The Effingham Hearts Continue Their Winning Ways Against Charleston

Charleston’s defense - not to mention the remnants of Hurricane Helene blowing fiercely through the region - weren’t quite enough to neutralize Weldon Dunston’s big-play capabilities as the senior tailback racked up four touchdowns and more than 250 rushing yards to pace Effingham High School to a 30-20 homecoming football game victory over the Trojans Friday night.Charleston’s defense - not to mention the remnants of Hurricane Helene blowing fiercely through the region - weren’t quite enough to neutralize Weldon Dunston’s big-play capabilities as the senior tailback racked up four touchdowns and more than 250 rushing yards to pace Effingham High School to a 30-20 homecoming football game victory over the Trojans Friday night.

In an Apollo Conference contest heard on 979 XFM, Effingham led by as many as 17 in the middle stages of the third quarter but watched Charleston score two straight touchdowns to cut its deficit to 24-20 with 3:58 left in the game. Dunston quickly put an end to the home team’s worries, however, breaking loose for an 80-yard score on the first play of the ensuing Hearts possession. Even though a penalty-lengthened extra point try into the wind was no good, Effingham’s lead proved insurmountable from that point.

The Hearts got the ball first Friday night and struck immediately. Despite going directly against a steady wind, Effingham mixed the run and pass on a 10-play, 65-yard opening drive that culminated in a 32-yard Dunston touchdown scamper into the north end zone with 6:53 showing on the first quarter clock. Jaxon Bridges, the only quarterback to complete a pass on the night, was 3-for-3 for 35 yards while Dunston did the rest and made it 7-0 after Maicol Sefton’s successful extra point kick.

Charleston immediately tied things up, though, marching 61 yards in 4:07 on its opening possession; Marcellx Boling found the end zone from a yard out on the seventh play of the drive and Max Weber’s kick was good to make it 7-7 with 2:46 left in the first period.

That was the last time the Trojans dented the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.

Effingham took the lead for good with 4:27 remaining in the first half on another Dunston TD run, this one from 25 yards out to take advantage of great field position in a drive that began on the Charleston 43 yard line. Charleston then went three and out and botched the ensuing punt attempt, leading to Sefton’s 27-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with 2:09 left before halftime. 

Sefton actually got one more opportunity to tack on three more points right before the break, actually connecting on a 45-yarder that was negated by a Charleston penalty. It would’ve been a new career long for the junior, who booted one through from 43 last season. Instead, he got one more try from five yards closer and suffered his first FG miss of his career as the Hearts settled for the 17-7 halftime edge.

The rain and wind picked up during halftime and both teams, who had more or less already opted to do so, were forced to wholly commit to the run. After its defense opened the third quarter with a stop, Effingham made it 24-7 on Dunston’s 27-yard scoring run to cap off a quick 5-play, 42-yard drive that took just 1:52 to complete at the 8:02 mark of the third quarter.

A fantastic Sefton kickoff, mishandled by the Charleston return team, forced the Trojans to begin the ensuing possession at their own 5. They responded by rattling off 19 straight run plays for the 95 yards necessary for paydirt. Quarterback Luke Bonnstetter punched it in from a yard out to bring a close to a drive that took no less than 10:25 to complete at the 9:37 mark of the fourth quarter. The extra point made it 24-14.

Charleston again found the end zone with 3:58 remaining on a three-yard Boling run, although the score was set up by a 28-yard run from Ben Coffey. The Trojans got the ball at Effingham’s 39 after the Hearts took a gamble to go for it on fourth and two in their own territory and had some trouble with the center exchange. While that was unfortunate timing, it was rarely a problem for either team on a night the elements were certainly working against them.

The Trojans failed to convert a two-point try after that score but at 24-20 were as close as they’d been since the first half. That was when Dunston broke off the aforementioned 80-yarder to more or less end any doubt about who’d emerge victorious.

Dunston’s night looked like this: 34 carries for 258 yards and four scores; he now has 19 touchdowns on the season and nearly 1150 rushing yards. Max Buzzard ran three times out of the quarterback position and gained 21 yards in a couple of key second-half moments, while DJ Latham ran for 7 on two carries and also made some nice hits in the Charleston backfield while playing linebacker on the other side of the ball.

Bridges was 3-for-4 for 35 yards, only throwing once more after the opening drive. Buzzard attempted just one pass, which fell incomplete. Latham caught a 14-yarder, Hayden Wendling caught a 12-yarder, and Kaden Koeberlein caught a nine-yarder. 

Sefton is now 6-for-7 on his field goals for the season and 9-for-10 in his career. The previous career FG record at EHS was Michael Carie’s six across the 2013 and 2014 seasons, while the previous single-season record of four had been shared by Mike Depoister (1979) and Carie (2014).

Charleston attempted five passes on the night and none were completed, while Coffey piled up 143 rushing yards on 24 carries. Boling scored twice with a total of 60 yards on 14 rushing attempts, while Treylin Couch managed 14 on six attempts. Effingham outgained Charleston 283 to 203, running 45 plays from scrimmage to Charleston’s 55.

The Trojans fall to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Apollo play; they’ll look to pick up the pieces and snap a two-game skid next week against Mattoon in the Coles County Clash at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

Meanwhile, Effingham is a win shy of playoff eligibility at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play as they’ll hit the road to Taylorville next week to do battle with a Tornadoes squad that has been competitive every week but finds itself facing postseason elimination at 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Apollo.