It took the Orphans just 57 seconds to take the lead for good, however. After two pass plays gained 17 yards, Brown took the handoff, started up the middle, bolted to the outside and then raced down the sideline for a 66-yard TD, putting Centralia on top, 14-7.

The Hearts weren’t able to muster much offense for the rest of the half, but the Orphans didn’t have that problem. Both of their second quarter possessions found the end zone. Brown had a three-run for a score and Goewey connected with Micheal Organ for a six-yard scoring strike.

At intermission, Centralia owned a 28-7 advantage.

“It’s the same things we fought all year,” Hefner noted. “We had trouble stopping people on defense and gave up too many big plays. We ran into the same thing tonight.”

The Hearts put up a valiant effort in the second half, putting together two long scoring drives, while also doing a much better job containing the Centralia offense.

EHS started a drive at the 6:22 mark of the third period at its own 27. As has been the case the entire season, Dunston proved to be the workhorse once again. The senior back carried the ball on 7 of the 13 plays and gained 37 yards. Bridges completed three passes on the drive, including a 38-yarder to Kaden Koeberlein, who came streaking out of the backfield. That set up Dunston’s four-yard plunge to get the Hearts within 28-13.

They had a chance to get it to a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. After forcing a Centralia punt, Effingham took possession at its 31. This time, it took 10 plays and 4½ minutes to find the end zone again.

Bridges connected with Koeberlein and Bushur during the drive and then hooked up for a 29-yard when he dumped a short pass to Dunston who escaped coverage out of the backfield again. Dunston then capped the drive with a two-yard scoring run with 4:46 still left in the game. Unfortunately, the extra point was blocked, keeping it a nine-point, two-possession deficit at 28-19.

The Orphans removed all doubt less than two minutes later. After Effingham’s onside kick failed and the Hearts were called for a 15-yard personal foul penalty, the guests took possession at the EHS 36. Three plays later, Brown broke loose up the middle for a 27-yard TD, accounting for the final points of the game.

“I was really proud of the kids tonight,” Hefner said. “Because of all our injuries, we had guys doing stuff we haven’t done around here in 10 years. Some guys were playing positions they’d never played before and some guys never came off the field tonight.

“They did everything we asked them to do,” Hefner added. “They kept playing and competing. You can’t ask for any more than that.”

The Orphans, who are now 6-3 overall, finished with 368 total yards, with 284 of those coming in the opening half. Brown finished with 194 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Goewey, just a freshman, completed 16-of-21 passes for 184 yards. Xavier Koch hauled in seven of those passes for 72 yards and Kenny Bratton, another freshman, caught six passes for 78 yards.

“They are a fast and athletic team,” Hefner said. “Their quarterback is very impressive, plus they’re good up front and they’re much improved on defense. I think they’re going to cause people problems in the playoffs.”

After managing just 106 offensive yards in the first half, Effingham finished with 304 total yards – 113 on the ground and 191 through the air. Bridges had his best game, completing 16-of-24 attempts for 191 yards. He connected with eight different receivers in the game. Maxx Kistler had four catches, while Bushur and Dunston both had three and Koeberlein hauled in a pair.

Dunston finished his stellar high school career. He carried the ball 28 times, gained 109 yards and scored three times. It was the seventh game this year he cracked the 100-yard plateau. For the season, Dunston ran for 1,605 yards and scored 27 touchdowns.

Hefner said goodbye to 13 seniors, who played their final game. That group includes Weldon Dunston IV, Nick Martin, Sean Buckman, Kaden Koeberlein, Dalton Buckels, Logan Jones, Michael Love, Kayden Mietzner, Landon Wallace, Seaton Hall, Bryce Hackman, Colton Webb and Rylan Pals.

“It’s always tough to say goodbye to the seniors,” Hefner said. “You’re never ready for that last game and that last talk.”