MUS Sports News

Owls Head Into Exams At 7-2

The MUS varsity basketball team split two games this past week by losing a tough contest at Houston Friday, December 9, but then recovering and beating previously undefeated Bolton at home the next Monday.

Houston broke a close game open late in the second quarter with a 6-0 run to give the Mustangs a 26-17 lead heading into halftime. The Owls tried to close the gap but could not as they got no closer than six points the rest of the game. Houston played well and never gave MUS any opportunities as they won going away, 49-35. Jay Martin was the Owls’ only offensive threat as he scored 20 points by going 6 of 8 from three-point range.

After the disappointing loss, the Owls were determined to rebound as they took on the large, athletic Bolton squad the Monday before exams.

The game was close throughout much of the first half as neither team could garner more than a three-point lead. Yet a Peter-Zanca basket in the final thirty seconds of the half gave the Owls a 25-20 lead at the break.

MUS built on their momentum in the second half as they began the third quarter with a 13-5 run to give themselves a 38-25 lead. But Bolton stuck around and ultimately tied the score with 4:47 left in the game at 44 as MUS struggled to score in the fourth quarter.

But in the final four minutes, the Owls responded nicely by hitting 9 of 14 free throws and held on for the 55-53 win. Three players were in double figures for the Owls as Martin led with 18 points, while Zanca added 13 points and 5 rebounds, and Elliott Cole 11 points to help the Owls improve to 7-2.

MUS is currently taking exams and will not play again until December 28 in the Carbondale Holiday Invitational Tournament in Carbondale, Illinois.

Aquatic Owls Win Event

The MUS Aquatic Owls continued their strong early-season performances as they easily won a three-team meet last Saturday, December 10, that included St. Benedict and St. George's. The Owls scored 128 points, outdistancing the Eagles by 42 points and the Gryphons by 87 as Coach Laurie Clark's squad won both of the relay events and five of the six individual events.

The 200-yard medley relay team of seniors Eric Reid, Philippe Blais, and Daniel Harriman, and junior John Goldsmith placed ten seconds in front of the St. Benedict's team and twenty-five seconds in front of the St. George's team.

The 200-yard freestyle relay team of seniors Collier Calandruccio, Keith Parsons, Zak Kisber, and Dex Witte were again ten seconds ahead of the second-place team.  In addition, all four of the MUS exhibition relay teams had faster swim times than the second-place team.

Scoring individual firsts were Witte in the 200 free, junior Thomas McIntire in the 50 back, junior Scott Guinn in the 200 IM, Goldsmith in the 50 free, and junior John Reinhardt in the 50 breast.

Besides the strength of the first places, the team showed the depth with a number of swimmers scoring points.

Additional points were scored by junior Bill Bell (third in the 200 free), junior Drew Haight (fourth in the 200 free), junior Neale Hicks (fourth in the 50 back), Parsons (second in the 50 free), Kisber (secnd in the 50 breast), junior Byron Tyler (third in the 50 breast), junior Tyler Johnson (third in the 100 fly), and junior Ashton Fisher (fourth in the 100 fly).

The Aquatic Owls next will attend the Germantown Invitational at the Germantown Centre on Saturday, January 7th, at 8:15 a.m.

Wrestlers Begin Season

After having made history last season as they won their first match in State competition, the MUS varsity wrestling team is back on the mats now and ready to improve on last-year's fine showing.

In their first big meet of the 2005 season, Owl wrestlers took part in the Blackhorse Invitational at Houston High School last weekend, December 2 and 3, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the area. And the Owls took advantage with a strong showing.

Junior Zach Gordon (171 lb.) placed fifth in his weight class, and senior Cameron Ridgway (140 lb.) and freshman Barret Folk (103 lb.) each placed seventh in their brackets.

Coach Shaun Gehres took much out of the first tournament.

“It was a good opportunity to see where we were at, and there were overall signs of success,” said Gehres.

The new season also brings new captains to the mat, and for the Owls, they include seniors Mason George and Andrew Gordon and junior Gordon. Coaches have observed the excellent leadership in the practice room this season, but they still have youth on their roster, making for a good balance.

Overall, this year looks as if it could be very strong for the Owls if they can stay healthy. MUS has several tough teams on their schedule, including Germantown and CBHS, but the experience gained with last year's run at state should benefit them. The Owls did lose four seniors from last year, but they filled the spots well.

Coach Gehres knows what direction the team needs to be headed.

“The ultimate goal is to improve individually, because that will determine how much we improve as a team.”

Owls Find Success On The Road

After four strong local wins to open the season, the MUS varsity basketball team looked to extend their winning streak in the last week as they traveled to Nashville to play Montgomery Bell Academy and Father Ryan last weekend, December 2-3, and then returned home to play at FACS last Tuesday night.

Last Friday night against MBA, the Owls jumped out to an early lead on the Big Red (1-2) by outhustling them as MUS led, 20-14, heading into halftime.

Then in the second half, Louis Amagliani, who finished with 14 points, hit three three-pointers from the corner to put the game away as the Owls held the Big Red to just 21% shooting in the second half. Senior Peter Zanca led the Owls with an impressive double-double as he went 8-9 from the field, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The Owls won going away, 53-32.

With momentum from the impressive win, MUS took on a strong Father-Ryan team the next afternoon and looked to stay perfect.

The Owls started well as they jumped out to a 16-2 lead late in the first quarter. However, Ryan stay within reach after the run but could never pull even, eventually trailing at the break, 32-22.

In the second half, the Irish (3-2) picked up their intense man-to-man full-court pressure and eventually wore down the Owls as Ryan overtook MUS early in the fourth quarter. Will Thompson’s four three-pointers made the difference as Ryan outscored the Owls 28-12 in the second half to win, 50-44. Zanca continued his outstanding play as he led the Owls with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Looking to rebound last Tuesday, the Owls traveled to FACS to take on a strong Crusader squad.

Holding FACS to just 23% shooting in the first half, MUS held a  27-18 halftime lead. But in the third quarter, FACS rebounded to tie the game at 41-41 heading into the fourth quarter as they hit five third-quarter three-pointers.

But in the fourth quarter, the Owls regained momentum and blasted FACS with a 20-2 run to win going away, 61-43. Elliott Cole scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, and Zanca added 9 points and 10 rebounds. With the win, the Owls improved to 6-1.

On Friday, MUS travels to Houston to take on the Mustangs. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Swimmers Challenge in Chattanooga

Led by Coach Laurie Clark, eighteen swimmers represented MUS at the McCallie Invitational in Chattanooga last weekend, December 2 and 3.  Competition included top teams from Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, and the Owls fared very well.

Senior Daniel Harriman placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle finals competition with a time of 23.28 and seventh in the 100-yard freestyle, swimming 51.93.  The 200-yard freestyle relay team, consisting of senior Dex Witte, Harriman, and juniors Erim Sarinoglu and John Goldsmith swam a 1:38.12, placing eighth in the finals.

Additional individual swimmers scoring points included Witte in the 200-yard freestyle and freshman Johnny Dillon in the 100-yard backstroke.  The 200-yard medley relay team of Sarinoglu, senior Collier Calandruccio, Harriman, and senior Keith Parsons and the 400-yard freestyle relay team of junior Bill Bell, Dillon, Witte, and Goldsmith also placed in the top 16.

Owls Defeat Millington

The MUS varsity basketball team moved it record to 4-0 by beating the Millington Central Trojans, 73-52, last Tuesday night at Ross Lynn Arena.

The Owls jumped out early on the Trojans by forcing some turnovers and getting out on the break as they raced to an early 17-4 lead.

A Millington run closed the gap, but MUS extended it late in the second quarter to take a 37-19 halftime lead.

The Owls came out in the second half and preserved the lead as they ultimately forced 25 Millington turnovers while also shooting 51% from the field.

Jay Martin scored 25 points to lead the Owls, and Elliott Cole added 21 points.

This weekend, MUS travels to Nashville to face MBA on Friday and Father Ryan on Saturday. The MBA game tips off  at 7:00 p.m., while the Father Ryan tilt tips at 2:30 p.m.