Centralia — The Centralia Orphans football season came to an end Friday night at Evers Field as the visiting Effingham Flaming Hearts, who needed a win to become playoff eligible left town with a 61-34 victory.
The Orphans would get the ball first and score first on their opening drive as QB Daryle Jones would cap a five-play drive with a 9-yard TD run, just 1:47 into the game. The Hearts would answer and answer 4 times scoring the next four touchdowns. Centralia WR Xavier Koch would score on a 77-yard touchdown reception before Effingham’s Weldon Dunston would answer, one of 6 td’s on the night for Dunston and it was 34-13 Hearts with 5:50 left in the first half. Centralia’s Xavier Koch and Dunston would trade scores again (Koch a 39-yd reception and Dunston a 33-yd run, and it was 41-20 Hearts at the half.
Both teams would score late in the 3Q, Dunston again and Orphans QB Daryle Jones on a 1-yd run. Cam Tomlianovich would score on a 33 yard pass from Jones for the Orphans final touchdown of the season.
For the night Centralia quarterback Daryle Jones was 15/23 for 360 yards and 3 td’s. Jones finishes with well over 1600 yards passing and 17 touchdowns through the air. Xavier Koch had another good night, 9 catches for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns, Koch finishes with 12 tds on the season. Cam Tomlianovich had 4 catches for 102 yards and a td.
Effingham’s Weldon Dunston was a workhorse with 37 carries for 301 yards and 6 touchdowns to the lead the way for the Hearts.
Centralia finishes the season 2-7 while Effingham is playoff eligible at 5-4.