MOOSEHEART, IL, Oct. 19 -- The final third of the season has been incredibly productive for Mooseheart's football team.

The Red Ramblers are on a three-game winning streak: the latest coming Friday with a 28-6 victory over Kirkland-Hiawatha in the regular-season finale, under the lights at Illinois Memorial Stadium at Mooseheart.

But the Ramblers also gained a win off the field this week when Maranatha Baptist was forced to forfeit its first eight games for using an ineligible player.

The combination of those two events leaves the Ramblers 7-2, comfortably assuring a spot in the IHSA Class 1A playoffs when the pairings are announced on Saturday night.

``I have to give credit to the guys,`` Mooseheart coach Gary Urwiler said. ``The last three weeks, they have played intense football. We're hitting people and we're flying all around the place.``

Floyd Mays has a dominant first half performance. He score all four Ramblers touchdowns, picked up 151 yards on seven carries and proved nearly impossible for the Hawks to stop.

``I say every week that the line pushes, and as far as they push us, that's as far as we go,`` Mays said. ``They were opening big holes and, once again, I scored.``

Mays scored on runs of four, 20, 29 and 78 yards in the first half while the Ramblers built a 28-0 lead.

Mays did not carry the ball in the second half. Gabe Kendor turned in a 129-yard, 20-carry evening as Mooseheart had another strong offensive night. Overall, the Rambers gained 342 total yards, 310 of that on the ground.

``The offensive line did a good job getting off the ball,`` Mooseheart center Pedro Gonzalez said. ``We were playing aggressively and we've been playing like that for the last three weeks.``

Kirkland-Hiawatha (2-7) was shut out until 1:19 remained in the contest when Jason Kenneway passed to Floyd Webster for a 4-yard TD pass.

Urwiler said he knew about Maranatha's forfeiture prior to the game but did not tell the team until after they secured their sixth victory on the field.

``I wanted the players to focus their intensity on what we've established in the last three weeks,`` Urwiler said.

The playoff appearance is the second straight for the Ramblers, the fourth time Urwiler has taken the team to the postseason and the school's seventh overall playoff appearance.

``It's huge,`` Urwiler said. ``I'm so proud of the guys and of where they are. This is a great thing for our school.``

Mooseheart	14	14	0	0	28
Kirkland-Hiawatha	0	0	0	6	6

 

Scoring Plays
M	May 4 run (Kick failed)
M	Mays 20 run (Morones pass to Mays)
M	Mays 29 run (Niersbach kick)
M	Mays 78 run (Niersbach kick)
K-H	Webster 4 pass from Kenneway (Pass failed)