Effingham Hearts Begin 2024 Football Season Hosting Robinson

The Effingham Hearts will begin the 2024 football season Friday night hosting the Robinson Maroons. Kickoff is 7:30pm at Klosterman Field at Washington Savings Bank Stadium. The later start time is a concession to the hot weather expected. The game will be broadcast on your home for Hearts football...979XFM and www.979xfm.com. 

Effingham is coming off a 5-5 season, including a trip to the playoffs for the second straight season and the fifth time in Coach Brett Hefner's nine-season tenure at EHS. Hefner enters the campaign with a 55-33 career record at Effingham.

The Hearts will be paced on offense by senior running back Weldon Dunston with senior Kaden Koeberlein at fullback. The quarterback job falls to junior Jaxon Bridges. His receivers will include junior Nolan Fearday and sophomore Maxx Kistler.

One plus for the Hearts will be the special teams play of junior Maicol Sefton, who will serve as kicker and punter. Sefton is also a key contributor on the Effingham soccer squad.

Here are the starters for Friday night's contest:

OFFENSE--Center Brian Westendorf, Guards Chase Smith and Landon Wallace, and Tackles Seaton Hall and Rylan Pals, Tight End Colton Webb; Wide Receivers Nolan Fearday and Maxx Kistler; Quarterback Jaxon Bridges; Running Backs Weldon Dunston and Kaden Koeberlein; Punter/Kicker Maicol Sefton; Long Snapper Will Hecht; Holder Maxx Kistler

DEFENSE--Tackles Seaton Hall and Kayden Mietzner; Ends Max Flack and Michael Love; Backs Nick Martin, Will Hecht, Aidan Carrell, Wade Bushur and Hunter Holland; Linebackers DJ Latham and Logan Jones; Kick Returners Hunter Holland and Weldon Dunston; Punt Returner Maxx Kistler

The Hearts will hit the road next week at Mt. Carmel , then head to Breese to take on Mater Dei. The Hearts will host Mattoon, then Charleston, then travel to Taylorville before returning home to host Mahomet-Seymour. After going to Mt. Zion, the Hearts will close out the regular season hosting Centralia. 

Here's the Week 1 schedule in the region:

Robinson _________ at EFFINGHAM ___________

CHARLESTON ___________ at Rantoul __________

Morton _________ at MAHOMET-SEYMOUR __________

Decatur MacArthur _______ at MATTOON ___________

MT. ZION __________ at Bartonville Limestone _____________

Olney Richland County __________ at TAYLORVILLE ___________

Casey-Westfield ________ at Newton _____________

Cumberland _________ at Cerro Gordo-Bement ___________

Pana ________ at Vandalia ___________

Flora ________ at Carmi White County ___________

Mt. Carmel ______ at Ft. Branch, Indiana ____________

Columbia _________ at Breese Mater Dei ___________

Salem _______ at Centralia _____________