VIDEO: Hearts' Season, McDonald's Career Comes to an End Saturday

Video: EHS vs. Canton

The Effingham Hearts' first round loss in the Class 4A football playoffs Saturday also meant the end of the coaching career of longtime coach Mike McDonald.

The Hearts lost 45-38 to the Canton Little Giants. The game at Canton was heard on your home for Hearts' football, 979XFM and www.979xfm.com. Watch for a video of the game including an in-depth visit with Coach Mac on the postgame show later in the weekend.

Effingham got the ball to start the game and promptly marched 68 yards in nine plays for a score, which came on a three-yard touchdown run by Zach Miller. Michael Carie's kick made it 7-0 with 6:59 left in the opening quarter. Canton responded with a 76-yard drive for a score with 2:54 left in the first period to tie the game at 7-7, and then took a 14-7 lead on a 63-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Lucas with 10:16 left in the second quarter.

Effingham bounced back to tie the game on a 71-yard drive capped by quarterback Kevin Daugherty's one-yard sneak into the end zone with 6:02 left in the period, and then took back the lead on a 21-yard Michael Carie field goal with 31 seconds left before halftime to conclude a 79-yard drive to make 17-14 Effingham at halftime.

Canton, however, scored five times in the second half on a 21-yard field goal, a 40-yard run, a 40-yard pass play, a 36-yard run and a 53-yard run to post the win. The Little Giants tied the game at 17-17 with the field goal, but the Hearts regained the lead for the final time with 5:00 left in the third quarter on an 18-yard touchdown run by Miller to make it 24-17 and wrap up a 66-yard drive. Three of Canton's scores came in succession to pull ahead 38-24, but the Hearts cut the deficit to 38-31 on a one-yard run by Miller to cap a 56-yard drive with 6:27 left in the game. 

After Canton pulled ahead 45-31, the Hearts posted one last score on a two-yard Miller run with 2:26 left to conclude a 72-yard drive and make it 45-38. The Hearts then tried an onside kick and recovered the ball, but the officials ruled Effingham touched the ball before it traveled the required 10 yards and gave the ball to Canton and the Little Giants ran out the clock to post the win.

The loss ended the Hearts' season at 6-4 and ended McDonald's tenure with a career record of 125-100. It was Effingham's 13th trip to the playoffs in McDonald's 23-year career as varsity coach.

Video: Coach Mike McDonald's final postgame interview with Greg Sapp  (direct link: http://goo.gl/XYJXhh)

Miller concluded the day with an unofficial total of 178 yards rushing on 37 carries and four touchdowns. The yardage pushed his school-record total for the season, unofficially, to 1,866 yards. His 28 touchdowns for the season tied Nick Jones for most TDs in a season. Jones scored 28 touchdowns in 2007. 

We're also double checking because we believe Michael Carie either tied or set a record for most field goals in a season. The current record is four, set by Mike DePoister back in 1979, one of the oldest records on the books.

Billy Arndt finished with 100 yards rushing on just nine carries, Travis Durbin gained 10 yards on four carries, and Daugherty finished with -14 yards rushing, but a touchdown. Daugherty was eight of 13 passing for 146 yards. Noah Lohman finished with three catches for 76 yards, Drew Vasquez had three receptions for 35 yards, Carter Hayes caught a 38-yard pass including a great run after the catch, and Billy Arndt had one catch for -3 yards.

On punts, Daugherty had two for 58 yards and Carie had one for 40 yards. Carie had seven kickoffs for 305 yards. Nick Burger returned three kickoffs for 39 yards, Miller two for 42 yards, and Vasquez three for 37 yards.

Canton quarterback Cole Schrodt completed seven of 10 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Cameron Lucas had four catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Quinton Reed rushed for 184 yards on 27 attempts with two touchdowns and Schrodt rushed for 123 yards on 14 attempts with two touchdowns.

As a team, Effingham gained 420 yards, 274 yards on the ground, 146 yards through the air, and picked up 25 first downs. Canton had 493 total yards, 322 on the ground, 171 through the air, and picked up 19 first downs. Effingham had the ball for 29:34 of the game, Canton 17:26.

Griffin Paige led Effingham with 15 tackles, three solos. Joe Nieman had 10 tackles, three solos. Drew Vasquez and Travis Durbin each had seven tackles, four solos for Vasquez, two solos for Durbin. Billy Arndt and Khole Moran each had six tackles, two solos apiece. Kevin Daugherty, Evan Boggs and Carter Hayes each had five tackles, four solos for Boggs, two for Daugherty and one for Hayes. Michael Carie had three tackles, all solos. Carter Kistler, Hunter Diveley and Jordan Coleman each had two tackles, both solos for Diveley and one for Coleman. Blake White, Wyatt Kahley and Zach Miller each had a tackle, with White and Miller's being solo stops.

Drew Vasquez had an interception for the Hearts, the only turnover of the game.