The Braves will enter with a 6-1 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Apollo Conference. Their only loss was a 26-7 setback to Mahomet-Seymour.

The Hearts are now 3-4 for the year and 2-2 in league play. They must win their final two games in order to qualify for playoff consideration.

Mt. Zion, in a word, is explosive. The Braves are averaging 32 points a game and Adams is the catalyst again. Last year, he threw for 374 yards and five touchdowns against EHS. This year, the senior QB is completing 64 percent of his passes and averaging 251 yards per game. He has completed 124-of-193 attempts for 1,757 yards. He has thrown 24 touchdown passes with only six interceptions.

His favorite target is Brayden Trimble. The junior wideout has hauled in 47 passes for 700 yards and eight TDs. But Trimble is far from the only threat. McAtee has 28 catches for 503 yards and sophomores Jacob Harvey and JC Anderson are also a big part of the offense. They have 21 and 20 receptions respectively for 255 and 230 yards.

“Trimble is the best of their receivers,” Hefner noted. “He already has an offer from Iowa. But those other kids are good, too.

“We have to keep the ball in front of us and we’ve got to be able to pressure their quarterback,” the EHS coach added. “We have to be disciplined in our rush lanes. If not, their quarterback will be able to take off and that usually means big yardage. He’s athletic and quick. He can turn a third and six into a first down and those can be killers.”

Even though 65 percent of Mt. Zion’s offense comes through its passing game, the Braves can also run the ball. They spread their carries out among several backs. Adams is the team’s leading rusher with just 229 yards, while Jayger Damarin has run for 226.

For the Hearts to be successful, they need to be able to run the ball, control the clock and keep Mt. Zion’s offense off the field. That will require a much better performance than last week when they suffered a 48-0 setback to Mahomet-Seymour.

“We had chances early to hang in there and stay close,” Hefner said. “But we couldn’t finish drives.”

Junior running back Weldon Dunston is just five yards away from cracking the 1,000-yard plateau. He has rushed for 995 yards, an average of 142 per game. He was limited to 10 yards on 16 carries last week. Quarterback Gaige Gillum will probably factor into the running game, as well. The senior ran for 80 yards against Mahomet-Seymour and would have been well over 100 yards had he not been sacked multiple times.

“We have to be able to run the ball,” Hefner said. “Defensively, they are a lot like us. They’re similar schematically. We need to do a good job blocking and control the ball.”

Hefner and the entire team know what’s on the line this week.

“We have to win out,” the coach said. “But you can’t win two until you win one. We’re focused on Mt. Zion right now. We need to get this one and then we’ll see what happens.”

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