MUS Sports News

Last Three Games of Regular Season for Owls

The Owls played two games two weeks ago, and one last week, winning one and losing two.  These three games were the last games for the Owls until the region tournament.

First, the Owls played ECS, winning 34-32.  The Owls’ high scorer was Jay Martin with eight points, while John Stokes picked up seven rebounds.  Patrick Hodges led ECS in scoring with 14 points.  Both teams made just above 37% from the field. With only ten seconds left in the game, Martin made a three giving MUS the lead, 34-32.  After this, ECS had one last chance to win with a three at the buzzer, but a miss from the corner gave MUS the hard-fought victory.

Next the Owls played Briarcrest, losing 50-40.  Elliot Cole was the Owls’ high scorer with 16 points, making 5-9 from the field.  The Owls once again shot nearly 38% from the field.  Michael Oher led Briarcrest with 20 points.  The game started out poorly as Briarcrest led at the end of the first quarter, 13-2.  But the Owls did not fold, and by the half they had closed the gap to 25-18.  But MUS could never take the lead, and even though they had cut the lead to six at one point in the fourth quarter, they got no closer.

Then, to end the regular season,  the Owls lost, 54-41, last Tuesday against St. Benedict at St. Benedict, the site of the region tournament.  Jay Martin led the Owls in scoring with 12 points on 5-11 shooting. Peter Zanca added 9 points and 6 rebounds, but 18 turnovers and 47% shooting from the Eagles did in the Owls.  Reggie Peyton led SBA with 19 points and 7 assists.  With the loss, MUS finished the regular season at 13-12, 4-6 in the region and will face Catholic in the first round of the Division II West Regional Tournament.

Owls Travel to State and Wrestle in Historic Match

Last weekend, February 4-5, the varsity wrestling squad traveled to Clarksville, Tennessee, to participate in the State Duals, the final team competition of the season.  After the Owls had achieved an impressive regular-season record of 12-4 and finished second in the regional duals, MUS looked ready for the state competition.

On Friday, the first day, the Owls drew a tough first match against Montgomery Bell Academy.  MUS fell to MBA, 54-25, but the Owls produced some nice wins from the upper end of the weight classes.  Josh Hall (145), Zach Gordon (160), Grayson Sharpe (171), Mason George (189), and Andrew Gordon (275) all won big matches for the school.

The next day, the Owls came back out on the mats rejuvenated and prepared to face another middle-Tennessee powerhouse, Brentwood Academy.  The Owls put on quite a performance as they blew out the Eagles, 63-18.  MUS winners in the match included senior Sloan Abernathy, juniors Johnny Duke, Mason George, Andrew Gordon, Frank Jemison, and Cameron Ridgway, sophomores Ken Haltom and Ben Stallworth, freshman Andrew Amos, and 8th graders Barrett Folk and Andrew Maroda.  The Owls allowed only 3 individual losses, one of which was a forfeit, in their first win ever in the history of State Duals.

The Owls then advanced to take on Notre Dame but fell 63-12.  However, the Owls stayed upbeat knowing that they had won their first match at State Duals and had finished in the top six of the best competition in the state.

The MUS wrestlers will next look to Chattanooga where they will compete in the State Individual Championships on February 18-19.

MUS Swimmers Edge Germantown to Finish the Regular Season

Over the weekend, Owl swimmers were prepared to conclude their regular season and go into the postseason on a winning note.  Their Saturday meet turned out to be one of the most eventful competitions of this year.  After the 100 Freestyle, 50 Butterfly, and 100 Backstroke competitions, the Owls jumped out to an early 34-30 lead over Germantown High.  However, Red Devils then swept the top three in the 100 Individual Medley and took first in the 100 Breaststroke and 400 Freestyle Relay; this impressive run gave the Red Devils a commanding 86-67 lead over MUS.

As the Owls’ hopes for the win were dwindling, sophomores Bill Bell and Drew Haight and junior Dex Witte were preparing to swim the 500 Freestyle.  They knew they would have to perform well under pressure, and they succeeded, each cutting their best time by 10-16 seconds.  The three freestyle swimmers earned 20 points for their phenomenal finishes, sealing an MUS victory by one point.

Besides the incredible comeback by the Owls, many individuals also finished the regular season with season-best performances.  Sophomore John Goldsmith swan the 100 Freestyle in 55 seconds, a time that was worthy of a State cut.  Senior Aaron Struminger, junior Keith Parsons, Bell and Haight, and freshman Ross Montague also swam the 100 Freestyle in under 60 seconds, a feat which made them the newest members of the inter-team Sub 60 Club.  Also, 80% of the swims on Saturday were MUS swimmers’ best times, including a 100 Breaststroke time of 1:10.07 recorded by Hank Wynn.  Wynn’s time broke the school record in that event, previously held by Hank Wynn himself.

The MUS swimmers look very prepared to take on the competition that the County Championships have to offer.  The County Meet will be held at the University of Memphis with the first swims starting at 9:00 a.m.  The Owl swimmers look forward to the competition, and, as always, encourage postseason fan support.

Owls Split Region Games

The varsity basketball team split their region games last week as the season winds down. The Owls started out last week well as they went to Harding and handed the Lions an overwhelming 60-46 loss. But MUS could not maintain the momentum as CBHS beat the Owls last Friday night, 54-45.

At Harding, MUS started slowly, shooting only 29.2% in the first half and trailing, 25-17, at the break. But after a spirited halftime talk, the Owls got untracked in the second half, hitting their first seven shots in the half and grabbing their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter, an advantage they would never relinquish.

MUS had four players in double-figures, led by Elliott Cole's 14 points. Jay Martin added 12, while both Peter Zanca and Jimbo Welch had 10 points. Harding was paced by their leading scorer, Mariun Price, who had 30 points. But the Lions did not have much behind Price, and the Owls' balance and dominance on the boards, outrebounding Harding, 38-22, led to the victory.

But MUS could not maintain their momentum in their next game, a home date against CBHS. The Owls started slowly but got back into the game in the second quarter and actually led at the break, 28-27. But the Purple Wave's inside dominance, led by Chris Walker and Chris Mosby, eventually wore on the scrappy Owls. MUS shot only 21.7% in the second half and could not overcome the CBHS big men as the Wave shot 50% for the game. Cole once again led MUS with 12 points, while Martin added 11. With the loss, MUS fell to 12-10, 3-4 in the region.

The Owls return to action next week as they battle ECS at home on Tuesday in the last home game and Briarcrest on the road next Friday. Tipoff for both league games is set for 7:30 p.m.

Tough Home Games Tough on the Owls

Last week, the varsity basketball team lost two consecutive home league games against Briarcrest and St. Benedict.  These two losses leave the Owls 2-3 in their conference.

First, on Tuesday, the Owls played Briarcrest and lost, 52-42.  The Owls’ two high scorers were John Stokes and Jimbo Welch with 15 and 10 points, respecitvely.  The Saints was led by center Michael Oher with 18 points and Patrick Spach with 15 as Spach hit three out his four three-point attempts.  Briarcrest also shot 61% from the field.  MUS, on the other hand, only made one of thirteen three-pointers.

Next, MUS played St. Benedict (16-7) Friday night and lost, 56-40.  Peter Zanca and Jay Martin had 9 and 8 points respectively for MUS, while John Nollner had 21 for St. Benedict, making all four of his three-point attempts.  The Eagles were not tested throughout as they led the whole game, outrebounding the taller Owls, 24-18.

The Owls will have two big games this week as they try to get back to their winning ways.  MUS has Harding on Tuesday and play at home against CBHS on Friday.

Owl Swimmers Turning Heads as Postseason Approaches

At times, swimming can be one of the most overlooked sports at MUS, often being overshadowed by the winter thrills on the basketball court.  However, if anyone has overlooked Owl swimmers this year, it certainly could not have been because of lack of performance.

This year, the MUS swimming squad has achieved outstanding recognitions at local and regional competitions.  The aquatic Owls have taken 1st place in three of their five county meets, and they gained much midseason momentum with an impressive 2nd place finish in the Germantown Invitational.  Earlier in the season, MUS was honored to compete in the McCallie School Invitational, being the only school from West Tennessee to be invited to the event that included schools from Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.  With the season winding down, the Owls have an incredible county record of 31-3 and an overall record of 39-16.

MUS swimmers’ success has not come easily this season.  Coach Laurie Clark praised the sense of teamwork which the Owls actively respected.

“They have put in a lot of hours at practice,” said Coach Clark.  “In order to strengthen the team in events where we lacked depth, several team members worked diligently in strokes and
distances other than their best and did extremely well.”

Many team members have found addition motivation this year in the Sub-60 Club, a new establishment of swimmers that includes those who can swim the 100-meter event in under 60 seconds.

At this point in the season, seven swimmers from MUS have qualified for the State Meet; this number of participants is larger than any other since swimming was brought back to MUS six years ago.  Seniors Cody Mayer, Aaron Struminger, and Hank Wynn, juniors Philippe Blais, Daniel Harriman, and Dex Witte, and sophomore Erim Sarinoglu have all qualified to compete in the state competition held in Nashville with over 100 other teams.  Despite the large field of participants, the team remains confident with their strengths and has set clear goals for themselves.

“At State this year,” declared Clark, “Our goal is for at least two of our three relay teams to place in the top 16.”

With only one more meet left before the County Championships, the Owls are on pace to reach their goals.