In its most complete game of the year, the MUS varsity football team won the “Super 7” state championship with a 35-14 victory over perennial power Brentwood Academy Tuesday, November 23, at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville as the Owls won only their second state title and first in nineteen years.
The win culminated an outstanding season that saw MUS finish 11-1 and galvanize the school community, from students to alums, as school spirit reached levels not seen in years.
But just like many games this season, the Owls had to overcome setbacks to succeed in this championship tilt.
In front of a crowd of approximately four-thousand frenzied fans, a majority of whom were MUS supporters, and a Comcast-cable televised audience that reached into ten states and approximately 4.5 million homes, the game could not have gotten off to a worse start.
Just 14 seconds into the contest, the Owls faced a deficit as RB Tyree Ford took the opening kickoff and returned it 91 yards for the score to give BA the early 7-0 lead.
The situation did not get much better once MUS got the ball. On the first play from scrimmage from the MUS 30-yard line, Eagle LB John Garrett intercepted QB Rob Park and returned it to the MUS 27-yard line as BA looked to put the game away.
At this point, as they had faced so many times before, the Owls could have easily given up, simply satisfied with reaching their first Clinic Bowl in fourteen years.
However, not this team and not this year.
Following a defensive stand that saw BA give the ball up on downs in MUS territory, the Owls got back into the game on their next drive. Park culminated a 10-play, 69-yard drive that amassed 4:40 as he hit WR John David Lawhorn from 16-yards out for the touchdown that evened the score late in the first quarter.
And from that point, MUS was never seriously challenged as they kept the solid BA defense off-balance with excellent play-calling and stymied the Eagle backs, allowing only one offensive touchdown all evening.
The Owls held a 21-7 halftime lead as they scored on three consecutive possessions to end the half. Following the Park-to-Lawhorn pass, MUS added an 8-yard Kane-Alber run and a second Park-to-Lawhorn touchdown pass, this one on a slant between several defenders from 8-yards out, to build a dominant 14-point lead over the Eagles, who had been state runner-up four consecutive years heading into this game.
The Owls had to feel confident at the break as they had put together consistently long drives against this powerful BA defense and had not given more than 17 points all season, so with 21 MUS points already on the board, the Owls looked poised to bring the trophy back west.
The Eagles did try to get back into the game early in the second half. Following an MUS punt, BA needed only one play to cut the deficit in half as Ford scored again, this time on a 69-yard run, to make the game closer.
However, this groups of Owls, with their classmates, parents, faculty, administration, and alumni behind them, would not falter on this historic night.
MUS added two more touchdowns to squelch the Eagle momentum and win handily against the ten-time state champion. A Park 1-yard plunge in the third quarter and an amazing 16-yard Houdini run by senior Warren Grimm, during which he magically reappeared in the endzone after having been swallowed in a large scrum near the 15-yard line, gave the Owls the 21-point advantage as the final five minutes served as a coronation for the team and fans.
MUS may have had more talented teams in the past, but the senior leadership of the ’04 squad set this one apart. Led by captains Kane Alber, Joey Friend, and Warren Grimm, the Owls stayed committed throughout the season to achieving their goal: to play as hard as they could for their teammates and school.
Because of this commitment, begun in the summer by carrying out the school banner to preseason practices, fans and alumni easily got behind this team to support them as the Clinic-Bowl turnout showed.
And scattered in the enthusiastic crowd on that joyous Tuesday night were some gentlemen who knew exactly what the team and coaches were going through. Several members of the 1985 state-title team felt compelled to see the Owls capture their first football trophy since they won nineteen years earlier. They had learned the lessons of commitment, teamwork, and pride, and they wanted to relive the glory they had achieved back in 1985 with this 2004 squad.
Diego Winegardner, a defensive end of the first title team, was one of many so proud of the team. He, along with many of his teammates, wanted the present team to “Know that the spirit of the 1985 team is firmly with you as you go forward onto the field of battle.” The bond between past and present has never been stronger.
The victory and season will be celebrated for many months to come as the community again has a renewed sense of pride in the U. And whether they attended on not, members of that 1985 team had to have a little smile when they saw the victorious result.