The Hearts started the second half at their own 30-yard line. Three running plays netted a first down, but on the fourth play, Pontious dropped back, set up in the pocket and lofted a long pass downfield. Junior wideout Armando Estrada broke free behind the Taylorville secondary, caught the ball in stride and raced untouched to the end zone, completing the 59-yard scoring strike.
“That was a big play,” Hefner said. “The play action really worked. It can be easier to take shots when you’re running game works.”
The Hearts defense forced a three-and-out and Effingham had the ball right back, this time starting at the Tornados 48. The running of Keegan Baker and Pontious generated a pair of first downs. Then on the 10th play of the possession -- a third down from the 27-yard line -- it was the passing game that struck again.
This time, Pontious found fullback Evan Waymoth all alone, again behind the Taylorville defense. And again, Pontious threw a perfect pass, Waymoth never broke stride and galloped into the end zone for the score. With 3:13 left in the third quarter, the Hearts had increased their lead to 20-0.
The game had a similar feel as the contest with Charleston. After holding a precarious 7-0 lead at halftime that night, the Hearts scored 35 straight points in a dominating second half over the Trojans.
The two quick TDs Friday night had Effingham in total control of the game and the momentum against the Tornados. That defense forced another three-and-out and the offense promptly started another scoring march.
This time it was an eight-play, 56-yard drive. The Hearts ran the ball seven times, but it was a third-down, 15-yard completion to Caden Walls that kept the drive alive. John Westendorf then capped the drive by breaking loose at the line of scrimmage and rambling 25 yards for the score to make it 27-0.
Taylorville gained only 191 yards in the game and 137 of those came on three plays. The Tornados only score came early in the fourth period when they went 75 yards in only two plays. Seth Hughes broke free from containment on a 40-yard reverse to open the drive and then quarterback Kamren Heimsness found Jaden Mathon down the sideline for a 35-yard scoring pass.
On its next possession, Taylorville got a 62-yard completion from Heimsness to Joe Lyons and then appeared to score a TD on another pass play, but an unsportsmanlike penalty nullified that play and the drive ultimately stalled.
“I thought we started to wear them down in the third quarter,” Hefner said. “They play a lot of two-way guys. Plus, our guys were really confident coming out for the second half. I thought it was important for us to get off to a strong start and it was nice to make a few plays in the air.
“We were better in the second half, but we still have some things to clean up,” Hefner added. “We still had some mistakes tonight; just not as many.”
Statistically, it was pure domination. The Hearts held the ball for nearly 31½ minutes compared to 16½ for Taylorville. In the second half, EHS had the ball for more than 18 of the 24 minutes. For the game, the Hearts ran 63 plays; the Tornados only 33. Effingham had 285 yards on the ground and compiled 21 first downs. Taylorville ran for just 85 yards – with 40 on the one play – and recorded only six first downs.
Westendorf had another strong game. He carried the ball 28 times, gained 156 yards and scored two TDs. The first score came on the first play of the second quarter. It capped a nine-play, 47-yard drive in which Westendorf carried the ball on every play.
Baker had his best game of the season, running for 81 yards on 18 carries. Pontious finished 4-for-7 through the air for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Estrada hauled in three passes for 67 yards. The Hearts finished with 394 total yards.
Effingham is now 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the Apollo Conference.
Next up? The Hearts will travel Mt. Zion next Friday night.
“They have a lot of kids back and it will be Senior Night for them,” Hefner said. “They have a very explosive team. We’ll have our hands full.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
