The Centralia Orphans will take on the Effingham Hearts at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Centralia took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They managed a 48-44 victory over Mt. Vernon. Things were looking grim for the Orphans in the second quarter (they were down by 24) but they stormed back to get the game.
Meanwhile, Effingham had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They put the hurt on Mattoon with a sharp 36-16 win on Friday. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Hearts' offense, which had struggled in the games prior.
Centralia better keep an eye on Jaxon Bridges. He was instrumental in Effingham's win, throwing for 282 yards and three TDs, while also punching in one touchdown on the ground. Bridges' passing game has become a key predictor of the Hearts' success: the team is 3-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-3 otherwise. Lexton Roberts helped Bridges out on the ground, rushing for 73 yards and one score, while also picking up 32 receiving yards.
Effingham didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Mattoon to a completion percentage of just 45.5%. The Hearts weren't nearly as limited: they posted one of 61.1%.
The victory got Effingham back to even at 4-4. As for Centralia, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Centralia strolled past Effingham when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a score of 35-19. Will the Orphans repeat their success, or do the Hearts have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
