When the lightning caused the delay Friday night, the Hearts were trailing 28-17 with 4:02 left in the third quarter. With the forecast calling for continued rains and lightning in the Breese area, officials decided to call the game at 10:30 p.m. and resume at 1 p.m. Saturday.

When the game was stopped, Mater Dei was certainly in control. Big plays by Knights running back Zach Napovanice, quarterback Reed Braundmeier, tight end Ben Kassen and wide receiver Mitchell Haake were happening too often.

Napovanice had used his speed and elusiveness to run for 116 yards to that point. Plus, the Hearts were unable to cover Kassen and Haake, who combined for six catches and 149 yards, helping Mater Dei amass 284 total offensive yards and build the 11-point lead.

But when play resumed Saturday afternoon, it was a different story.

“The kids just started playing,” Hefner said. “We didn’t run any different plays or change our game plan at all. A number of times on defense, we lined up incorrectly and made some wrong calls. On Saturday, we simply lined up right and executed better. The guys did their jobs and played the way they’re capable of playing.”

The comeback started immediately. The host Knights began play with a 2nd down and 15 from their own 15 yard line. They were quickly forced to punt, Effingham got great field position and tacked on a 28-yard field goal by Ivan Angel to narrow the gap to 28-20 with just 37 seconds left in the third period.

And it was big plays that made the difference in the final 12 minutes.

Nate Shackelford, who returned to the quarterback position for the first time since his sophomore season, used his athleticism for the next score. He was able to escape the rush, buy some time and found Parker Wolfe, who had gotten behind the Mater Dei secondary, for a 65-yard scoring strike.

The two-point attempt failed, but the Hearts were within 28-26 at the 9:41 mark.

“Shack’s going to have the opportunity to make plays this year with both his feet and his arm,” Hefner explained. “His ability to scramble gave him the time to find Parker.”

For Wolfe, it was his second varsity reception. The first came on a deflected pass in the first half.

“He’s mainly a defensive guy that’s going to concentrate on covering the other team’s best receiver,” the EHS coach noted. “But we’re going to throw him in a little offensively here and there. He’s an outstanding athlete and it’s nice to get him involved.”

After the Effingham defense forced another punt, it didn’t take long for the offense to strike again. Shackelford threw a short pass to Tristin Duncan. The speedster received a couple good blocks, used a stiff-arm to elude another tackler, reached the sideline and ran untouched for 75 yards to put the Hearts on top to stay with 7:06 to play.

“That was just a short screen pass,” Hefner said. “But every time Tristin touches the ball, there’s a chance for it to be a special play. Once he got outside, nobody was going to catch him. Those home run plays are important. They help to develop momentum.”

The Knights, who were limited to just 105 more yards on Saturday, did put together a drive that had potential. They reached the EHS 25-yard line, but on fourth down, senior Jett Gillum raced in from a defensive end position to sack Braundmeier with 12 seconds left to secure the win.

“I’m proud of the kids. They didn’t worry about the delay or the score or anything. They just played the next play and never gave up,” Hefner pointed out.

Friday night’s performance was different.

The Hearts did take a 7-0 lead after their first offensive series, driving 50 yards in eight plays. Logan Brown carried the ball six times and covered the final four yards for the score. Duncan also had two catches on that drive.

But the combination of Napovanice, Braundmeier, Kassen and Haake proved difficult to contain.

Behind the running of Napovanice, who had 99 yards rushing in the opening half and 164 for the game, the Knights closed to within 7-6 on their ensuing possession. A 25-yard field goal by Effingham’s Ivan Angel and a one-yard plunge by Braundmeier, put the hosts on top, 14-10, at intermission

The Knights found themselves in scoring position again early in the third quarter after recovering a Shackelford fumble on the third play of the second half. It took just four plays to cover the 33 yards. A 20-yard reception by Kassen was followed by a 13-yard TD strike from Braundmeier to Haake to make it 20-10.

Effingham struck back quickly, marching 80 yards in four plays. Most of those yards were covered in two plays. Shackelford hooked up with Chase Woomer for a 31-yard play and then found Duncan behind the Mater Dei secondary for a 45-yard TD pass that trimmed the lead to 20-17.

But the Hearts’ defense simply wasn’t able to contain the Knights. On their next possession, it again took only four plays to cover 59 yards and, again, most of the yards were through the air. A 36-yard pass to Kassen moved the ball to the Effingham 15 and that was followed by a catch and run from Napovanice covering the final 15 yards. The senior back then caught a two-point conversion pass to make it 28-17.

“They were using motion by their tight end to outnumber us on the edge,” Hefner explained. “We didn’t handle that very well Friday. But Saturday we lined up correctly and it made a difference. That’s what happens when you do what you’re supposed to do.”

Hefner said stopping a game like that and resuming 14½ hours later is difficult.

“We didn’t get home until after midnight,” he noted. “But one of the main things we’ve tried to do here is build a program on toughness. That takes on a lot of different forms.

“The kids got home late and I knew they would be tired and sore the next morning because they had already played a large portion of that game,” the coach continued. “Plus, we had to travel again Saturday morning, and unlike Friday night, the sun was out and it was hot and humid. And we were down 11 points, with just 16 minutes to play.

“But the kids showed their toughness. I’m proud of the way they played and how they handled everything. It really says a lot about our kids.”

The Hearts finished with 456 yards of offense. Shackelford connected on 15-of-23 passes for 313 yards and three scores. Logan Brown ran for 67 yards on 17 carries and Duncan racked up 171 yards on eight catches and scored twice.

Effingham will return to Jack Klosterman Field Friday night for its home opener against Lincoln. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.