Effingham’s defense didn’t allow Freeburg to move the ball at all. The Midgets had just two first downs – and one of those was due to a penalty – and 50 total yards in the first two quarters.

The Hearts offense, however, took advantage of Freeburg’s defensive scheme to strike and strike quickly through the air.

The Midgets’ game plan was to take away Effingham’s running game, stacking the line of scrimmage and trying to use their large defensive line – two players listed at 335 pounds – to prevent EHS from moving the ball on the ground.

“Freeburg basically forced us to pass the ball,” Hefner said. “I would have liked to run the ball better tonight, but they outnumbered us in the box. We were ready for that after we watched them on film. If that’s what they were going to do to us, we were going to throw the ball.”

Freeburg did contain the EHS running game, but that left the secondary vulnerable and Shackelford and his talented corps of receivers made them pay.

In the first 12 minutes alone, the senior QB had four touchdown passes, adding 56 and 43-yard strikes to speedy Tristin Duncan and a 10-yard scoring pass to Cam Kalber.

In the second period, Shackelford was at it again. He connected with Jacob Briggerman on a 7-yard TD pass and added an 8-yard scoring toss to Gillum with just 11 seconds remaining in the opening half.

In 24 minutes of play, Shackelford was 10-for-18 for 199 yards and six touchdowns. That tied the school record for most TD passes in a game.

“We’re fortunate to have guys that can throw and catch the ball,” Hefner said. “Nate has been really good for us. When a guy throws the ball that well, and can also make plays with his feet, that’s tough on a defense. I was real pleased with how we played that first half.”

The Hearts’ first four possessions all resulted in touchdowns – and quickly. The first drive was two plays and 47 seconds. That was followed by two one-play possessions – the two long passes to Duncan – that took 14 and 31 seconds respectively. The last three TDs of the half came on drives of less than two minutes.

And three of those scores were set up by Wolfe’s interceptions.

“Parker is our best cover guy,” Hefner noted. “If you’re going to play defensive back, you have to have a short memory. He had a tough game against Mt. Zion, but he bounced back great tonight. He plays with a lot of confidence and he’s pretty good.”

The Hearts had 275 yards of offense in the first half and finished with 283. Chase Woomer did gain 55 yards on 10 carries. Duncan had four receptions for 140 yards, which also set a new single season record. He now has 53 catches this season, which broke the old mark of 51.

The Senior Night victory improves the Effingham record to 8-1 and virtually guarantees the Hearts of a first-round playoff game either Friday or Saturday. The day, time and opponent will be determined over the weekend after IHSA releases the playoff schedule for each class tonight.

“This was a great night for our kids and for our seniors,” Hefner noted. “I was proud of their effort and the way they bounced back after a disappointing loss last week.

“This is where we want to be,” the EHS coach added. “Now we need to get as healthy as we can. That’s No. 1. And fundamentally, we need to stay sharp.

“It was great getting the win on Senior Night, going 8-1 and getting a first-round home game. Now we’ll just see what kind of draw we get.”