HOOPESTON -- Like a motor vehicle that had been sitting in the garage for nine months, Mooseheart's offense took a while to get running on Saturday at Hoopeston.
But once the Red Ramblers got in-gear, they were tough to stop in a 22-0 opening-day shutout over the Cornjerkers.
Mooseheart gained 262 yards, of which 257 were rushing yards. But that rushing total seemed unlikely after a scoreless first quarter in which the Ramblers gained only 15 total offensive yards.
``It's balanced,`` Mooseheart coach Gary Urwiler said. ``It doesn't give the impression that if you stop one of them that you can shut us down. We're trying to equally distribute the ball.``
But powered by an improving offensive line, Mooseheart's running backs began to pound Hoopeston's defense.
By game's end, Floyd Mays had 88 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns.
``We had a hard time getting the blocking worked out right in practice,`` Mays said. ``Today, they came out and blocked and made holes for me that I could get through. I have to give them a lot of the credit.``
Gabe Kendor picked up 79 yards on 15 carries while Jonell Crump added 74 yards and the Ramblers other touchdown on 10 carries.
The defense played its part as well. With the game still scoreless late in the first quarter, Hoopeston worked to the Mooseheart 3-yard line for a first-and-goal situation. The Cornjerkers gained 1 yard on first down but two penalties and one tackle for loss pushed the hosts to the Ramblers 17.
On fourth down, Brock Baker tossed an incomplete pass and Mooseheart took over.
``We were overly anxious at the start,`` Urwiler said. ``The biggest thing was getting us calmed down and back into our assignments and we really started to gel and make some big plays. That was definitely a momentum-breaker right there.``
The Ramblers took advantage of that momentum shift with 4:42 left in the opening half when Mays scored from 26 yards. A two-point conversion made the score 8-0 at halftime.
Importantly, Mooseheart's rushing offense got rolling in the second quarter and never relented. By halftime, the Ramblers had 100 rushing yards, 90 more than they had in the first quarter.
``The key to that was that we didn't abort our mission,`` Urwiler said. ``We stayed with what we said we were going to do. We could have gotten over-anxious at first when we struggled running. It took us some time, but the guys responded.``
As the second half progressed, Mooseheart's offense continued to keep Hoopeston's defense on the field.
It still took until the fourth quarter for the Ramblers to extend their lead. Crump scored from the 2-yard line with 9:50 to play. Mays sealed the win when he scored from 6 yards with 2:38 to play.
| Mooseheart |
0 |
8 |
0 |
14 |
22 |
| Hoopeston |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Scoring plays:
First Quarter None
Second Quarter M – Mays 22 run (Morones run), 8-0
Third Quarter None
Fourth Quarter M – Crump 22 run (Niersbach kick ), 15-0 M – Mays 6 run (Niersbach kick), 22-0
Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.
Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,900 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.
Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.
Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.
Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.
In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.
Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.
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