And junior receiver Andrew Lotz was also a key performer, hauling in five passes for 128 yards and two scores.

“Tanner just keeps getting better,” the EHS coach said. “He was more accurate tonight, plus he made some plays with his legs. When he scrambles, it’s hard to defend.

“And Andrew made some good plays for us, too,” Hefner added. “But we need him to continue that. We need a lot more big plays from him.”

The Hearts got on the board after putting together an impressive nine-play drive in the opening period. Five of those plays were on the ground, but the big chunks of yardage were picked up through the air. And the Pontious-to-Lotz connection was the highlight. The pair teamed up twice, one for 15 yards and a first down and the second a long, 47-yard strike down the middle of the field for the score at the 5:13 mark.

It didn’t take long for Effingham to find the end zone again. After the defense recorded the first of its three sacks, the Hearts got the ball at the Trojans 39-yard line. On the very first play, Pontious threw a short pass to Lotz, who then broke a tackle and raced 39 yards for the score to increase the lead to 13-0.

Charleston got its lone first-half score on its ensuing possession. Quarterback Brett Spour hit four consecutive passes, the last being a 40-yard connection with Luke Bonnstetter, who got behind the EHS secondary.

The Hearts followed with another good drive, but a fumble gave the ball back to the Trojans at their own six. Charleston was unable to move the ball, and following a punt, Effingham took over inside Charleston territory at the 43.

This time, the offense would not be denied.

It took just five plays to put another score on the board. Pontious hooked up with Garrett Wolfe for a five-yard completion, found Lotz for 22 yards and then Caden Walls for 10 more. On the fifth play, Pontious covered the final six yards on the ground to give the Hearts a 21-7 advantage at intermission.

“We had a pretty good first half, but we still left some points on the field,” Hefner noted. “There are still things we’ve got to clean up.”

Charleston ran about seven minutes off the clock on its first possession of the second half, but the 10-play drive eventually stalled and the Hearts appeared to be marching for another score. A 24-yard completion to Connor Thompson put EHS in great scoring position, but Pontious was intercepted, giving the Trojans the ball at their own 13.

A quick three-and-out, thanks to another QB sack, resulted in a punt, giving the Effingham offense another chance. On the fourth play, Walls took a handoff on an end-around and raced untouched for a 49-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 28-7.

The Hearts added to that lead late in the fourth quarter when Armando Estrada booted a 44-yard field goal, breaking the old record of 43 yards, set nearly 50 years ago.

The Trojans added a TD with just 34 seconds to play. Two personal foul penalties against Effingham aided that scoring drive and Hefner was not pleased.

“I was disappointed in those penalties at the end of the game,” he admitted. “That was the only thing I was upset about tonight. Those are bad habits to get into. Those kinds of penalties can lead to losses in a tight game. We just can’t have that. But the kids know it.”

Charleston was limited to 188 total yards, with 177 of those coming in the air. Spour was very accurate, completing 18-of-23 attempts. Bonnstetter had three catches for 99 yards and two TDS and Luke Nelson hauled in eight more for 64 yards.

“I liked seeing the balance we had on offense,” Hefner said. “We needed a night like this. I thought the kids handled the win very well. They know we have some things we still have to clean up.”

It was also a successful Military Appreciation Night at Jack Klosterman Field.

“This is a special night for us,” Hefner said. “There is a strong military presence in this area. This has really turned into a pretty neat night for our program every year.”

The Hearts are now 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Apollo Conference. They will travel to Mattoon next week for another conference matchup. The Green Wave posted a 17-14 victory over Taylorville Friday night and are also 1-2 and 1-1.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.