By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Win and they’re in.
For the Effingham Hearts, it’s that simple.
A victory Friday night at Centralia and the Hearts are assured a spot in the playoffs.
A loss and their season is over.
Again, it’s that simple.
“There’s no more or less on the line this week than there was last week,” EHS coach Brett Hefner noted. “This is a must win.”
Effingham will enter with a 4-4 overall record. Last week’s 21-14 victory over Mt. Zion also gave the Hearts a final 3-2 mark in the Apollo Conference and a shot at that all-important fifth ‘W’.
“With the type of year we’ve had, that was a huge win,” Hefner said. “We’ve had our ups and downs and we let a couple games slip away. But last week, with our backs against the wall, we finished one off against a really good opponent.”
Centralia will enter the regular season finale with a 2-6 record, with one of those wins coming as a result of a forfeit. The Orphans only real victory was against Marion. Their losses have been to Salem, Collinsville, Belleville Althoff, Carbondale, Cahokia and Mt. Vernon.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Somebody forgot to tell the Effingham Flaming Hearts they weren’t supposed to win Friday.
They weren’t supposed to be able to stop Mt. Zion’s quick-strike aerial attack.
They weren’t supposed to be able to score enough to keep up with that potent Braves offense.
And since virtually nobody picked them to beat the highly-favored Braves, they weren’t supposed to have a chance to reach the playoffs.
But when the final horn sounded, it was the Effingham sideline that was celebrating a huge 21-14 victory over Mt. Zion.
And it means the Hearts are now one win away from being playoff eligible.
“I just knew the kids would come out and fight tonight,” EHS coach Brett Hefner said moments after the contest. “I told the kids at halftime we had them right where we wanted them. We just needed to come back out and execute and that’s exactly what they did. What a huge win. I’m so happy for these kids.”
The game was reminiscent of last year’s contest. The Hearts controlled the ball, but the Braves came away with a 39-36 win in overtime.
It appeared like it might be déjà vu Friday night at Washington Savings Bank Stadium.
The Hearts dominated the time of possession. They ran nearly 20 more offensive plays and used a bruising running game to stay in control. But this time, it didn’t get away from them.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
There’s a reason Mahomet-Seymour was the pre-season favorite to win the Apollo Conference.
The Bulldogs showed why Friday night.
They dominated every phase of the game.
The hosts used two long pass plays to open a first-half lead and then scored on every possession in the second half, en route to a 48-0 victory at home over Effingham on Senior Night.
The Bulldogs ran and threw for more than 200 yards, amassing 476 total yards on the night. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, they limited the Hearts to only 125 yards – and just 18 in the second half.
The scoring started quickly. On Mahomet-Seymour’s third play from scrimmage, quarterback Lucas Dyer threw a short screen pass to Braden Pagel. He avoided one tackle and raced 69 yards for the score. Just 49 seconds into the game, the hosts had a 7-0 lead.
The Hearts played the Bulldogs on pretty even terms the remainder of the first half. They had two drives advance inside the Mahomet-Seymour 10-yard line, but fourth down plays were not successful and EHS gave up the ball at the 8 and 5.
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Sometimes stats tell the story.
But sometimes they don’t.
Take last year’s Effingham vs. Mt. Zion football game, for example.
The Hearts controlled the ball nearly 75 percent of the game, running 84 offensive plays, compared to just 43 for Mt. Zion. They also piled up 305 yards rushing.
Stats like that normally result in a victory. Sometimes a blowout.
But that was not the case.
The Braves quick-strike aerial attack was a potent one. And when quarterback Makobi Adams connected with Grant McAtee for a 10-yard scoring pass in overtime, it gave Mt. Zion a 39-36 victory.
Could Friday night’s matchup at Washington Savings Bank Stadium be a repeat of last year’s thriller?
“They return all their skill guys,” EHS coach Brett Hefner quickly responded. “All four of their receivers and their quarterback are all back. You saw how explosive they can be last year. And those skill guys are all a year older and stronger.”
In other words, expect another hard-fought game between two teams with contrasting styles.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
It’s quite simple.
To qualify for the playoffs, high school football teams have to win at least five games.
With the Effingham Hearts now 3-3, they must win two of their final three contests.
And that starts with Friday’s matchup at Mahomet-Seymour.
The Bulldogs are 5-1 overall and currently set atop the Apollo Conference standings with a 3-0 record.
“This will be a tough one,” said EHS coach Brett Hefner. “They’ve been on a pretty good roll the last couple years. Playing up there, we’ll definitely have our hands full.”
After dropping a 20-14 decision to Morton in the season opener, Mahomet-Seymour has rattled off five straight wins – and they haven’t really been challenged. The Bulldogs have outscored those five opponents – Highland, Quincy Notre Dame, Charleston, Taylorville and Mt. Zion – 187-42. They are coming off a 26-7 win over Mt. Zion last week.
The Bulldogs will enter Friday night’s contest averaging 33 points and 364 yards a game.
“They go fast on offense,” Hefner explained. “They do a good job with their formations. They like to throw a lot of screens, quick hitters and short passes. They spread the ball around a lot.
“It’s difficult to prepare for them,” the veteran EHS coach added. “To slow a pass rush down, teams either run the ball well or throw a screen pass. They’re very good at running screens. That’s the main reason their passing game is so difficult to stop. They have a number of guys that can catch and run, plus their quarterback is very accurate with the ball.”
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