MUS Sports News

Tennis State Title Loss Ends Five-Year Run

Some may say that the dynasty is over. Others may say that the king is dead. However, anyone who knows anything about high-school tennis in Tennessee knows that even though MUS may not have won their sixth consecutive state title this past May, Coach Bill Taylor and the Owls still have the premier program in the state and will once again be a favorite to win state next season.

Yet the loss in the state-title match still stings. MUS held a 3-2 lead against MBA going into the two doubles matches after wins by senior Michael Flowers and sophomores Alex Guyton and Bo Ladyman in singles action. But the two Owl doubles teams -- Guyton and Ladyman and Flowers and junior Hays Mabry -- could not get that final point as MBA took the title in dramatic fashion.

MUS responded in individual action as Flowers won the individual state singles title, and the doubles team of Guyton and Ladyman took the doubles state championship to end the season positively.

However, the loss at state should not diminish the accomplishments of this team. The Owls were rarely tested during the regular season as they cruised into the postseason. MUS lost only three team matches all year as they tried to get experience for many of the younger players. They did not lose an individual match until nearly a month into the regular season, and they closed out the regular season with five straight team wins. The Owls also once again claimed first in the prestigious Buckhead Rotary Tournament as they defeated powerful teams St. Pius X, Harrison, and Walton to defend their title. These matches prepared them for the postseason.

MUS looked primed to defend their state title in the regional tournament. The Owls easily won the individual singles and doubles titles, and they claimed the team title with 5-0 victories over both ECS and CBHS. Then they defeated Battle Ground Academy in the state quarterfinals, 4-0, to advance. In the semifinals Chattanooga McCallie offered little resistance as the Owls defeated them 4-1 to head into the finals against MBA, whom they had seen in the finals the previous three years.

Coach Taylor loses only two seniors from this year's team as Ben Alexander and Flowers provided excellent leadership. Other members of the tennis team included juniors Justin Foreman, Alex Gates, and Mabry, sophomores Ben Bleustein, Weller Drennon, Andrew Dudas, Ronny Khuri, Michael McCulloch, Scott McLeod, Worth Morgan, Guyton, and Ladyman, and freshmen Zach Glover, Spencer Heflin, and Mike Montesi. Finally, two eighth graders who played large roles on this team and contributed greatly were William Lang and Jordan Smith.

Though the loss at state may have disappointed the team and its followers, it should re-ignite the drive and hunger to start another streak.

Track and Field Ends Season at Local Spring Fling

The 2003 track-and-field season ended in a place it had never ended before -- at the Briarcrest Sports Complex in east Shelby County.

With the TSSAA spring-sport state tournaments moving to Memphis for the first time in many years, the Owl state track qualifiers got to stay at home to compete, and they performed well.

Both Andrew Hooser and John David Lawhorn finished third and got the team six points each. Hooser, a junior, got his third place in the shot put by throwing 49'-11 1/2''. Sophomore Lawhorn, who finished tenth one week earlier in the state decathlon, ran third in the 300-meter hurdles. He also finished fourth in the 110-meter high-hurdles and eighth in the long jump, totaling twelve points overall for the Owls.

Other MUS athletes placed at state as well. Senior Collins Roll ran the 400-meter dash in 51.61 seconds, finishing fourth. Roll also anchored the Owls' 4x800-meter relay team, which finished fifth, about five seconds out of first. Other members of that team included freshman Matt Dowling, junior Brad Spicer, and senior Will Hunt.

Todd Jean-Pierre, a junior, also brought home a fifth-place finish and four team points in the discus as he threw 136'-8'', and sophomore Walker Pritchard placed fifth in the 100-meter dash, running it in 11.31 seconds.

Rounding out the MUS team was senior Will Hunt. Hunt competed in the 800-meter run, and he finished it in 2:04.77, giving him seventh place. As a team the Owls finished eighth, tallying 37 total points.

After having lost several key seniors last season, the team knew it would have a difficult time matching the success that the program was used to. Yet several young performers stepped up to gain invaluable experience and make the Owls competitive throughout.

MUS placed fourth out of seventeen teams at the Briarcrest Multi-Meet to begin the year, beating some very good teams from across the state. The Owls also got a third-place finish at the Harding Invitational, including several first-place finishes. The long-jump team, consisting of sophomore Rob Heflin, who also qualified for the state decathlon and finished eleventh, freshman Devin Owens, and Lawhorn, finished first. Also, two relay teams came out on top. Junior Neil Taylor and sophomores Kane Alber, Pritchard, and Lawhorn won the 4x100-meter relay, while the 4x400-meter relay team, made up of Alber, Lawhorn, Hunt, and Roll, came in first as well.

MUS also won some key dual meets against some AAA schools. The Owls handily defeated Germantown and Collierville during the year to prepare them for the postseason meets.

The youth of this team creates some excitement for the future as sophomore participants dominated many of the events this season. Also, several freshman made the jump to varsity and performed very well. Hunter Adams showed his potential to be an outstanding distance runner with some fine efforts this season. Also, athletes like Owens, Rob Peeler, and Will Pickens competed in varsity meets. With this youth and the experience gained from the regular season and the postseason meets, the program will return soon to competing for postseason titles.

Soccer Team Completes Successful Season

The 2003 varsity soccer season will go down as one of the most memorable and exciting as the team advanced to the state championship match before losing in overtime.  Still, the surprising runner-up finish completes one of the most successful years in recent history for the soccer program, led by head coach Vincent Beck.

The team, made up of only one graduating senior, Mikey McGuire, started the season with eight consecutive wins, including a victory over Houston, a perennial soccer power.  The Owls were rarely tested in these first eight matches as they scored at least three goals in each game.  This stretch included wins over Nashville teams Father Ryan at home and Brentwood Academy in Brentwood.

After the win against Houston, the Owls suffered their first loss of the season, a 1-0 setback at CBHS, foreshadowing of upcoming events.  MUS then won two more games before settling for two ties.  The Owls forced a 2-2 tie against a powerful Germantown squad, and then they tied defending AA state champion, Ridgeway, 1-1.  MUS ended the regular season with a 1-0 victory over ECS to head into the regional tournament with a 11-1-2 record.

After having lost to ECS in the second round of the regional tourney, the Owls faced a must-win situation against Briarcrest to avoid having the season end.  MUS stepped up in the regional third-place game to win 2-0 and advance to the state tournament, held at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex during exams.

The players' stamina and spirits were tested in the state tournament as they fought off some outstanding, talented teams to stay alive and advance.  In the first round against Battle Ground Academy, the number-one seed in the middle section of the state, the Owls led most of the way before being tied late in the game.  BGA tied the game once again in the overtime period to force a shootout.  However, MUS prevailed in the penalty-kick round to advance.

In the state semifinals the Owls went up against Chattanooga McCallie.  In another tight match MUS again needed some extra time.  And just as in the first round, the Owls needed to go to the penalty-kick round before dispatching of the best team in the eastern part of the state.  The win moved MUS to the title game against their rival, the extremely talented squad from Christian Brothers.

In the state-title match, the large, noisy crowd saw outstanding effort and performances.  After a scoreless first half, CBHS took the lead with about twenty-five minutes remaining in the game with a goal, and they looked as if they would take control of the game.  However, MUS did not lie down as they fought back to tie the game with a goal by junior Doug Pleiman.  Once again, the game eventually went to extra periods.  After a scoreless first ten-minute overtime period, CBHS put the game out of reach in the second ten-minute period.  Two goals in the final five minutes secured the championship for the Purple Wave.  Though the season did not end as they would have liked, the Owls could take much from their experiences and runner-up finish, the school's first state-title appearance since 1996. 

The youth of this team is what excites MUS soccer fans.  The squad loses only McGuire, who will continue his soccer career at Lambuth University.  Juniors on the team included Winfield Clifford, Paul Moinester, Pleiman, Christian Reeser, Clayton Thomas, Scott Warren, Blake Wiedman, and Stephen Weston.  The team also consisted of sophomores Kane Alber, Ryan Freebing, Ches Linebarier, Michael O'Mell, Kyle Rosenberg, Aaron Struminger, and Ben Tacker, while freshman Brian Evans, David Shochat, and Logan Welch also contributed.

With the nucleus of this team returning next season, more great accomplishments are expected.