The Snake Pit is what most people call Mt. Carmel’s Riverview Stadium. It is a unique structure. It’s actually built into a hill and has 120 concrete steps leading down the playing field.
It was Coach Hefner’s first time coaching a team at one of the most iconic venues in the state.
“I just tried to enjoy the experience,” the veteran coach said. “Sometimes it’s good not to get so wrapped up in the coaching or the game itself. I came out 10 to 15 minutes before the game and just took it all in. This is a pretty neat place.”
But with 5:19 to go, it’s safe to say the coach and the team was “wrapped up” in the game.
Mt. Carmel’s unique offensive style had just produced two consecutive scoring drives. If the hosts were able to get the ball back, they would have a chance to pull out the win.
Fortunately for the team in red and white, that didn’t happen.
On the first third down situation, Dunston went around the left end and then ran over a couple of Mt. Carmel defenders for an 11-yard gain and a first down. Three plays later, quarterback Jaxon Bridges dumped a short pass off to fullback Kaden Koeberlein, who turned it into a 14-yard pickup and another first down.
On the ensuing play, Dunston went around the right side this time and rambled 11 more yards for the game-clinching first down. Mt. Carmel had one timeout left, but didn’t use it. The final seconds ticked off the clock and the Hearts were able to notch their second win to open the season.
“Those were a couple big runs by Weldon, but the offensive line had to block for him,” Hefner noted. “I’m happy No. 7 (Dunston) is on our side. And I’m happy we don’t have to tackle him.”
That short pass play to Koberlein worked four times in the game. The senior fullback had 46 receiving yards, including an 11-yard touchdown catch on a pass from quarterback Max Buzzard that put the Hearts up 26-14 earlier in the fourth period.
“Kaden is a talented young man and a good athlete,” Hefner said. “The defenses are used to seeing the ball go into the belly of No. 7. Nobody is looking at the fullback, so it’s easy for him to get lost. He just scoots out on the edge. We just have to get him the ball.”
For a large portion of the game, the Hearts appeared to be in control of the game. The Golden Aces had four possessions in the first half and three of them resulted in three plays and a punt. The EHS defense did a good job containing that Wing-T, triple option offense.
Except for one series. And like the season-opener against Robinson, it was the big play that hurt.
Mt. Carmel had only 77 yards of offense in the first half, but 47 of those came on one play, a long run by Elliott Acree that gave the hosts a first down at the EHS seven. Two plays later, sophomore quarterback Shain Meador covered the final three yards for the TD that trimmed the lead to 13-6 at thew 3:21 mark of the second period.
“We knew it would be hard,” Hefner said. “That’s an unconventional offense. You don’t see the triple option style and it’s hard to replicate that in just one week of practice.”
Up to that point, however, the Hearts had dominated. They put together a seven-play, 54-yard scoring drive on their first possession. Dunston kept the drive alive with an eight-run run on third down and then broke a couple tackles and raced 35 more yards for the touchdown that put Effingham on top, 7-0, just 3½ minutes into the contest.
Early in the second quarter, the Hearts reached the endzone again. They ran the ball on 10 consecutive plays, covered 67 yards and, again, took 3½ minutes off the clock. Dunston covered the final six yards for the score, but Buzzard was the key to that possession.
The junior, who shares QB duties with Bridges, a fellow junior, kept the ball on six of those plays and turned in runs of 9, 11, 6, 4, 18 and 5 – the final one giving the Hearts a first down at the Mt. Carmel six. Dunston then raced around the right side for the score with 6:18 to play in the first half to increase the lead to 13-0.
After the Golden Aces scored, Effingham got the ball back and managed to cross the goal line one more time before intermission. This time, the passing game was the spark.
Two short passes from Bridges to Dunston out of the backfield, resulted in gains of 15 and 35 yards. On the ninth play of the possession, Dunston then took care of the final four on the ground – the score coming with just 29 seconds left, sending the Hearts to the locker room with a 20-6 advantage.
Mt. Carmel’s offensive style was much more effective in the second half. Midway through the third period, the Golden Aces put together a 10-play drive of their own – all on the ground. In fact, they didn’t attempt a single pass in the second half – and threw only three the entire game with no completions.
After nine plays, they faced a 4th-and-one at the EHS 47. Meador faked a handoff to the fullback, got to the outside and raced untouched down the sideline for the TD, making it 20-14.
The Hearts responded. And, again, it was Buzzard that proved to be the catalyst. During this 10-play drive, the quarterback either ran or passed on seven of those.
A 14-yard completion to Koeberlein on third down kept the drive going. Buzzard also had a run of 11 yards, followed by a 12-yard bolt from Dunston. Then on the 10th play, Buzzard found Koeberlein sneaking out the backfield again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 26-14.
Buzzard was a big part of the win. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 25 yards and carried the ball 10 more times and racked up 69 yards on the ground.
“Max was the difference tonight,” Hefner said. “With our offense, we’re going to open it up by throwing the ball or by having the quarterback run it. Weldon is going to get the ball a lot, but we need to have somebody else involved, too. Tonight, I thought Max changed the momentum and complexion of the game.
“He and Jaxon both bring things we need to win,” Hefner added. “Jaxon throws it a little better and Max is better at running it. But that was a heckuva throw he made to Kaden for the touchdown.”
Mt. Carmel finished with 221 total yards – all on the ground. And 140 of those yards came on just three plays – runs of 47, 47 and 46. Acree ran for 118 in the game. For the second straight week, the Golden Aces only attempted three passes in the game.
The Hearts had 344 yards of offense – 219 on the ground and another 125 through the air. Dunston was the workhorse again, carrying the ball 28 times for 153 yards and three scores. The Bridges/Buzzard combo had a very good night, completing 11-of-15 passes for 125 yards. Bridges was 8-for-11 for 100 yards. The pair completed their final seven passes of the game.
For the second straight week, the Hearts did not have a turnover and they reduced their penalties. After being flagged nine times last week against Robinson, Effingham was penalized just five times for 30 yards.
The Hearts played without two-time all-conference defensive end Michael Love, due to concussion protocol. Offensive lineman Chase Smith missed some plays during the game, but returned. And linebacker Clinton Metcalf sustained a knee injury in the second half and had to leave the game.
“I was really proud of the kids and how they handled those things,” Hefner said. “We still made a number of mistakes and have things to correct. But it’s always good to get a win.”
The Hearts, now 2-0, will travel to Breese Mater Dei next Friday. The Knights are 0-2, having lost 35-0 to Columbia in their opener and 49-13 to Breese Central this week.
