for us.”

The Hearts, on the other hand, are coming off a devastating 42-41 overtime loss at Taylorville. After playing from behind most of the game, Effingham tied the contest late in the fourth quarter, took a seven-point lead in overtime and had the Tornadoes sitting 4th and 20.

One defensive stop and EHS would have had a good road win. But Taylorville was able to throw a desperation TD pass and then completed a two-point conversion pass to come away with the OT victory.

“We had three turnovers, a touchdown called back and plenty of opportunities to make plays that would have made the difference,” Hefner noted. “I don’t think I’ve ever coached in a game where we never punted and still lost. It was very frustrating. I don’t feel like we got beat. I feel like we lost it.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

One play away.

The Effingham Hearts were one play from a come-from-behind road victory at Taylorville.

One play from a playoff-clinching fifth overall win.

One play from a 3-0 start in the Apollo Conference with a contest against conference favorite Mahomet-Seymour looming next week.

And things looked good.

The Hearts held a seven-point lead in the overtime period. The Tornadoes, with their starting quarterback on the sideline dealing with a late injury, faced a 4th down at the 20-yard line. It was do or die time.

Effingham needed just one defensive stop.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Don’t be fooled by the record.

Friday night’s game at Taylorville figures to be anything but easy.

Yes, the Tornadoes are just 1-4 so far.

But three of those losses were one-possession games. Plus, a couple dropped passes and untimely mistakes and/or penalties, have prevented Taylorville from possibly reversing that record.

“They will be the best team we’ve played so far,” EHS football coach Brett Hefner said. “This is a group that has been playing together since they were sophomores. They could easily be 4-1 right now.”

Despite the record, the Tornadoes have only been outscored 120-117. Their lone win is a 34-0 decision over Robinson. Their setbacks include two non-conference games -- 43-38 to Olney and 35-27 to Columbia.

Taylorville has also dropped its first two Apollo Conference contests to the league’s pre-season favorites. A dropped two-point conversion pass was key in a 14-12 loss to Mt. Zion. And the Tornadoes played Mahomet-Seymour tough in the wind and rain last week before absorbing a 28-6 defeat.

The Hearts, on the other hand, will enter with a 4-1 overall mark and are 2-0 in conference play, coming off a 30-20 victory on Homecoming Night last Friday.

Effingham is just one victory away from qualifying for the playoffs. With Mt. Zion, Mahomet-Seymour and a high-powered Centralia team remaining on the schedule, Friday night’s game in Taylorville becomes an important one.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Weldon Dunston IV just might have a future as a mailman.

Consider their motto -- “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

There wasn’t any snow or heat at Washington Savings Bank Stadium Friday night. But rain pelted down off and on. And the winds – which could easily be considered the “gloom of night” – were constant throughout. Gusts of up to 40 mph affected every phase of the game, especially the play calling on offense.

Effingham and Charleston were relegated to running the ball on virtually every play. Winds made passing the football impossible. So, both defenses knew what was coming.

But neither the rain nor the wind kept Effingham’s senior running back from delivering for his team. For the third time this season, Dunston cracked the 200-yard plateau and scored four touchdowns, including a game-deciding 80-yard breakaway late in the fourth quarter.

As the final soggy and breezy seconds ticked off the clock, the Hearts had stayed unbeaten in the conference and moved to within one victory of postseason play with a 30-20 victory on Homecoming Night at Jack Klosterman Field.

“I’m proud of these kids,” a rain-soaked EHS coach Brett Hefner said following the contest. “It’s been a wild week. We’ve been banged up a bit, so we’ve got kids that have been moving around from position to position. Some were playing new positions. But they kept playing and they kept battling.

“The kids did a good job dealing with the elements,” Hefner added. “I kept hoping the weather would take a right or left turn, but it didn’t. So, both teams just had to deal with it. This was a good win for us.”

A win that felt fairly certain four minutes into the second half became more “iffy” in the final period. Effingham’s seemingly comfortable 17-point lead had dwindled to just four with 3:58 to play. With three timeouts remaining and the Hearts going into the wind on their ensuing possession, Charleston was one defensive stand away from getting the ball back – probably in great field position – and a chance to complete the comeback.

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