The underdogs

Coach Urwiler looks over his notes in the equipment room of the field house at Mooseheart during a quiet moment in 2007.

Mooseheart students put up a banner for the football team, the Red Ramblers. Known for its tough, scrappy players, the team dominated high school football in the 1920s. The 2007 team had high hopes to make the playoffs.

Mooseheart quarterback Chris Morones gets a pat on the back before the Oct. 6 homecoming game in 2007.

Mooseheart football player Jonell Crump gets in some reps during workout session in the weight room in 2007.

Cocah Urwiler lines up the team and starts them off with a blow of his whistle during the first practice of the season on August 11, 2007.

Donald Niersbach sits in the middle of the post-game huddle after Mooseheart's loss to Milledgeville in 2007.

Colton Bullock works on warm-up drills before the start of a junior-varsity game Sept. 24, 2007.

Helmets clash during the last practice before Mooseheart's homecoming game on Oct. 5, 2007.

Coach Urwiler gathers the team around him for prayer before the homecoming game on Oct. 6, 2007.

Mooseheart's Gabe Kendor runs by a Wayland Academy defender during a game in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Oct. 13, 2007.

Dennis Davis takes a water break during the first day of practice for the Mooseheart football team.

"We come out there, people laugh at us, call us orphans or whatever," lineman Jake Stegeman said of football opponents. "But when we're on that field, your words aren't gonna help you."

Mooseheart football players, including Floyd Mays (22), cheer following a victory on Oct. 13, 2007, in Beaver Dam, Wis.

Mooseheart Red Ramblers lineman Jake Stegeman (right) and quarterback Chris Morones leaf through photos of a classmate. "They're your family," Stegeman said of his teammates. "You're out there with your family, striving to achieve a goal. "

Family, friends and alumni fill the stands for a homecoming game on Oct. 6, 2007.

Jake Stegeman collapses on the locker-room floor during halftime of Mooseheart's homecoming game on Oct. 6, 2007. Stegeman was dehydrated and missed most of the third quarter.

Coach Urwiler stands on a bench to hug his tallest player, Anthony Coleman, before the start of Mooseheart's playoff game at Milledgeville on Oct. 27, 2007.

Gabe Kendor attends Catholic mass at the House of God on the Mooseheart campus.

Red Ramblers Donald Niersbach (from left) Jake Stegeman and Reid Clifton watch the junior varsity squad play in September. Niersbach is the last of three brothers to attend Mooseheart.

Ranked first in his class, senior Chris Morones listens to a discussion about MTV in the Middle East at Mooseheart's high school.

Mooseheart captains Chris Morones, from left, Floyd Mays, Pedro Gonzalez and Donald Niersbach walk to the middle of the field for the coin toss before the start of a game against Wayland Academy on Oct. 13, 2007, in Beaver Dam, Wisc.

Floyd Mays runs past Milledgeville defenders during an Oct. 27, 2007, game.

Sporting a scarf made by his mother, Chris Morones (center, standing) practices with his band Far from Famous, which includes Blake Mason (playing guitar) and Marco Namowicz (right). Morones has a cordial but distant relationship with his mother.

Senior lineman Jake Stegeman (back to camera) and housemate Jon Corral walk across campus, which houses and educates 230 children.

Senior Jake Stegeman (right) changes classes at Mooseheart, where the discipline was tough for him to handle at first. Football gave him focus.

Gabe Kendor, left, and assistant coach Matt Kitzmiller get seats at the front of the bus for Mooseheart's playoff game on Oct. 27, 2007.

Gabe Kendor (front) and Pedro Gonzalez, slap hand with supporters as they and other teammates leave the House of God at Mooseheart and head to a game in Milledgeville, Ill.

Mooseheart was founded to provide for the children of the Loyal Order of Moose, in case their fathers died unexpectedly. The sprawling campus near Aurora now accepts non-member children from needy families.

Running back Gabe Kendor used his athleticism to fit in at his new school in a new country. That ability earned him an MVP trophy from a summer football camp run by the Chicago Bears and a letter jacket from Mooseheart.

Jake Stegeman does his homework in the dining room of his group home at Mooseheart. He is ranked second in the senior class.

Gabe Kendor (center) works on math at Mooseheart's high school. He had some discipline problems when he first arrived, but new adult leaders and new friends helped him settle down. "It's the best way to go," Kendor said. "You have to follow the rules or you won't be able to do anything."

Football is king at Mooseheart, a refuge for children in need near Aurora. Its 3,000-seat stadium was built during the Depression by the Loyal Order of Moose, which started the group home in 1913.

Coach Gary Urwiler goes over his play book during an Oct. 27, 2007, game.