Football Recap: Effingham Takes a Loss

Effingham fought the good fight in their overtime game against Taylorville on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They and the Taylorville Tornadoes were almost perfectly matched up, but they suffered a 42-41 loss. The Hearts were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Tornadoes apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in September of 2023.

Jaxon Bridges threw for 127 yards and a touchdown while completing 78.6% of his passes. Maxx Kistler was his top target, picking up 44 receiving yards. On the ground, Weldon Dunston IV rushed for 220 yards and five touchdowns, and also picked up 35 receiving yards.

A big part of Taylorville's victory came down to the chemistry between Baron Odam and his top target Malique Pearse. Odam rushed for 41 yards and two touchdowns while Pearse picked up 118 receiving yards and a touchdown. Pearse got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 70 yards.

Effingham's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Taylorville, their win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-4.

Effingham will host Mahomet-Seymour at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mahomet-Seymour will roll in looking for their fourth straight victory, something Effingham surely won't give up without a fight. As for Taylorville, they will venture away from home to challenge Mattoon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

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