Effingham is coming off a 55-13 whipping of Breese Central. In almost predictable Hearts style, they jumped out to a 27-7 lead in the first quarter and then just rolled over the Cougars, amassing 531 yards of offense, while limiting Breese Central to just 198.
Benton, on the other hand, required virtually the entire game to squeak out an 8-7 win over Salem. The Rangers scored with just 29 seconds to play and then got the two-point conversion to earn the victory and advance.
“I’ve got a lot of background in Southern Illinois and the type of kids that play football,” said EHS coach Brett Hefner. “When I watched film of Benton, I saw tough kids, nard-nosed kids that play very hard. And they’ll come to play Saturday.”
At a quick glance, it does appear to be Effingham’s offense vs. Benton’s defense.
And with good reason.
The Hearts have been held under 30 points only once this year, while putting up 40+ points in five games and cracking the 50-point plateau once.
Meanwhile, Benton’s defense has posted four shutouts and allowed just 3, 6, 6 and 7 points in four other contests. They only allowed 83 total points this season and 41 of those came in the 41-0 blowout loss to Murphysboro.
“They’ve got some good-sized kids. They’re nose tackle is close to 300 pounds,” Hefner noted. “Plus, they play a 3-4 scheme and you don’t see a lot of that.”
But this doesn’t mean both teams don’t also play on the other side of the ball. Benton is averaging 34 points a game, while the Hearts are giving up 16.
Benton, a member of the Southern Illinois River-To-River Conference, topped the 50-point mark twice and scored in the 40s four other times. So the Rangers are fully capable of moving the ball on offense and putting points on the scoreboard.
“They are more run-oriented than they are pass,” Hefner explained. “They’ve got a good tailback that’s about 5’11 and weighs 225 pounds. But they will also air it out a little. They will make you defend a lot of things.”
One thing both teams have in common is how dominant they’ve been. The Hearts have outscored their 10 opponents 406-160, while the Rangers have a scoring edge of 336-83.
“Salem did a good job of keeping the ball in front of them and not allowing big plays,” Hefner said. “And they did a good job tackling. We’re going to need to do those things, too, if we’re going to be successful.”
Suffice it to say, Benton’s defense will be tested Saturday. The Hearts feature a dynamic offense that likes to strike quick. In just the first quarter, they have scored three touchdowns in four games and put four TDs on the board in two others. In the first half alone, they have outscored their opponents 265-103.
Effingham’s attack is led by senior quarterback Nate Shackelford, who has continued to get better and better as the season progressed. He turned in a performance for the ages against Breese Central. He combined his running and passing for 401 total yards and six touchdowns. He had runs of 30, 33, 66 and 84 yards, en route to a 218-yard effort. And he threw for another 183 yards.
As usual, Tristin Duncan was his main target, catching five passes for 104 yards. But Shackelford completed passes to five different receivers, with Jett Gillum hauling in two TD passes and Duncan adding a third. And junior running back Chase Woomer tacked on another 128 yards on the ground as the EHS offense completely overwhelmed the Cougars.
And that Effingham defense, while holding Breese Central to less than 200 total yards, also forced eight turnovers. That included four interceptions by Parker Wolfe – giving him seven in the past two games – plus three fumble recoveries and a block punt.
So the stage is set.
For the Hearts, it’s a third straight appearance in the second round of the playoffs. They will be trying to match last year’s team, which reached the third round before being eliminated.
“The kids have really bought in to what we want to do here,” Hefner said. “Plus, we’re fortunate to have some pretty good football players. I just hope we can keep it going.”
