MUS Sports News

Father Ryan, Records Fall

Warren Grimm's three touchdown runs and 368 MUS yards passing highlighted an explosive night as the varsity football team dispatched their visitors from Nashville, the Father Ryan Fightin' Irish, 37-27, in the first conference game for the Owls.

As they have for most of the season, the Owls (3-2, 1-0) jumped out early to take the lead on the Irish (1-4, 0-2). A 37-yard scoring pass from John Conrad McCrary to WR John David Lawhorn culminated the opening 7-play, 85-yard drive that took up 3:06. Ben Tacker's PAT gave MUS the early 7-0 lead as the shootout had begun.

The Owls added to their lead some four minutes later after their next drive had stalled. Sophomore Chad Hazlehurst trotted out and connected on a 42-yard field goal to increase the lead to ten points as MUS was finding holes in the Ryan secondary.

The Owls once again took advantage of their passing game later in the second quarter. Starting from their own 9-yard line after a Ryan punt, Kane Alber rushed for four yards on first down. Then, on second down, McCrary hit Alber, who broke a tackle and outran his pursuers to score. The 87-yard pass play broke a 38-year old record and became the longest touchdown pass in MUS history as the Owls went up, 17-0, after Tacker's PAT. The Owls looked as if they were in for a relaxed evening with the large lead.

But Ryan got back in the game with two quick strikes right before the break.

First, WR Josh Kemph hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass from QB Stephen McCombs to complete a 9-play, 78-yard drive. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, Pat Gallagher scooped up a Lawhorn fumble and returned it 24 yards for another touchdown. After having made his first extra point, Will Bridenstine missed his second, but Ryan was back in the game at the half, down only 17-13 despite being outgained 282-150 in total yardage.

But the Irish could not capitalize on their momentum early in the third quarter.

After having stopped Ryan on their opening possession, MUS took over at their own 30 and drove for a score in six short plays as Grimm went in from 6 yards. Tacker made the score 24-13 to give the Owls a little breathing room.

MUS extended the advantage on another Grimm score just 2:31 later.

After Cotter Norris had sacked McCombs and caused a fumble, Weller Drennon gave MUS possession with his recovery on the Ryan 39. Grimm scored five plays later from 3-yards out as the Owls' spread offense began to open some holes for the backs. Tacker's PAT failed, but MUS still led 30-13.

Ryan tried to stay close as they found success up the middle with their big backs. They began to control the clock and pick up first downs. Kemph caught his second score of the game on a 13-yard pass from Corey Stewart early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 30-20.

But Grimm's 13-yard scamper with 4:54 remaining in the game ended all uncertainty as to the outcome as he and Tacker gave the Owls a 37-20 advantage.

Kemph, a fine receiver who caught 9 passes for 88 yards, never gave up as he hauled in one more touchdown from McCombs with 1:38 left, but that score only made the final tally more respectable.

Several records were set during the contest. McCrary's 362 yards on 17-25 passing set a school record for most passing yards in a game, while his 386 yards of total offense crushed the previous record of 314 held by John Phillips. Also, Lawhorn's 9 catches for 184 yards set another record for most receiving yards in a game as he bested Bruce Bolton's 179 yards set in 1974 against Ripley.

However, while these record-setting performances are outstanding, they could not have been possible without excellent blocking and protection from the offensive line, which played very well despite having suffered several injuries to some key performers.

The Owls get an opportunity to seek some revenge this Friday night as they battle Briarcrest, which defeated the Owls, 24-21, last season on a late field goal. Kickoff is set for 7:30 at Briarcrest.

Owls Even Record with Win Over Wooddale

After having suffered a humiliating loss the previous week at ECS, the MUS varsity football team needed a good performance this past Friday night to keep their goal of making another playoff run in reach.  Against the undefeated Wooddale Cardinals, the Owls got such a performance as they jumped out early on the overmatched Cardinals and cruised to a 38-12 home victory to even their record at 2-2.

MUS took the opening possession from midfield and began a long, grueling drive that set a tone. The Owls used 13 plays but were finally held on third down, so Ben Tacker was beckoned and got MUS on the board with a 23-yard field goal, culminating the 6:41 drive.

The Owls had several opportunities to build a larger lead, but they could not take advantage of several Cardinal mistakes.

Tacker missed two straight long field goals as the MUS offense could not find the endzone following a Wooddale turnover and a defensive stand.  But the Owl special teams bailed the offense out as sophomore Logan Welch recovered a bad snap on a Wooddale punt in the endzone for a touchdown.  The Tacker PAT extended the lead to 10-0.    

Wooddale got on the board late in the first half as RB Johnathan Lane went in for a score from 7 yards out to finish off an impressive 18-play, 73-yard drive that amassed 5:37 following the Owl score.  The two-point conversion was no good as the Cardinals cut the lead to 10-6.

But MUS retook the momentum right before the half on a 3-play drive following a Donnie Malmo interception in Wooddale territory.  QB John Conrad McCrary found WR John David Lawhorn from 21-yards out for the touchdown with 1:03 remaining in the half.  Tacker's extra point gave the Owls the 17-6 halftime advantage.

MUS had established themselves in the first half through the air to build their lead.  McCrary was 12-21 for 206 yards while Lawhorn had 7 catches for 147 yards.  But to salt away the victory, the Owls would have to find a running game, a goal they did not establish in the first half, tallying minus-1 net rushing yards.

While they did not run up and down the field in the second stanza, MUS did improve their rushing attack in the second half to work on the clock and cruise to victory. 

MUS added two more scores in the third quarter to increase their lead.  First, on their first second-half possession, the Owls used a 11-play drive to score as McCrary snuck in from 1-yard out, and Tacker did his job to give MUS the 24-6 lead. 

And Lawhorn got his second touchdown of the game on a 5-yard reception from McCrary at the end of the quarter to add another six points to the lead.

Wooddale did not give up, however, as the Owls got some valuable time for some reserves. Following a Rob Park interception that was returned to the MUS 7-yard line, QB Antonio Harts found receiver Christopher Williams for 7 yards and six points.  Harts' two-point conversion pass failed as the Cardinals cut the lead to 31-12.

But MUS added one more touchdown late to finish off the scoring.  Park found back Kane Alber across the middle, and Alber scrambled into the endzone for the 25-yard touchdown.  Tacker's PAT gave MUS the 38-12 victory.

The Owls put together a solid effort as they amassed 398 total yards, including 118 net rushing yards.  Sophomore Whit Cox led MUS in rushing with 57 yards on 9 carries.  After minus-1 yards in the first half, the 118-yard total is very impressive.

And the passing game looked solid as well as Owl quarterbacks combined for 17-28 passing for 280 yards.  Lawhorn was once again the favorite receiver as he caught two touchdown passes and tallied 152 total yards on 8 catches. 

The MUS defense also performed well after a shaky outing against ECS.  They gave up only 124 total yards, including 4-19 passing for 51 total yards and two interceptions.  The Owls will need similar efforts to be successful in upcoming games.

MUS opens conference play this Friday night with a home game against Father Ryan (1-3). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Owls Shut Out on Road

For the first time since the 2001 playoffs, the varsity football team suffered a shutout as the ECS Eagles pounded the Owls, 27-0, to take the win last Friday night at ECS.

MUS (1-2) is fortunate they will not have to see Eagle tailback Hall Simmons again this season. The junior back piled up 202 yards on 33 carries and scored two touchdowns as ECS (3-0) built up a 21-point halftime lead and cruised in the second half.

ECS jumped out and established dominance early. After having forced the Owls to punt on their initial possession, Eagle Trey Adams partially blocked the Rob Park punt, and ECS began at the MUS 36-yard line. From there, the Eagles needed only five plays to score as QB John Mark Braswell culminated the drive with a 1-yard plunge. Adams' PAT gave ECS the early 7-0 lead.

MUS tried to get untracked later in the half but never could convert long possessions into points. The Owls had one 11-play drive stall on downs at the Eagle 26 and another end on a missed 28-yard field goal by Ben Tacker.

Meanwhile, ECS was consistent and wore the Owls down with a pounding running game. While MUS was struggling offensively, the Eagles slowly built their lead as Simmons scored twice in the first half, both on 1-yard runs, as ECS led by 21 at the break.

In the second half, the Owls did not fare much better. They had only five possessions and failed to move the ball more than 16 yards in any drive.

ECS did not help MUS either as the Eagles had no turnovers and controlled the time of possession with over a nine-minute advantage. They also tacked on one final score late in the game as sophomore Will Irvine went in from 8-yards out. The PAT was no good, but the Eagles had more than enough in their 27-point victory.

The Owls running game did show a little improvement as they compiled 89 net yards on 27 carries, better than the 13 rushing yards they had the previous week against Jackson Prep. But MUS was dominated, getting outgained by 200 total yards, and must regroup before facing a talented, undefeated Wooddale squad next Friday night at home.

Owls Start Strong, Hold Off Patriots

Last week against a powerful Whitehaven squad at the Liberty Bowl, the varsity football team found themselves in an enviable position. They had just scored another touchdown, their third in four possessions, to go up 21-7 in the second quarter and looked poised to open the season victoriously. However, Whitehaven eventually turned momentum around and beat MUS going away.

Last Friday night, the Owls found themselves in a very similar situation. MUS had just scored right before the half against Jackson (MS) Prep to increase their lead to 21-7, and they had opportunities to take over the game. But unlike in the first game, the Owls were able to withstand a Prep comeback and pulled out a hard-fought, relieving 21-16 victory over the Mississippi visitors.

Just like in game one, MUS (1-1) looked impressive on their opening drive against Jackson Prep (0-1). After having won the toss and elected to receive, the Owls needed only seven plays to jump out on top as John David Lawhorn hauled in a 22-yard pass from QB John Conrad McCrary to score. Ben Tacker's PAT gave MUS the early 7-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

The Owls added to that advantage exactly five minutes later.

Set up by a blocked punt by junior Preston Dennis, giving MUS control at the Jackson Prep 17-yard line, the Buzzards needed only two plays to double the lead. On 2nd-and-10 from the Patriot 17, McCrary found Lawhorn again on a slant for the score. Tacker hammered home the PAT for an impressive 14-0 lead.

However, Prep would not fold.

After having exchanged turnovers and punts, the Patriots did not allow MUS to put them away as they put together an essential drive to get back into the game.

Jackson Prep drove 65 yards on five runs to cut the lead as RB Gib Bowden took a toss and cut back to go 55 yards for a touchdown. Hunter Owen's extra point trimmed the lead to 14-7.

But the Owls grabbed some important momentum heading into the half.

McCrary found JP Zdancewicz on a 3rd-and-9 behind the defense for a 61-yard reception to get MUS close, and then McCrary finished the drive with a 1-yard dive with 12 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the Owls the 21-7 halftime lead.

At the half, MUS hoped to avoid a repeat performance from week one as they wanted to put the visitors away early after the break.

Yet the offense sputtered much of the second stanza to keep Prep in the game. The Owls never found a running game, gaining only 13 net yards on 22 carries, and Jackson Prep shut down the one-dimensional offense in the last half.

The Patriots cut two points off the lead as McCrary ran out of the back of the endzone following a bad snap at the MUS 5-yard line. Snapping had been a problem throughout the game, and the miscues finally caused the Owls points.

But even as the Patriots were gaining momentum, the MUS defense contained the powerful Prep running game and did not allow them to put together long drives. The defense also avoided many big plays as Jackson Prep had only six plays of 15 yards or more.

But without an effective running game, the Owls still allowed the visitors to hang around.

The Patriots closed the gap late in the game following a McCrary fumble near midfield. Needing eight plays, Prep went 55 yards to score as Chase Thompson went in from 1-yard out with 3:15 left in the game.

But a Zdancewicz recovery of the onside kick and one final defensive stand salted away victory #1 for the Owls in 2003.

Though MUS struggled offensively much of the final three quarters, several players put up some outstanding numbers. Lawhorn's 12 catches for 107 yards set a MUS team record for number of catches in a game, breaking the 11 passes Estes Folk hauled in against Father Ryan in 2001.

Also, McCrary had a good evening passing, going 23-33 for 212 yards. The 33 attempts is the third most all-time in a game, while the 23 completions was second only to John Phillips' 24 against Father Ryan in 2001.

But even with these outstanding passing and catching numbers, MUS must become more balanced to be successful.

The Owls get another opportunity as they go on the road for the first time next Friday night against longtime rival ECS (2-0), a 47-0 winner last week against Overton. MUS leads the series 8-4, but the two teams have not played since 2000. Kickoff at ECS is set for 7:30 p.m.