Published on October 17, 2026 6:39 pm
Last Updated on October 17, 2026 6:39 pm
Effingham High School fought valiantly Friday and gave Centralia one of the better first half battles it has faced all season long, but eventually the undefeated Orphans proved to be too much for the Flaming Hearts in a 44-7 varsity football final at Klosterman Field.
The regular season finale at Washington Savings Bank Stadium favored Centralia just 7-0 after one quarter and was still only 14-0 very late in the first half, but the Orphans got a 20-yard touchdown run from Ja’Shawn Staples and a 75-yard interception return touchdown from Kenny Bratton within 66 second of each other to suddenly make it 29-0 just 55 seconds prior to the halftime horn.
Centralia (9-0) got the ball first in the second half and put together a nearly six-minute drive to score its fifth TD of the evening, a three-yard pass to Bratton from junior quarterback Archie Goewey. Less than three minutes later the Orphans’ Will Stanton broke loose for a 40-yard TD run, their longest play from scrimmage of the night, and the running clock was on.
Effingham (2-7) did find the end zone in the fourth quarter when Jenner Keyes, playing his second series of the evening at quarterback, jetted 20 yards for his first varsity rushing touchdown.
It was the Hearts’ fourth straight game with fewer than 70 passing yards as Jack Hartman took the bulk of the snaps and was 3-for-9 for 22 yards and the interception, while Keyes was 2-for-2 for 17 yards. Brayden Baudier and Bryden Kade had two catches apiece.
Kade ran the ball 16 times for 38 yards, Keyes gained 40 on five attempts, and freshman Peyton O’Dell actually led all Hearts with 55 yards on nine attempts once the clock was running and both sides had removed a bulk of their starting lineups.
Staples walked out of Effingham with 152 rushing yards on 15 tries and his 28th touchdown (18th rushing TD) of the year, while Goewey was 15-of-21 for 225 yards and three scores. Kruz Jackson was his favorite target to the tune of 56 yards on six catches. Dre Hooper had just one catch for the No. 4 Class 4A team in the latest Associated Press pool, but it was a big one … a 54-yard catch-and-run score.
Early in the game, prior to Centralia’s initial score, the Hearts came up with a great stop on a fourth-and-goal play from four yards only to lose a much bigger gamble on a fourth-and-1 at their own 10.
Despite that, Effingham got the ball back almost immediately when James Wendt strip-sacked Goewey and Clinton Metcalf fell on the loose ball. Brady Patnaude also had back-to-back punts topping 50 yards that were a big part of holding the powerful Orphans at bay for most of the first half.
Now the Hearts wait for the IHSA playoff pairings show, set to begin at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17. Despite the two-win regular season, Effingham and its stockpile of 55 playoff points appears to have an opportunity to crack the newly expanded 48-team field for Class 4A.
At Klosterman Field, Washington Savings Bank Stadium at Effingham High School
Centralia 7 22 15 0 – 44
Effingham 0 0 7 7 – 7
SCORING SUMMARY
1Q, 1:37, CHS (0-7) – 15-yard pass, Archie Goewey to Dre Hooper – Caiden Taylor kick good (4 plays, 64 yds, 1:35)
2Q, 10:10, CHS (0-14) – 13-yard pass, Archie Goewey to Kruz Jackson – Caiden Taylor kick good (5 plays, 60 yds, 0:57)
2Q, 2:01, CHS (0-21) – 20-yard run, Ja’Shawn Staples – Caiden Taylor kick good (5 plays, 59 yds, 2:05)
2Q, 0:55, CHS (0-29) – 75-yard interception return, Kenny Bratton – 2pt pass good
3Q, 6:17, CHS (0-37) – 3-yard pass, Archie Goewey to Kenny Bratton – 2pt run good (10 plays, 74 yds, 5:43)
3Q, 3:32, CHS (0-44) – 40-yard run, Will Stanton – Caiden Taylor kick good (2 plays, 65 yds)
4Q, 11:18, EHS (7-44) – 20-yard run, Jenner Keyes – Brady Patnaude kick good (7 plays, 65 yds)
CENTRALIA
Rushing: Ja’Shawn Staples, 14 for 152 yds, TD; Will Stanton, 1 for 40 yds, TD; Cooper Green, 3 for 25 yds; Lucas Ashlock, 1 for 0; Archie Goewey, 4 for -10 yds.
Passing: Archie Goewey, 15-for-21, 225 yds, 3 TD.
Receiving: Kruz Jackson, 6 for 56 yds, TD; Jace Brammeier, 3 for 68 yds; Kenny Bratton, 3 for 44 yds, TD; Dre Hooper, 1 for 54 yds, TD; Ja’Shawn Staples, 1 for 7 yds; Will Stanton, 2 for -5 yds.
TOTAL OFFENSE: 432 yds on 45 plays (24 rushes for 207 yds; 21 passes for 225 yds).
EFFINGHAM
Rushing: Bryden Kade, 16 for 38 yds; Peyton O’Dell, 9 for 55 yds; Jenner Keyes, 4 for 40 yds, TD; Jack Hartman, 3 for 19 yds.
Passing: Jack Hartman, 3-for-9, 22 yds, INT; Jenner Keyes, 2-for-2, 17 yds.
Receiving: Brayden Baudier, 2 for 17 yds; Bryden Kade, 2 for 17 yds; Carter Kalber, 1 for 10 yds.
TOTAL OFFENSE: 181 yds on 44 plays (33 rushes for 142 yds, 11 passes for 39 yds).
TURNOVERS: Centralia 1, Effingham 1.
PENALTIES: Centralia: 4 for 50 yds. Effingham: 1 for 5 yds.
FIRST DOWNS: Centralia 22 (11 rushing, 10 passing, 1 by penalty), Effingham 11 (8 rushing, 1 passing, 2 by penalty).