Football Game Preview: Effingham Hearts vs. Mt. Zion Braves

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Previous Games

10/18/24 - Away	0-28 L
10/28/23 - Away	2-21 L
10/13/23 - Home	21-14 W
09/30/22 - Home	36-39 L
10/01/21 - Away	28-27 W
+ 5 more games

Effingham and Mt. Zion are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Hearts will be playing at home against the Braves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Effingham has given up an average of 30.3 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Effingham is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Mahomet-Seymour on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Hearts had to suffer through a 49-7 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs. The loss continues a trend for the Hearts in their meetings with the Bulldogs: they've now lost five in a row.

Meanwhile, Mt. Zion entered their tilt with Charleston on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They breezed past the Trojans to the tune of 70-0. The Braves' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Effingham better keep an eye on Keller Stocks. He was instrumental in Mt. Zion's win, throwing for 279 yards and four TDs while completing 83.3% of his passes, and also punching in one score on the ground. JC Anderson was another key player, gaining 113 total yards and three touchdowns.

Mt. Zion didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Charleston to a completion percentage of just 38.1%. The team can thank Will Moore for the heroic effort on defense: he. Mt. Zion has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.65 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.65 in their last three games.

Mt. Zion didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Holden McCoy and Jaxon Good.

Effingham's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Mt. Zion, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.

Effingham was taken down by Mt. Zion 28-0 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Stocks, who threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes. Now that the Hearts know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.