The victory kept the Hearts’ playoff hopes alive, setting up next week’s non-conference clash at home against Breese Mater Dei. Both teams will enter that contest with identical 4-3 records and in search of that all-important fifth win, which is needed to be considered for a playoff berth.

But first was the match-up with Lincoln, considered to be an improved team this year. That didn’t appear to be the case Friday night, however.

Effingham scored on four of its five offensive possessions in the first half and its first two possessions of the third quarter. The one first-half drive only failed to reach the endzone due to a fumble inside the Railers 10-yard line. Lincoln managed to cross midfield only one time the entire game and that came early in the second quarter.

EHS set the tone on its first possession, putting together a 10-play, three-minute drive that covered 63 yards. Quarterback Tanner Pontious had a key third down, 14-yard completion to Andrew Lotz and a five-yard run on fourth down that kept the drive alive. Workhorse running back Weldon Dunston capped the drive by breaking free at the line scrimmage and sprinting 24 yards for the score.

And it was all Hearts from the point on.

Another Lincoln punt set Effingham up at its own 44. It took just four plays this time to reach paydirt. Pontious connected with fullback Kaden Koeberlein out of the backfield for a 24-yard gain and then threw a short pass to Garrett Wolfe, who turned it into a 23-yard scamper.

Dunston then covered the final four yards on the ground for his second of four TDs in the game, increasing the Hearts lead to 14-0 with just 56 seconds left in the opening period.

“When Weldon sticks his foot in the ground and makes a cut, he’s pretty good,” Hefner noted. “He just needs to do that more often. It’s important he keeps getting better and stays healthy. He had a good game tonight.”

Effingham tacked on two more scores in the second quarter.

After defensive lineman Josh Kelly recovered a Railers fumble, the Hearts took possession at the Lincoln 28. Dunston picked up 17 yards in two carries and then Pontious found tight end Connor Thompson for an 11-yard touchdown.

The Hearts ended the first half with their most impressive drive of the game. Starting at their own 25, they ran off 11 plays in about 2½ minutes, with Dunston carrying the ball seven times for 42 yards and Pontious adding a pair of runs for 26 more.

With only 40 seconds left, the senior QB then hooked up with Colton Loy for a three-yard TD pass to stake the Hearts to a 27-0 lead at intermission.

“I thought our offensive line played real well,” Hefner said. “They have good command at what we’re doing now and have really hit their stride. I thought the last few weeks, we’ve been rolling pretty good.”

And the Hearts continued to roll as the second half unfolded.

They took the kickoff and promptly marched 75 yards in just five snaps. A 35-yard catch and run by Wolfe was a key play, as was a 20-yard burst by Dunston, who then capped the drive with a seven-yard bolt up the middle.

After an 11-yard punt by Lincoln, the Hearts started their ensuing possession just 30 yards away from the goal line. They had to overcome holding penalties on back-to-back plays, but their rushing attack simply couldn’t be stopped. Ten consecutive carries – all by Dunston – was what it took. The sophomore’s three-yard carry increased the margin to 40-0 and resulted in a continuously running clock with 5:28 still remaining in the third period.

Effingham completed its scoring midway through the fourth quarter when Logan Heil recovered a blocked punt in the endzone to account for the final 47-point margin. The senior defensive lineman also had two quarterback sacks in the game.

“I’m super proud of these kids,” Hefner said. “They made the two-hour bus ride up here and then took care of business.”

The Railers finished with only 107 total yards – and just three yards in the second half. They were limited to nine rushing yards on 28 attempts. Their main running back Ki’on Carson had nowhere to run the entire game and finished with just three yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Darren Stevens completed 7-of-18 passes for 98 yards, with all of those yards coming in the first half.

The Hearts racked up 410 yards, with 274 coming on the ground. Dunston carried the ball 34 times and finished with 200 yards to go along with his four touchdowns. Pontious added 52 yards on the ground; all in the first half. He was also 8-for-12 throwing the ball for 136 yards and two scores.

“I can’t say enough about these kids,” Hefner said. “They don’t care about the stats. They just want to win. They just do whatever they need to do to win. I really appreciate this group and I love how they compete.”

The Hearts improved to 4-3 overall and finished the Apollo Conference season at 4-2. Lincoln dipped to 3-4 and 2-3. This was the last meeting as conference opponents as the Railers will be leaving the Apollo Conference after this season.

Next up is Breese Mater Dei, who got its fourth win Friday night with a 59-0 drubbing of Granite City.

“Next week is a big one,” Hefner said. “This has turned into a pretty good rivalry between the two programs. And, obviously, there will be quite a bit on the line.”

It will also be Senior Night.

“We have 23 seniors this year,” Hefner noted. “They are a great group of kids that deserve to be recognized. I hope we have a great crowd next week.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Washington Savings Stadium.