As for the game itself, it was pretty much what everyone expected. Despite playing without the starting quarterback and starting safety, the Hearts were heavy favorites and dominated from the opening play. By halftime, the Hearts had gained 401 yards of offense, limited Lincoln to 3 and led 43-0.

“This type of game is tough,” Hefner admitted. “The expectations were to get going and roll early. I just wanted our kids to play hard and do well. We always want to play up to our standards no matter who we’re playing. They did that tonight.”

After just two plays, it was pretty obvious how the game would go. Effingham’s Chase Woomer ripped off runs of 11 and 27 yards. Noah Jones, who stepped in for quarterback Nathan Thompson, who broke his hand in last week’s win over Mt. Zion, made his only mistake of the night on the third play, throwing an interception.

Three plays later, the Hearts had the ball back and immediately left no doubt as to who had the best team on the field.

Effingham took over at its own 38 and after just one play – a 32-yard romp by Woomer – the Hearts were on their way. Woomer followed with runs of 1, 8 and 17 yards and Trevor Donsbach then completed the quick five-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run, his first of three in the game, to put EHS on top 7-0.

The Hearts had the ball five more times in the first half and scored on each possession. The Railsplitters, who went winless on the season and score only 26 total points, had no answers on either side of the ball.

Lincoln’s ensuing possession was another three-one-out with Zac Slifer recording his first of two personal quarterback sacks and the first of four for the defensive unit.

After a 16-yard punt and taking over at the Railsplitters 35, it didn’t take Effingham long to reach the end zone. again. Keegan Baker raced around the end for a 29-yard gain and Donsbach covered the final six yards to make it 14-0.

Less than a minute later, the Hearts added two more points to the scoreboard. Lincoln started its ensuing possession at the 15. After a running play lost one yard, and a holding penalty moved the ball to the six, Gabe Kihne tackled the Lincoln quarterback in the end zone for another sack and the safety.

EHS got the ball back at midfield. One play and nine seconds later, the scoreboard was lighting up again. This time, it was the Wolfe brothers teaming up for the score. Senior Parker Wolfe took the handoff from Jones and then fired a deep pass to younger brother Garrett, a sophomore, who got behind the Lincoln secondary for the 50-yard TD, giving the Hearts a 23-0 lead and still in the first quarter. It was Garrett Wolfe’s first reception of his career.

The onslaught continued in the second period. The Hearts had three more possessions, ran a total of 10 plays and found the end zone at the end of every drive.

Donsbach had the longest play of the night, breaking loose and racing 86 yards. Later, Jones connected with speedy receiver Tristin Duncan for a 34-yard scoring play and Woomer capped the opening 24 minutes with a one-yard TD run, giving the Hearts that 43-0 lead at halftime.

Because the lead was greater than 40 points, the clock ran non-stop the second half. Effingham didn’t play any starters the final two quarters. The Hearts still racked up 104 yards, but didn’t add to their score. Lincoln got on the board in the fourth quarter on an 86-yard pass play.

Despite the running clock the entire second half, the Hearts had their biggest offensive output of the season, finishing with 505 total yards. They rushed for 392 and passed for 113 more.

Woomer ended his high school career with 168 yards on the ground on just 12 carries. Donsbach nearly reached the 100-yard plateau, finishing with 96. And Baker racked up 76 more. Jones, in his first varsity start, completed 2-of-3 passes for 63 yards and the Wolfe-to-Wolfe combination added 50 to that total.

The Effingham defense showed once again why it was the best in the league. Counting in the four sacks, Lincoln had -32 rushing yards. The Railers did throw for 121 yards – 86 of those on the one play – and finished with just 89 total yards on offense.

Following the game, Coach Hefner was focused on his group of seniors.

“It’s tough to say goodbye,” he admitted. “It’s always tough with every group, but my son is part of this group. I’ve known these kids from the time we moved here. They are a tight-knit group.

“I’ve been fortunate that our older guys take good care of the younger guys,” Hefner added. “They put a lot of effort into this program. They’ve helped make the culture what it is. Most people just want to be part of the outcome. These guys have been part of the process for four years.

“But the more invested you are, the harder it is when it’s all over. Look at these kids. I told them we could pack it up and head home. But they’re still out here on this field. They don’t want it be done. This is a special group of young men.”