The Muhlenberg football team clinched a share of the Centennial Conference championship with a 53-7 win at Moravian in the final game of the regular season.

The Mules (9-1, 8-1), ranked 25th in Division III by the AFCA, won their 10th CC crown and their first since 2010. They will play in the postseason next week, either with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament or a home game in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series.

The win was the 34th for the 12-member senior class, tying the last two classes for the most wins in a four-year period in program history. They have a record of 34-9, with two nine-win seasons, two eight-win seasons and four postseason bids.

Nate Milne became just the second first-year head coach in CC history to win the championship. He also tied the school record for wins by a first-year coach, set by the legendary Ben Schwartzwalder in 1946. Milne already held the CC record for wins by a first-year head coach.

Sophomore quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky won the Bianco Award as Muhlenberg's game MVP. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns, moving to within one of the school record of 27 touchdown passes in a season.

Junior Mark Riggio (94 yards) and sophomore James Diggs (83 yards) each scored two touchdowns to lead a Mule rushing attack that gained 231 yards.

The 53 points were the most ever scored by Muhlenberg against Moravian, and the win was the eighth straight for the Mules against their Lehigh Valley rivals.

The Mules scored on their first four possessions to jump out to a 26-0 lead five minutes into the second quarter.

After stopping Moravian on three plays on the opening drive, Muhlenberg drove 50 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard run by Diggs. A 26-yard pass from Hnatkowsky to sophomore Nick Ugarte and a 2-yard run by Riggio made it 20-0 in the final minute of the first quarter.

Moravian went three-and-out to start the second quarter, and the Mules scored their fourth touchdown on a 56-yard, 10-play drive that included eight runs by Riggio. Hnatkowsky found junior Ryan Curtiss from 6 yards out to finish the drive.

The Greyhounds stopped the next Mule drive on a fumble, but three plays later Muhlenberg got the ball back on an interception by senior Luke Wiley off a passed that was tipped by sophomore Nick Sirico.

A diving catch in the end zone by sophomore Thomas Murphy capped an ensuing 15-play, 88-drive that extended the lead to 33-0 late in the half. At that point, the Mules had a 311-26 advantage in total yards.

The Greyhounds (5-5, 4-5) scored their lone touchdown early in the third quarter, but Muhlenberg needed only five plays to get the seven points back. Riggio covered the final 39 yards with the longest run of his career.

Junior Yanni Mitropoulos, who banged four touchbacks, recovered the ensuing kickoff at the Moravian 36, and Diggs scored his second TD six plays later.

Senior Matt Gibbon closed out the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Junior Frankie Feaster led the Muhlenberg defense with eight tackles, including two sacks, and a pair of pass breakups. Freshman John Washington picked off his third pass of the season, and junior Mickey Kober returned a fumble 30 yards.

On one of the few occasions that the Mules did not advance the ball out of their side of the field, freshman Kevin Olifiers unleashed a 72-yard punt in the fourth quarter - just four yards shy of the school record.