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Mooseheart continues unbeaten run
Updated: October 8, 2011 7:28PM
It wasn’t always pretty, and it didn’t always go smoothly, but Mooseheart’s football team achieved its goal Saturday.
The Red Ramblers defeated fellow Northeastern Athletic Conference unbeaten CICS-Longwood 23-14 on homecoming, moving to 7-0 on the season for the first time since their unbeaten regular season of 1996.
“We’re very fortunate to play at the level we did today to get our seventh win,” Mooseheart coach Gary Urwiler said. “I’m just so ecstatic for the guys and our coaching staff, who continue to do such a great job. It’s been since 1996, so we’re very happy to be playing the way we are now.”
The Red Ramblers never trailed, but Longwood, a Class 5A school with an enrollment far higher than Mooseheart’s, kept it interesting. The Panthers cut the lead to 17-14 with 6:42 left in the fourth when quarterback Tevin Akis scored from two yards out to cap a 14-play, 66-yard drive.
Longwood thwarted a fake punt attempt on Mooseheart’s next possession but stalled on its ensuing drive.
A 51-yard run from Isaiah Brigman set up Oumaru Abdulahi’s two-yard touchdown run three plays later to seal the game for the Red Ramblers.
“What I like about this team is that every time something happens where the other team has a big play, we usually come right back down and score,” Urwiler said. “Somewhere down the line, that’s really going to pay off for us. We’re pretty resilient when it comes to coming back.”
Mooseheart ran for only two yards in the first half, putting much of the offensive burden on the shoulders of junior quarterback Jonathon Hart. Hart went 14-for-21 for 116 yards in the half, including a five-yard touchdown pass to leading receiver Noel Yarngo that made it 10-0 in the second quarter.
Yarngo caught nine passes for 97 yards in the win, giving him team highs in receptions (36), receiving yards (727) and receiving touchdowns (10) for the season.
“It was definitely critical for us to come out and score first, for us to make the first statement,” Hart said. “It took a while to get the running game going, but we’ve got playmakers and we just have to make sure that we keep getting the ball to them.”
Brigman added a 28-yard touchdown run in the third and Sahr Mahoney drilled a 28-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first quarter for Mooseheart. Akis hit Kevin Frasure for a five-yard TD pass for the Panthers.
Moose members from across the country, including some colorful older gentlemen from Maryland that spelled out ‘M-O-O-S-E’ across their chests, were on hand for the win, making the victory even more special for the team.
“There is a whole lot of pride involved in that, playing in front of a home crowd like this at homecoming,” Hart said. “It’s amazing for us to have everyone here.”
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