Quarterback Nate Shackelford ran for 218 yards and scored three touchdowns; the defense had three fumble recoveries, one blocked punt and cornerback Parker Wolfe intercepted four passes; and the offense scored on its four possessions, opening up a quick lead that was never threatened.
“Anytime you get can get off to a quick start, it’s important,” said EHS coach Brett Hefner. “You don’t feel hamstrung when calling plays and you have a little margin for error. Grabbing an early lead is a big advantage.”
And thanks to linebacker Jacob Stoneburner, that’s exactly what happened.
Breese Central quarterback Kyle Athmer connected on a 65-yard pass to Shane Becker, giving the Cougars a first down at the EHS 12. But on the next play, Stoneburner literally pulled the ball away from Breese running back Tyler Huegen and then rumbled 88 yards for the touchdown.
To the Cougars credit, they came right back and tied the game. After a fake punt resulted in an 11-yard scamper by Becker to keep the possession alive, the Athmer-to-Becker combination hooked up again, this time from 30 yards away to knot the game at 7-7.
But from that point on, it was all Effingham.
The Hearts started seizing control on their very next possession. Starting at their own 34, Chase Woomer, who also cracked the 100-yard rushing barrier, ran for 17 yards on two plays. Shackelford connected with Cam Kalber for 10 yards, and on the seventh play of the drive, Shackelford’s first run proved to be a good one, as he raced 30 yards for the score.
“There’s always a risk/reward when you run your quarterback,” Hefner admitted. “We’ve been fortunate our first nine games, we were able to run him just enough, but not really put him in harm’s way a great deal.
“A quarterback that’s able to use his feet is quite the x-factor,” the veteran coach added. “Nate has unbelievable acceleration and the patience to wait for things to open up. What a difference he made today.”
After that go-ahead TD, the Effingham defense then took over and forced a turnover on three consecutive possessions.
The first came on fumble recovery by Austin Herboth, who had monster game on defense, recording 12 tackles, including two quarterback sacks and a pair of recovered fumbles.
Given the ball at the Breese 37, it took just two plays and 27 seconds for the Hearts to find the end zone. Shackelford found wide receiver Tristin Duncan behind the Cougars secondary for the 37-yard scoring strike to make it 20-7.
On the very next play following the kickoff, Wolfe got his first pick of the game, and the EHS offense was back in business at the Breese 27. This time it took only one play, as Woomer broke through the line and ran 27 yards untouched for the score to make it 27-7 with still 2:46 to play in the opening period.
Wolfe got his second interception a couple plays later and the offense took advantage again, this time starting at the Effingham 23. The Hearts put together a drive that took nearly four minutes. Woomer had 31 yards on the ground, Jett Gillum and Duncan hauled in passes for 15 and 20 yards respectively. Then on the ninth play, Shackelford managed to cover a final tough yard to increase the margin to 34-7.
Shackelford broke loose for a 66-yard gallop on the Hearts next possession, but that drive ended when he threw an interception that was returned by Breese Central’s Becker nearly 80 yards, setting up the Cougars at the EHS 10. Athmer then threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-13.
But before the half ended, the Hearts had one final scoring drive left in them. Taking over at their own 49, it took just five plays and 76 seconds cross the goal line again. Woomer got things going with a 27-yard jaunt, and the score came on a 13-yard catch and run from Shackelford to Gillum.
The Hearts had yet another great scoring opportunity after Dawson Whitten blocked a Breese Central punt, setting the Hearts up at the Cougars 16. Unfortunately, they were unable to take advantage and settled for a 41-13 halftime advantage.
“We have a number of guys that can make plays,” Hefner said. “We knew they were big up front, but we thought we could have success if we could get to the perimeter. With Shack and Chase running the ball and with the deep threat we have with Tristin, it can put a defense in a bind. We’re just fortunate to have a lot of good football players.”
In the second half, the EHS defense continued to throttle the Cougars. Herboth had another fumble recovery and Wolfe picked off two more passes, giving him seven interceptions in the last two games.
“Parker has outstanding ball skills,” Hefner explained. “He has the unique ability to cover receivers and he doesn’t panic. He always seems to be in position to make plays.”
The offense wasn’t as sharp in the second half, but it still found the end zone two more times.
After a snap sailed over Whitten’s head on a fourth down, Breese Central had a good opportunity to strike first, getting the ball at the 25. But Huegen was stripped of the ball again and Herboth fell on it, giving the Hearts possession at their own 16.
On the second play, Shackelford capped his amazing performance. He faked a handoff, broke up the middle and streaked 86 yards for the touchdown that made it 28-7.
Then with 8:03 remaining in the contest, Effingham’s senior QB hooked up with Gillum again, this time from eight yards out to complete the scoring and activate the continually running clock.
The final stats confirm the domination by Effingham on both sides of the ball.
The Cougars entered the playoffs averaging 22 points and 319 yards per game. The EHS defense limited them to 13 points and 198 yards, with 95 of those yards coming on two pass plays only after an Effingham defender slipped and fell down due to the wet, slippery field.
Huegen entered the contest averaging 119 yards and was held to 77. Athmer had completed 53 percent of his throws for 165 yards an outing. Against that EHS defense, he was 7-for-21 with four interceptions and 119 yards.
The Hearts, meanwhile, racked up 531 total yards. They ran for 348, with Woomer getting 128 of those to go along with Shackelford’s 218. The EHS QB completed 13-of-21 passes for 183 yards and three TDs. Duncan had five receptions for 104 yards, while Gillum had an additional five catches for 59 yards.
Breese Central ended its season at 5-5, while the Hearts will now take their 9-1 mark and No. 3 seed in the 4A Southern Bracket into a second round home game Saturday. They will face Benton, also 9-1, after squeaking out an 8-7 win at home over Salem. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Jack Klosterman Field.
“Overall, we played very well today,” Hefner said. “Our offense put up points and our defense got takeaways. These are things we work on all the time and they really paid off in Week 10. We’re happy to move on and get to Round 2.”
