“We can’t just show and win against this Lincoln squad,” EHS coach Brett Hefner cautioned. “That didn’t work for Mattoon and it didn’t work for Mt. Zion. In fact, it hasn’t worked for anybody they’ve played this year. Their kids are playing better and they’re starting to believe, which makes a world of difference.”

Offensively, the Railsplitters run a version of the Wing-T.

“They will show a lot of misdirection, a lot of movement and a different scheme then you normally see,” Hefner explained.

Lincoln is led by senior quarterback Elijah Pollice and sophomore running back Ki’on Carson.

“Their quarterback has been playing better and better and that sophomore back is really good,” Hefner said. “Plus, they’re big up front and have a number of guys back.”

The EHS coach said Lincoln’s defense is similar to what Mt. Zion employed.

“In the past, they’ve played a lot of 6-2 against us, but for most of this year, they’ve been mainly a 3-4 defense,” Hefner noted. “I really expect to see something similar to what we saw from Mt. Zion.”

And he’s hoping his team can turn in a repeat performance. The Hearts controlled the ball for nearly 60 percent of the game and ran 26 more plays than the Braves. The ground game was especially strong. The Hearts racked up 219 rushing yards, with junior back John Westendorf gaining 139 of those on 31 carries.

For Westendorf, it was the third time he cracked the 100-yard plateau. Through six games, he is now averaging 120 yards per game. He has gained 719 yards on 134 attempts and he’s scored eight touchdowns.

“Our game plan, especially this year, it basically the same each week,” Hefner noted. “We need to run the ball and control the clock. That way we can throw the ball when we want to, not when we have to.

“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t move the ball on them,” Hefner added. “They have several guys that play both ways and generally that works in our advantage. And then defensively, we have to contain them. This is going to be a tough game. We better show up and be ready to play.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.