Mooseheart’s Gary Urwiler and Montini’s John Rhode have been named the Bears High School Coach and Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 7.
Urwiler has one of the area’s feel-good stories of the season. The Red Ramblers, one of the few local Class 1A teams, are 7-0 and headed back to the IHSA playoffs after a 23-14 win over Longwood last week in a battle of Northeastern Athletic Conference unbeatens. That Mooseheart even has a football team, given its small enrollment, is impressive. But Urwiler’s clearly doing something right, with 52 of the school’s 65 boys in the football program.
Rhode is making up for lost time after missing the first five weeks of the season with a thumb injury suffered in the Broncos’ preseason scrimmage. He already has 11 touchdown passes: three vs. St. Francis in his season debut in Week 6 and eight more – one shy of the state record – in last weekend’s 59-14 win over St. Edward.