London Rinkel recovered a fumble in the first quarter that set up Effingham’s first touchdown and Evan Waymoth intercepted a pass late in the fourth period. Had it not been for a 35-yard completion in the final minute, Mater Dei would not have cracked the 100-yard plateau on offense.

The Hearts scored all the points they needed in the first half. They led 14-0 at intermission and they could have added at least one more score, but two sure touchdown passes were not hauled in.

When Rinkel recovered the fumble, it gave EHS possession at the Mater Die 48-yard line. The Hearts then put together an eight-play drive that reached the endzone.

A fourth down, 19-yard strike from quarterback Tanner Pontious to Caden Walls kept the drive alive. Weldon Dunston carried the ball five times for 16 yards, including the final one-yard plunge that put the hosts on top 7-0 with just 59 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The Hearts followed with a 10-play drive, but that ended with a missed field goal.

EHS wouldn’t be stopped on its next possession, however. Starting from its own 37, Effingham put together its most impressive drive of the game. Pontious had a short six-yard completion to Andrew Lotz, but the majority of the damage came on the ground.

Dunston carried the ball five times for 24 yards and Pontious did the rest. He had five carries for 40 yards, including a 14-yard burst around the end for the TD with just 1:44 before halftime. The Hearts took that 14-0 lead into the locker room at intermission.

Effingham controlled the ball much of the first 24 minutes. They ran 40 plays, compared to just 18 for Mater Dei. They possessed the ball for nearly 18 of those minutes and had a 186-46 edge in offensive yards.

“We had a good balance that first half,” Hefner said. “We threw the ball a couple times and threw it well. If we had made a couple more plays, we would have scored again.”

The second half was a different story. With the defense playing so well, the Hearts became very conservative on offense. And knowing Effingham was probably going to run the ball, the Knights stacked the line of scrimmage. After running for 148 yards in the opening half, EHS was limited to 40 after intermission.

“We did get ultra-conservative,” Hefner admitted. “We weren’t going to take many risks with a two-score lead and a defense playing as well as ours was. I didn’t want to do something that would give them good field position.”

The Hearts did tack on a 22-yard field goal by Armando Estrada at the 6:40 mark of the fourth quarter. Pontious completed four passes on the 13-play possession. They got inside the five-yard line, but settled for the field goal.

“I was tempted to go for it, but the coaches told me to go ahead by three scores,” Hefner said. “And they were right.”

The Hearts finished with 275 total yards – 188 on the ground and 87 more through the air. Dunston carried the ball 33 times for 97 yards and Pontious added another 75 yards on 16 carries. The senior QB completed 10-of-14 passes for 87 yards.

The fifth win doesn’t necessarily guarantee every team a trip to the playoffs. But the Hearts have played such a tough schedule, they have accumulated a lot of points – based on their opponents’ records – that will assure them a playoff berth.

Now 5-3, Effingham will conclude its difficult regular-season schedule next Friday with a road game at Highland. After playing Decatur St. Theresa – undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A; and Mahomet-Seymour – undefeated and ranked No. 3 in Class 5A; the Hearts will now face a Bulldogs team that is 7-1 and ranked No. 7 in Class 5A.

“They are ultra-talented,” Hefner said. “We’ll have our hands full.”

But the coach wasn’t really thinking about Highland after Friday night’s win. He was happy for his team and especially proud of the group of 23 seniors that played their final home game of their career.

“When you stop and think about what these kids have been through, it’s amazing,” Hefner noted. “They lost nearly two years due to COVID and then played one of the toughest schedules in the state this year.

“This is an awesome group of kids,” he added. “They do a great job on and off the field. I like the fact I’ll get a few more weeks with them.”