“Halftime wasn’t very pleasant for the guys,” Hefner admitted. “There were just too many non-winning plays that first half. Whether it was holding onto the ball or playing two different coverages – both man and zone – on the same play, we just didn’t play well.
“Fixable, fixable, fixable,” the veteran coach added. “We keep saying we’re going to fix things, but we didn’t. In that first half, it was clear. Things still weren’t fixed. You can talk about fixing things and getting better. But at some point, they actually have to get fixed.”
Moments after the final buzzer sounded, Hefner was able to smile and admit the second half was much better.
And it started on the opening kickoff.
John Westendorf, who had a remarkable game, returned the kick 36 yards to set the Hearts up at the 40.
Armando Estrada started the drive with a 16-yard run and Westendorf ripped off another 29. Charleston was called for a horse collar penalty, followed by back-to-back runs of 6 and 7 yards by Westendorf – the final one finding the end zone, increasing the EHS lead to 14-0.
But the Hearts were just getting started.
Charleston did get a 40-yard completion from Nate Shrader to Langdon King on its ensuing possession, but that drive stalled at the Effingham 36.
The Hearts responded with the first of their two 11-play scoring drives in the second half. And for the first time this season, they mixed the run and pass. Keegan Baker was the workhorse, carrying the ball five times for 17 yards. Quarterback Tanner Pontious had a pair of runs for 23 yards, including an 11-yard scamper on a third down.
Pontious also completed 3-of-4 passes on that drive for 32 yards, including a six-yard scoring toss to tight end Connor Thompson to make it 21-0.
At that point, it was clear the Hears were in control.
Coach Hefner then called for an onside kick and it caught the Trojans off-guard. EHS recovered at the Charleston 48 and proceeded to put together another 11-play possession. They didn’t even let three penalties stop them from finding the end zone yet again.
Westendorf carried the ball five times for 53 yards, including a 25-yard gallop. Pontious connected with Caden Walsh for a 9-yard pickup and also broke off two runs for another 15 yards. On that 11th play, Westendorf bulled his way in from two yards out to make it 28-0 just 24 seconds into the fourth period.
The Hearts tacked on two more touchdowns before the game ended, both scored by Chris Hemwall. First, he blocked a punt, scooped it up and raced 24 yards for a touchdown and then added a short two-yard TD run with only 1:55 to play to wrap up the scoring.
The second half stats tell the story. In addition to outscoring Charleston 35-0, the Hearts had 14 first downs to 2; ran 32 plays to just 17; ran for 201 yards compared to only 4; and had 247 total yards to just 50 for the Trojans. EHS controlled the ball for nearly 15 of the 24 second-half minutes.
“I was really happy for the kids in the second half,” Hefner said. “Winning is hard. We did a better job at the line of scrimmage, we got our running game going and we threw and caught the ball better. It was a much better second half.”
Yes, indeed, the running game did get going. After racking up 131 yards on the ground in the opening half, the Hearts proved to be unstoppable the final two quarters. They amassed 201 rushing yards in the second half to finish with 332 for the game.
Westendorf turned in a terrific performance. He carried the ball 20 times for 183 yards and two scores. Baker added another 57 yards on 16 carries and Pontious tacked on 43 more.
“We have a couple backs that can make plays,” Hefner said. “John had a very good game tonight. He’s in good rhythm. He made some good cuts and finished his runs strong. Keegan will get there. Right now, he’s going a little too fast and not waiting for the blocking to develop. John is more patient. It’s been a while since we’ve had this kind of game.”
The Hearts finished with 399 total yards on offense. In addition to the 332 on the ground, Pontious finished 8-for-13 through the air for 67 yards and one TD. Pontious also scored the first-half touchdown on a two-yard run at the 4:16 mark of the second quarter to give the Hearts the 7-0 halftime lead.
That scoring drive was actually the longest one of the night. Starting at its own 11, Effingham proceeded to march 89 yards in 14 plays, taking nearly 5½ minutes off the clock. Baker carried the ball four times and Westendord had eight runs for 67 yards, including a 34-yard gallop.
“We’re going to enjoy this one for about 24 hours,” Hefner said. “Then we’ll get back to work and try to get better. The first win is always the toughest one to get, but we can’t be satisfied. We have to keep working and moving forward.”
The Hearts improved to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Apollo Conference. They will return home to face conference foe Mattoon next Friday night.
“We’ve always had tough games with them,” Hefner noted. “For many of our kids, this was the first varsity win in their career. So, this team is in the process of learning how to win. Hopefully, the improvements we saw tonight will carry over.”
Kickoff Friday night at Jack Klosterman Field will be at 7 p.m.
