Harvard 26, Burlington Central 0

Burlington Central's hopes of repeating as Big Northern Conference Eastern Division champs were all but kaput by halftime of a 26-0 loss at Dan Horne Field in Harvard Friday night.

The Harvard offense gained 216 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in the first half alone in building a 19-0 lead.

Burlington Central, meanwhile, managed just 33 yards of total offense in the first two quarters and finished with 130 for the game.

The Rockets breached the 50-yard line just once all night, when they reached the Harvard 49-yard line on their first possession thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Hornets.

Even that intrusion was short-lived as Harvard defenders tackled freshman Tim Maroder and senior Dan Hagberg for losses on the next two plays.

For some reason, according to the Rockets, they didn't come out with the fire-in-the-belly intensity necessary to win the de facto Big Northern East title game.

"We knew coming into this game it would come down to who was more fired up," said Central running back Greg Dickson, who led the Rockets with 46 yards rushing on 11 carries. "Their lines are small and quick, but they blew us off the line of scrimmage tonight."

Said Central coach Aaron Wichman: "They controlled both lines against us better than any team we've played this year. I don't think we matched their intensity at all."

Harvard's linemen are about the same size as the Rockets', but they played with the passion of a team determined to end an eight-game losing streak against Burlington Central (6-3, 4-1).

Harvard (8-1, 5-0) set the game's tone on its first possession by driving 61 yards in five minutes via 10 running plays out of the triple option. James Matteson put the Hornets ahead with his 5-yard touchdown run on a sweep to the right, followed by Ernesto Ramos' point after kick for 7-0 lead.

Two possessions later the Hornets struck through the air when quarterback Dusty Binz fired a pass 30 yards downfield, hitting running back Jimmy Cradic in stride for a 49-yard touchdown pass to take a 13-0 lead less than four minutes into the second quarter.

Harvard increased its lead to 19-0 one possession later by driving 58 yards on 6 running plays. Matteson (18 carries, 114 yards) burst free for a 36-yard run that set up Binz's 3-yard scoring jaunt 3 plays later.

"Give credit to our kids; They played well on both sides of the line of scrimmage," said Harvard coach Tim Haak. "This is a team with no stars. It's just a solid team."

After a scoreless third quarter, the Hornets salted away the victory with a 9-play, 64-yard scoring march, which Jimmy Cradic polished off with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Central faced third-and-long all night. "We had a couple of opportunities for momentum in this game but we failed to grasp them," said Rockets quarterback Dan Hagberg, who was limited to 7 yards rushing on 10 carries and completed 1 of 6 passes.

Mooseheart 28, Kirkland Hiawatha 6:ŒThe final third of the season has been incredibly productive for Mooseheart's football team.

The team is on a three-game winning streak -- the latest coming Friday with a 28-6 victory over Kirkland Hiawatha in the regular-season finale.

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 and assured a spot in the Class 1A playoffs when the pairings are announced 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 aggressive 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."

-- Darryl Mellema