Despite their record, the Orphans have been potent on offense, averaging 29 points a game. They have scored more than 30 points in two games and cracked the 40-point plateau in two more.

They are led by quarterback Daryle Jones. The 5’9”, 140-pound senior is quick, elusive and accurate with his passing. In last week’s loss to Mt. Vernon, Jones threw for 272 yards and five touchdowns.

Centralia’s main running back is Keaton Morgan and the three top receivers are Xavier Koch, Jaylin Hoskins and Cam Tomlianovich.

“We have to stop the run,” Hefner said. “And we have to be disciplined in our rush lanes. Their quarterback keeps so many plays alive by scrambling around. He does a good job eluding rushers. We have to stay disciplined.

“They want to run the ball,” Hefner added. “They’ll use their tailback a lot, but the quarterback can also run. They have designed running plays just for him. Plus, they also run play action. That quarterback is so elusive, he can force you to cover for an abnormal amount of time. And that can be an issue for a secondary.”

Defense has been a struggle for the Orphans. They are allowing an average of 44 points a game. They allowed 61 against Belleville Althoff and gave up 70 last week to Mt. Vernon.

But Coach Hefner said the EHS offense better come prepared for a battle.

“They will play a 4-3 scheme,” the veteran coach explained. “They’re big, athletic and active up front. If we don’t play well, they will cause us problems.”

The Hearts are coming off their most impressive outing of the season. They ran for 262 yards, with Weldon Dunston accounting for 185 of those. Quarterback Gaige Gillum completed some key third and fourth down passes and the EHS coaching staff implemented a different defensive scheme that shut down Mt. Zion’s potent aerial attack, limiting the Braves to just 116 yards through the air and 214 total yards.

For the year, Dunston has now run for 1,180 yards and 11 TDs. The Hearts will need another strong offensive showing again this week.

“We need to control the ball and keep it out of their hands,” Hefner emphasized. “We need to finish drives. They’ve scored a lot of points, so we need to finish drives with points. That will be a key for us.’

One more victory and the Hearts are virtually assured a trip to the playoffs.

“Because of the strength of our schedule, we’ve built up a lot of points,” Hefner noted. “Believe me, points will not be an issue.”

Each team earns a point every time an opponent on their schedule wins a game. Through eight weeks, the Hearts opponents have 41 total victories – meaning EHS has 41 playoff points.

“Typically, it takes 34 to 36 points to get in,” Hefner added. “We’re already at 41 and have another week to go. So, we’ll just accumulate even more points. We’re in good shape.”

As you can expect, the Hearts have been focused this week in practice. Every player knows exactly what’s on the line Friday night.

“Week 9 is meaningful. It means a lot to us this year,” Hefner said. “That certainly helps with the focus. In football, there’s no regional tournament or automatic playoff berth. A lot of people not in football don’t understand that. But to be at practice this week, knowing you still have a chance to make the playoffs, is a good feeling.”

Kickoff in Centralia is scheduled for 7 p.m.