MUS Sports News

MUS Wrestlers Cruising into Regional Duals

The varsity wrestling Owls can now look back on what has been a successful regular season in many ways. The MUS squad is nearing the postseason with an overall record of 10 wins and 4 losses. Owl wrestlers have made great showings at numerous meets and tournaments all season. One of the most notable finishes was at the Cordova duals where the Owls defeated White Station and St. Benedict on their way to taking 3rd place.

Led by Coach Shaun Gehres, the Owls are competing hard and will look to better last season's eighth-place State finish. Gehres is pleased with this year's squad.

"The team has done a great job this year, and we are still working to get better," says Coach Gehres. "A coach's expectation for a team is always to continue to get better, and I think we have achieved that thus far."

The coaching staff is still focusing on improvement in various areas. Also, they are optimistic about their postseason chances.

"We have the potential to do very well in the Regional Duals if everything falls into place," commented Gehres. "But seeds and tradition mean nothing at this point; we must come out and perform."

While the Owls have had wonderful individual performances throughout the year, good old teamwork has kept them so consistent.

"The biggest factor in the success of the team this year has been just that, the team," says Coach Gehres, admiring the willingness of the wrestlers to do what is asked of them to help the team.

MUS wrestlers will face a tough task at Regionals, but if the team's consistency holds, the Owls can do well at the State Duals, held February 4-5 in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Basketball Team Gets Into Region Play

MUS played two road games last week, losing to CBHS and winning against ECS.  Both of these teams were big rivals in the conference, making these games very important.

First, MUS played at CBHS last Tuesday, losing 53-34.  Peter Zanca and John Stokes were the Owls’ high scorers with 8 points each, while Zanca also picked up 9 rebounds and Stokes shot 100% on his field goals.  But those numbers were not enough as CBHS outrebounded MUS, 31-24.  For the Wave, Chris Mosby had 15 points and Chris Walker added 12.  But CBHS looked good from the start as they never trailed.

Next, MUS played at ECS last Friday, winning 45-42.  After the Owls had opened up with a 10-0 lead in the beginning, ECS quickly closed the gap and made this game very close throughout with four lead changes.  Jimbo Welch was the Owls’ high scorer with 12 points, and John Stokes added 10.  Also, Philip Flinn came off the bench for a great game, nailing two late free throws to seal the win.  MUS finished the game going 11 for 16 from the free-throw line.  Barrett Jones was ECS’ high scorer with 14 points.  With the win, the Owls improved to 11-7, 2-1 in their conference.

Tuesday and Friday of this week, the Owls will play two home game, both at 7:30 p.m., against Briarcrest and St. Benedict.

MUS Records Big Homecoming Win

The week of January 10 was a very good week for the varsity basketball team as the Owls were perfect in their three games, including a solid win Friday night on Homecoming against Harding to open up region play.

MUS first defeated Southaven High School, 65-33, at MUS as the Owls were never threatened by the outmanned Chargers.  Jay Martin had 17 points, while Peter Zanca, Charles Askew, and Jimbo Welch all scored in the double digits; Zanca also added eight rebounds.  The Owls’ total field-goal percentage was 49%.

The Owls next played Harding for Homecoming on Friday, January 14, winning 64-52. The Owls led 30-24 at the half and outscored Harding 34-28 in the second half.  Peter Zanca had 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Jay Martin and Jimbo Welch each added 14 points. The Owls outrebounded the Lions 37-18 overall and shot 58.1% from the field for the game. The Owls held the area's leading scorer, Mariun Price, to only 15 points, only the second time in 17 games that he had not scored at least 20 points. With the win, MUS jumped out to a 1-0 record in the region.

Last, the Owls played Rosemark the next evening and won easily in this make-up game from last November, 69-24.  The Owls jumped on the Rebels and led 33-11 at the half. Everyone on the roster scored, led by John Stokes with 13 points.  MUS forced 23 turnovers and held Rosemark to 19.4% shooting. With the wins, the Owls improved to 10-6.

The Owls will next play CBHS and ECS, both big rivals, on the 18th and the 21st.  Tipoffs for both road games will be at 7:30 p.m.

Owls Go 1-1 Last Week

After having placed third in the First South Bank Holiday Tournament during Christmas break, the varsity basketball team split their two games last week, dominating Millington in a road game but losing to a tough Lausanne team at home.

First, the Owls played an away game on Tuesday, January 4, against Millington and easily won, 60-34.  Jay Martin was the high scorer of the game with 17 points while Elliot Cole added 14.  Also, Peter Zanca posted 12 points and 8 rebounds.  The Owls’ win can also be attributed to their shooting, particularly in the first half, as they finished the game hitting 7 of 15 three-pointers.  The defense also held Millington to only 12 points in the second half.

Then, against Lausanne, the Owls got behind early and could never get back into the game as the Lynx won, 47-34.  Peter Zanca posted a double-double, making him the high scorer for MUS as he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  The Owls outscored Lausanne by 3 in the second half, but they were too far behind, scoring only two points in the second quarter.  Shun Trevillian led Lausanne with 22 points.

The Owls now look forward to Homecoming as they play Harding on Friday, January 14.  Then, they play Rosemark in a make-up game on Saturday.  Tip-off for both games is at 7:30 p.m.

Basketball Team Gets Third in Holiday Tournament

The Christmas break was definitely busy for the varsity basketball team as they played five games to prepare them for the region season.  After having won three straight games before exams, the Owls suffered losses against Houston and Kingsbury and then finished third in the First South Bank Holiday Tournament in Jackson, Tennessee.

First, the Owls lost to Houston, 51-48, on Friday, December 10, at MUS.  Although MUS had a nine-point lead at one point in the game, the Mustangs eventually won by three in a close game.  Elliot Cole was the Owls’ high scorer with 11 points, and Philip May added 10.

The Owls next played on Saturday, December 11, against Kingsbury and again suffered a close defeat, 56-51.  After having gotten off to a great start but eventually trailing by one at the half, the Owls tried to get back into the game but were 0-12 from three-point range for the contest.  The Owls were almost saved by their free throw shooting, shooting 94%, but their defense let them down in the end.  Jimbo Welch was the Owls’ high scorer with 20 points, and Peter Zanca added 14.

MUS then had several days off before playing in the First South Bank Holiday Tournament, held at Jackson Christian School.  The Owls’ first-round opponent was Madison Academic, a new school in Madison County.  The Owls won this game, 57-32, with every player on the team scoring.  The Owls took control from the beginning, leading 38-14 at half, and never looking back.

The Owls next played Wayne County in semifinal action.  Wayne County’s zone troubled MUS most of the evening, and the Owls’ offense never got untracked as they lost, 52-36.  No one on the Owls’ team scored more than nine points in suffering the setback that sent them to the third-place game.

In that game, MUS easily handled Columbia Academy, 56-31, as Zanca added 13 points and 10 rebounds.  The Owls ended the tournament with a record of 6-5 for the season.

Owl Wrestlers Preparing for the Bulk of the Season

After many practices, scrimmages, and preseason competitions, wrestling season officially kicked off at the start of December with the Blackhorse Tournament at Houston High School.  In that first weekend of December, the MUS wrestlers placed seventh as a team out of nineteen teams from Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.  Individually, many Owls wrestled very well and impressively placed in the large field.  Sophomore Zack Gordon took 1st place in the 160-pound weight class, starting the season out very strong.  Other impressive finishes at the Blackhorse included 2nd  place finishers Josh Hall (145), Nelson Rainey (152), and Joey Friend (212); also, Andrew Gordon placed 5th place in the heavyweight class.

Following the Blackhorse Tournament were two team meets in which the Owls competed well.  In the first meet, the Owls defeated both Arlington and Briarcrest but fell to a strong Germantown team by only two points.  Then, the Owls continued their season with a tough match against Collierville, losing 23 to 49.  MUS wrestlers went into the holiday break with a positive mindset, focusing on the new year.

Coach Shaun Gehres was pleased with what he had observed in the first few meets.

“We have the talent to become a better team overall.  We’ll use the winter break to get back on the right track.”

Looking ahead, Gehres said, “Our consistency as a team will determine how far we get in the postseason.”

The next match will be on January 6 when the Owls travel to Munford.