THS opened the season with three straight wins against non-conference opponents. They beat Olney 41-6, Robinson 35-13 and Columbia 15-0.

The past two weeks, Taylorville has played the two favorites in the Apollo Conference and didn’t fare well – losing 28-6 to Mt. Zion and then 42-0 to Mahomet-Seymour at home last Friday.

The Tornados have a roster comprised mostly of juniors and sophomores. There are only eight seniors.

“They’re much younger this year and they aren’t as big,” Hefner noted. “But they do a good job and they’re always well-coached.”

The EHS coach isn’t quite sure what to expect when Taylorville has the ball.

“Against Mt. Zion, they ran the ball a little more. But against Mahomet-Seymour, they threw the ball quite a bit,” Hefner explained. “They always do a good job of coming up with a couple things you’ve not seen before. They try to get certain match-ups and then exploit them. We’ll have to be prepared for several different looks.”

Taylorville has scored 97 points, while giving up 89. The Hearts, meanwhile, have put up 134 points and allowed 121.

“Defensively, they play an odd front and show different alignments with that,” Hefner said. “It’s unconventional. You don’t see odd fronts much. The hard part is determining which guy to block.”

But the veteran coach said there could also be opportunities.

“Anytime you’re playing a front that moves, they’re gambling you’ll move in the same direction,” Hefner noted. “If they get caught, that usually produces some big lanes to run through. Our kids just need to trust their fundamentals.”

Offensively, the Hearts are averaging 319 yards per game – 201 on the ground and 118 through the air. Weldon Dunston continues to be the catalyst and the workhorse. The junior running back has carried the ball 127 times for 729 yards, a 145-yard-per-game average.

Quarterback Gaige Gillum is completing 43 percent of his passes. He has connected on 39-of-90 attempts for 589 yards. He has five touchdowns passes and three interceptions. Andrew Lotz continues to be his favorite target. The senior receiver has hauled in 15 catches for 316 yards, an average of 21 yards per reception.

It’s been mistakes that have made the big difference through five games. The Hearts have been flagged 41 times and have now turned the ball over on eight possessions. Eliminate a couple costly penalties against Mt. Carmel and four second-half turnovers last week at Charleston, and this Effingham team could easily be sitting at 4-1 right now rather than 2-3.

Despite the tough 21-17 setback at Charleston, Coach Hefner said the team has been in good spirits this week.

“Kids are resilient,” he said. “They bounce back quicker than coaches do. They know this is an important week. They know it’s Homecoming. I think that actually helps with the excitement level of the game. I think the kids will come out and play well.”

Kickoff at Jack Klosterman Field is set for 7 p.m.