Hearts Suffer Second Straight Shutout Loss Friday Night

The Effingham Hearts were blanked for the second straight week in high school football Friday night, falling 28-0 to the Mt. Zion Braves. The game at Mt. Zion was heard on 979XFM and www.979xfm.com 

Mt. Zion opened their scoring with 2:11 left in the opening quarter, at the end of an eight-play, 66-yard drive when Keller Stocks tossed a three-yard pass to Jacob Harvey. 

The Braves made it 14-0 with 2:14 remaining before halftime. The Braves concluded a four-play, 79-yard drive that took just 29 seconds. Stocks threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to J.C. Anderson.

Harvey picked up his second touchdown with a 19-yard catch to conclude a five-play, 50-yard drive that was concluded in 57 seconds. That score came with 9:00 left in the third quarter.

The Braves then finished the scoring on a 75-yard touchdown pass to Owen Sill on what was the first play of the drive.

That concluded the scoring. The Hearts haven't been in the end zone since the overtime period at Taylorville.

Mt. Zion registered 16 first downs to 13 for the Hearts. Effingham picked up 182 yards in total yardage to 431 yards for Mt. Zion. Effingham picked up 107 rushing yards and 75 yards through the air. Mt. Zion's passing game was the difference, as Stocks was 17 of 24 for 350 yards and the four touchdowns. Jacob Harvey caught eight passes for 73 yards and two scores, J.C. Anderson had three catches for 66 yards and a score, Brayden Trimble caught four passes for 70 yards, Sill caught the 75-yard touchdown pass, Ricky Jones caught a 27-yard pass, and Brody Lipa had a 29-yard catch.

Weldon Dunston bounced back for the Hearts with 93 yards rushing on 35 carries. Kaden Koeberlein had a 15-yard gain, Nolan Fearday two for 14 yards, and Jaxon Bridges rushed three times for -15 yards.

Bridges was 4 of 11 passing for 75 yards. Maxx Kistler had a 34-yard reception, Dunston a 27-yard grab, Wade Bushur an 11-yard reception,and Brayden Tucker a three-yard catch.

As far as special teams numbers, Maicol Sefton punted five times for 146 yards; Kistler grabbed an interception and ran it back 18 yards, Sefton had a 57-yard kickoff, and Dunston had two kickoff returns for 42 yards and Hunter Holland had two kickoff returns for 34 yards.

The Hearts' third straight loss leaves them a 4-4 on the season and still needing a win to become playoff eligible. That will have to come in the last game of the regular season next Friday night at home to the Centralia Orphans. The win improved Mt. Zion's record to 5-3 and they are playoff eligible.