In what could have been considered a must win for MUS if they had dreams of making the state playoffs, the Owls scored a touchdown with 6:18 left in the game to hold off conference rival Montgomery Bell Academy, 24-21, last Friday night in Nashville.
The Owls' ground attack was the key to this vital victory as MUS not only amassed 246 total ground yards but also kept the MBA defense on the field for over 30 minutes to wear the Big Red down.
QB John Conrad McCrary had a strong game for the Owls (4-3, 1-1) as he led the team in rushing with 115 yards and scored two first-half touchdowns on the Big Red (4-3, 1-1).
The first score answered an early MBA touchdown.
The Big Red took the opening possession and drove 80 yards in 9 plays to score as QB Michael Fisher hit TE Tom Santi from four yards out. Bryant Hahnfeldt tacked on the extra point to give the hosts the 7-0 lead.
But several minutes later, McCrary led a 67-yard drive as the Owls pulled even. The big play came after four straight runs.
From the MBA 30, McCrary hit WR John David Lawhorn, who fought his way to the 7. Three plays later McCrary somersaulted his way in from 4 yards out to score. Ben Tacker nailed home the extra-point to tie the score.
The Owls did not wait long to grab the lead.
After stopping MBA in 4 plays, MUS took over on the Big Red 37.
On the strength of the ground game, the Owls pounded MBA and drove down the field. RB Derek Clenin, who finished with 73 yards on 20 carries, RB Preston Blankenship, Lawhorn, and McCrary all carried the ball on the drive.
Finally, on the 14th play of the possession, McCrary tallied his second touchdown as he went in from 2-yards out. Tacker gave the Owls a 14-7 lead.
After exchanging turnovers throughout the second quarter, MUS extended the lead right before the half.
Just four plays after recovering a fumble deep in Big-Red territory, the Owls faced a 4th and 20 from the MBA 23. But Tacker gave the Owls some momentum before the half as he booted a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give MUS a 17-7 halftime lead.
The Owls felt very good at the break as they had outgained MBA 198-116 in total yards and held the Big Red to only 4 first-downs. But they had to expect a Big Red surge in the second half, and they were not disappointed.
MBA struck quickly the first two times they saw the ball in the second stanza.
First, Matthew Jacques hauled in a 97-yard touchdown pass from Fisher following a MUS turnover.
Then, several minutes later, Fisher led his team on an 8-play, 89-yard drive that took 3:38. Fisher hit three straight passes, including a 26-yard scoring strike to WR Michael Koban, to regain the lead for MBA. Hahnfeldt's PAT gave them a 21-17 lead headed into the final stanza.
But MUS owned the fourth quarter.
MBA only ran 7 fourth-quarter plays while the Owls ran 21, including 18 punishing runs.
The deciding drive began with 11:08 left. MUS started the triumphant march on the MBA 34, and in 11 plays, they had reached the Big-Red 3-yard line as Clenin and McCrary dominated on the ground.
Finally, on the 12th play, Clenin tallied his first score of the game as he went over from 3 yards. Tacker's PAT gave the Owls the 24-21 advantage to complete the 5-minute drive.
MUS finished off their Nashville rival as the Owls tallied their third takeaway of the game, a recovery of a Matthew Jacques' fumble on the MUS 34 with only 4:41 remaining.
From here, the Owls pounded on MBA as Clenin and QB John Phillips, subbing for a cramping McCrary, took care of the ball and made first downs. The duo eventually ran out the clock and made the bus trip back west more bearable.
Though the score was close, MUS was the dominant team on this night as they gained 427 total yards, recorded 22 first downs, ran 33 more plays, and held the ball 31:27, nearly 16 more minutes than the Big Red. However, big plays and missed open-field tackles kept MBA in the game.
The Owls must work on tackling this week because the Fairley Bulldogs come to Hull-Dobbs this Friday night for Homecoming. Fairley is currently 7-0 and ranked #4 in the Dandy Dozen. Kickoff is set for 7:30PM as the Bulldogs will look to avenge last year's 18-0 loss to the Owls.