“We had our chances to put things away in the first half, but did some things to hurt ourselves,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said, referring to three personal foul flags that resulted in 15-yard penalties. “Those are things you simply cannot do. I thought we did a better job eliminating some of those after halftime, but then had to hang on.”
Robinson took the lead midway through the opening period when quarterback Reese Johnson found one of his speedy wide receivers, Khyziah Poole, behind the Effingham secondary for a 70-yard strike, putting the Maroons on top, 6-0.
The Hearts then scored on three consecutive possessions and threatened to turn the game into a rout. They put together drives of four, nine and two plays and found the end zone each time.
Dunston, the unanimous all-conference running back a year ago, dominated the running game from the outset. The senior had runs of 18 and 15 yards to set up his first TD of the game, a five-yard bolt, to put the Hearts ahead to stay, 7-6.
Dunston added a one-yard scoring run on the first play of the second quarter, capping a nine-play drive. Following Bushur’s first interception, the Hearts started their next possession at the Robinson 25. Dunston gained 13 yards on the first play and quarterback Max Buzzard rumbled up the middle for the final 12 yards, extending Effingham’s lead to 21-6.
Before the half was over, Dunston broke loose and raced 80 yards down the sideline for another score. By halftime, he was already at 179 rushing yards.
“Weldon had a very good off-season,” Hefner noted. “He improved his body and his speed. He doesn’t look to avoid contact. He’s a physical runner. He deserves this kind of night. He’s put the work in.”
But Robinson continued to take advantage of open receivers to stay in the game. The junior QB found his other speedy end, Blake Green, for two touchdowns in the second period. That duo connected from 32 and 72 yards to get within 28-18.
A short punt by the Maroons just before halftime gave the Hearts one last scoring chance. EHS quarterback Jaxon Bridges found Max Kistler for a 27-yard gain with only five-tenths of a second left. Maicol Sefton then booted a 29-yard field goal to send the Hearts into the locker room with a 31-18 advantage.
By the end of the third period, Effingham had extended its lead to 40-18. Sefton boomed a 35-yard field goal and Dunston added a three-yard scoring run.
But the Maroons refused to go away.
The Johnson-to-Poole connection struck again, this time from 58 yards out, and then Johnson broke a couple tackles, got to the outside and raced down the sideline for an 83-yard touchdown. With 10:07 still left in the contest, Robinson was within 40-30.
The Maroons then tried an onside kick, but it failed, giving EHS possession at the guests’ 42-yard line. That meant “Dunston Time” again. The 200-pounder carried on five consecutive snaps, the final one resulting in a 19-yard rumble that provided some breathing room at the 7:58 mark.
Just 63 seconds later, the Hearts were in the end zone again, thanks to Bushur, who stepped in front of a Johnson pass and raced untouched 29 yards to account for the final scoring in the game.
“This is Wade’s 11th varsity game, which makes a big difference,” Hefner said. “Wade does a good job of paying attention to the game plan and that paid off tonight.”
However, the Maroons were able to pile up 405 offensive yards. They struggled on the ground for most of the game. Johnson’s 83-yard scamper accounted for a majority of the 116 rushing yards. The junior QB finished with 99 of those yards, but also threw for 289 more. He connected on 14-of-26 overall, but also had the four picks.
Green and Poole both caught four passes and exceeded 100 receiving yards -- Green with 142 and Poole another 115.
“They (Robinson) have a couple guys that just flat out run,” Hefner said. “We can’t replicate that speed in practice. But no matter what coverage we were in, we gave up a deep ball. We have to fix that. That can’t continue to happen.”
The Hearts also cracked the 400-yard plateau, finishing with 404. The running game accounted for the majority of that, racking up 298 yards. Dunston carried the ball 26 times and amassed 242 yards.
Effingham’s two quarterbacks – Bridges and Buzzard – combined to complete 6-of-14 passes for 92 yards. It was the first varsity action for both.
“As you can see, we need both of them,” Hefner said. “They both do different things. We need to see both of them continue to improve. When they get a chance to make plays, they need to do so.”
The Hearts will return to action next Friday, traveling to Mt. Carmel for a non-conference game. The Hearts will be looking to avenge last year’s 36-30 overtime loss to the Golden Aces. Mt. Carmel dropped its season opener Friday night, 42-6, to Gibson Southern, which is in Ft. Branch, Indiana.
