Rambler Football Steams Toward Playoffs!

> There’s been plenty of football magic this fall, with Mooseheart’s football team winning its first five games and moving to the brink (at deadline) of automatic qualification for the Illinois High School Association postseason playoffs.

Mooseheart’s football team had plenty of weapons as it moved through the 2006 season. Chris Morones (21) quarterbacked the team.

The Red Ramblers last made the IHSA postseason in 1997.

Mooseheart won its first four games by wide margins, then survived a 21-20 overtime thriller at North Shore Country Day.

A 12-6 loss to powerful Alden-Hebron failed to dampen the team’s spirits and playoff qualification remained a strong possibility as the team entered the final third of its season.

The team’s strong start attracted local media interest. Stories on the squad appeared in the Aurora Beacon-News, the Daily Herald and Kane County Chronicle newspapers.

Head Coach Gary Urwiler took Mooseheart to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997. After a stint from 2000-2003 working and coaching in area public schools, Urwiler returned to Mooseheart as Superintendent of Education in 2003 and back to the sidelines as Red Ramblers’ head coach for the 2005 season.

Arturo Fernandez (9) gained considerable rushing yardage.

In the North Shore game, a tenacious Red Rambler defense held the opposition scoreless in the second half.

The offense was multi-faceted: Junior quarterback Chris Morones had multiple targets when he passed. Sophomore Gabe Kendor and senior Arturo Fernandez gave the team a one-two punch with its running attack. Senior Stephen Pinto was injured early in the season but was expected to return to action in the final few games.

Coverage of playoff games will appear in the February issue of Moose Magazine--and in a much more timely fashion at www.mooseheart.org.

Improved Year for Volleyball

> Improvement has been the byword for Mooseheart’s volleyball team during its 2006 season.

The Red Ramblers were 6-4 at this writing, but were improved off their 2005 performances.

“We actually lost seven seniors last year,” Mooseheart coach Cindy Klimczyk said. “I was kind of expecting a rebuilding year. But it’s gone very well.”

The Red Ramblers had a roster with seven permanent players and three who moved up from the junior varsity to fill the roster for contests.

“It’s just been a great year and I’m happy to be at the point we are,” said Klimczyk, herself a former Rambler athlete and a 1999 Mooseheart grad.

Senior Jasmin Barnes (no. 1 above) blocks at the net during action at the IMSA Tournament. Barnes was one of two senior captains on the Red Ramblers squad in 2006. Katherine Morones was the team’s other captain and the pair helped a youthful team navigate through its season.

The Red Ramblers closed September at the Illinois Math and Science Academy tournament.

Sophomore Basheeba Mays provided the Red Ramblers with a size presence at the net. But overall, the team had trouble when it faced much taller opponents.

A lot of them ask me ‘Coach, why am I blocking when I can’t get over the net?’ ” Klimczyk said. “It’s just something that we have to do. We do lack in size but we try our best.”

Although the Red Ramblers were young, they had two solid seniors in Katherine Morones and Jasmin Barnes.
“They’re just strong players,” Klimczyk said. “(Barnes) has been the captain since she was a sophomore, which is a great accomplishment. I will be sad to let them go, though we have great potential for next year.”