MUS Sports News

Wrestling Owls Finish Solid Season

Wrestling at MUS has been a growing program for many years now, and this season was no different.

Over the President’s Day weekend, the varsity wrestlers traveled to Chattanooga to compete in the State Individual Championships. This tournament gave the Owls an opportunity to focus on their individual efforts and to produce some notable finishes from West Tennessee.

MUS had four wrestlers place in their weight divisions.

Senior Andrew Gordon (275 lbs) earned a sixth-place finish after having triumphed in three matches in the heavyweight division. Freshman Barret Folk (103) had an emphatic 12-1 victory over an Ensworth opponent to give him a fifth-place finish. Junior Zach Gordon (171) won three matches before losing to an MBA opponent, 9-3, in his final match that gave him fourth place. Finally, senior Mason George (189) beat an opponent from Brentwood Academy and one from Briarcrest, advancing him to the semifinals. George then lost to a formidable McCallie opponent before winning his third-place match, 13-6.

Coach Shaun Gehres said of George, his team’s highest placing wrestler, “he worked for his third-place finish as hard as most guys work that get first place.” 

Aside from the four Owls who placed, Andrew Maroda (119), Cameron Ridgway (135), William McGehee (145), and Sam Goldstein (152) all earned wins during the tournament.

This season began in December for the Owls with the annual Blackhorse Invitational at Houston High School. The Owls had three wrestlers who placed in the top eight as they gained valuable experience. The Owls then picked up their first wins of the regular season over Munford and White Station. After these wins, MUS sent the JV team to Nashville where four wrestlers placed fourth or better in the McGavock Invitational.

The Owls started out 2006 with an eighth-place finish in the Ravenwood Tournament, with a first and second-place individual performance by George and Andrew Gordon, respectively. The next tournament was in mid-January when MUS took on a competitive field in the CBHS Duals and came out with a fifth-place finish. Then, in local competition, MUS had earned three more team victories before the Regional tournament began.

At the Regional Championships, MUS beat Harding, 43-33, to secure a sixth straight runner-up finish in their region.  After having qualified for State, the Owls traveled to Clarksville to compete in the State Duals.  MUS faced two tough opponents and claimed seventh place overall.

This season has once again been satisfactory for the coaches and wrestlers. Coach Gehres, Coach Hendrix, and Coach Knaff believe that the wrestlers have once again improved and made the best of their abilities. 

“I really think that the good season we had was made possible by the great senior leadership we have,” said Coach Gehres, reflecting on the season. 

Coach Gehres is very happy with the experience that young wrestlers have gotten this season, and the Owls look forward to another great season next year.

Owls Advance To Semifinals

The MUS varsity basketball team entered the regional tournament as the fifth seed and knew that they would have to place in the top three to advance to state tournament. And the Owls are well on their way as they have won their first two games in the tournament and have advanced to the semifinals, defeating SBEC in the first round and Elliston in the quarterfinals.

On Monday against the Trojans, the Owls jumped out to a 19-7 lead heading into the second quarter and were never seriously challenged, posting the 63-38 victory.

The Owls dominated the boards, outrebounding SBEC 47-21, and held SBEC to just 6 assists the entire game.

All players played as Jay Martin led the Owls with 12 points, while Elliott Cole added 11 points and 7 rebounds. Ferrakohn Hall also had a nice game with 6 assists and 8 rebounds.

On Wednesday night, behind good outside shooting and effective passing, MUS jumped out to a 15-5 lead to start the game. But the Raiders fought back and tied the game at the half at 29.

In the third quarter, MUS dominated and led the entire quarter behind poor shooting from the Raiders. But like any good team, Elliston came back in the fourth and took several brief leads.

But with a Hall basket with 3:30 remaining, MUS took the lead for good and made 9 free-throws down the stretch to maintain the advantage. Elliston had one last chance to tie the game, but Mike Hale’s half-court shot was long to give the Owls the 66-63 win.

Martin and Cole both scored 18 to pace the Owls, and John Stokes added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Hale led all scorers with 29 points on 11-21 shooting for Elliston. 

With the win, the Owls advance to the semifinals and will face top-seeded ECS on Friday night. MUS needs to win one of their next two games in order to advance to state.

For complete tournament coverage, click here.

Owls Win Two Heading Into Region Tournament

Heading into the final two games of the regular season, the MUS varsity basketball team needed wins in both to garner momentum and secure a good seed in the upcoming regional tournament. And they got those pressured wins, beating St. Benedict on Tuesday, 55-51, and Briarcrest on Thursday, 60-43.

Tuesday, MUS looked in trouble early, falling behind 20-5 to start the game as the Eagles hit some early shots.

But the Owls clamped down defensively and ended up regaining the lead by the half, 28-26.

The second half was close throughout, but MUS made free throws down the stretch and refused to allow St. Benedict to retake the lead. For the game, MUS went 17-20 from the line, while St. Benedict went only 6-13.

Elliott Cole led the Owls with 17 points, and John Stokes scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

Two nights later, MUS not only was looking to avenge a 52-46 loss to the Saints earlier in the year, but also wanted to grab the five-seed in the postseason tournament.

However, those goals looked in trouble very early as Briarcrest jumped out to a 4-0 lead on two quick baskets. But once the Owls drew even at 4, Briarcrest never lead again.

MUS handled BCS’ pressure much better than in their previous loss as they committed only 14 turnovers.

In the second half, MUS got many easy baskets because of their patience and ability to handle pressure, and they shot 53% for the half to cruise to victory.

Jay Martin and Cole led the Owls with 17 points each as they combined to hit 7 three-point field goals.

With the wins, MUS secured the fifth seed in the regional tournament and will face SBEC at home this Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. 

Click here for complete regional-tournament coverage.

Swimmers Claim Second At County

Last Saturday, February 11, the Aquatic Owls participated in the Shelby County Swimming Championships at the University of Memphis and performed very well as they claimed second against some of the best competition in the county. These championships included teams from both public and private schools as swimming is not a TSSAA-recognized sport. 

The Owls scored 566 total points, finishing behind only CBHS (690).  MUS defeated fine squads such as Houston (314), Collierville (293), ECS (269), Germantown (247), White Station (244), Bolton (163), St Benedict (127), St. George's (104), Bartlett (48), Briarcrest (39), and Lausanne (7).

The 35 MUS swimmers really showed what teamwork is all about. 

With no first-place finishers and only one second-place relay team, the Owls were deep in all events, entering the maximum number of qualifiers in all individual races. In addition, all but one of the Owl swimmers scored points, an amazing feat.

Individual scorers included seniors Collier Calandruccio, Daniel Harriman, Keith Parsons, Hayden Pendergrass, Eric Reid, and Dex Witte; juniors Bill Bell, Ashton Fisher, John Goldsmith, Scott Guinn, Drew Haight, Drew Hammond, Neale Hicks, Tyler Johnson, Ross Kerwin, Andy Kim, Thomas McIntire, Alex Olinger, John Reinhardt, Erim Sarinoglu, and Byron Tyler; sophomores Jack Montgomery and Luke Wynn; and freshmen Johnny Dillon, Jon Mitchell, John Rutledge, Forrest Wortham, and Tucker Witte.

The MUS Team now heads to Nashville on Thursday, February 23, for the Tennessee State Swimming Championships. With nine swimmers qualified in 15 events and at least three relays, the Aquatic Owls are looking for places in finals.

Wrestlers Take Seventh At State

The MUS wrestling team traveled to Clarksville on February 3 and 4 for the State Duals after having claimed second place at the regional duals for the sixth consecutive time.

Despite competing hard, the Owls lost both of their matches at state as they battled eventual state-champion McCallie and Nashville-power Father Ryan. Even with the losses, the squad claimed seventh place overall.

In their match against McCallie, the Owls put up 15 points, getting pins from senior Mason George (189) and sophomore Sam Goldstein (152) and a 4-2 point win from senior Cameron Ridgway (135).

Then, against the Fightin’ Irish, MUS fell, 57-21, as they got pins from George (189) and junior Mac McCormack (130), a forfeit victory from freshman Mason Gudelsky (112), and Ridgway’s (135) 11-10 point win.

Despite the two setbacks, head coach Shaun Gehres and the staff are pleased with where the program is currently.

“The main goal for us right now is to improve competition that West Tennessee brings to the State level, and I think we’re doing that,” said Gehres, who recognizes that the wrestling powerhouses from Middle and East Tennessee are on a higher level right now than West Tennessee.

This weekend, the Owls travel to Chattanooga to compete in the State Individual Tournament. This week is all about getting the Owl wrestlers motivated for themselves. The team generally views the atmosphere at the individual competition much more laid back, and MUS coaches are excited that a handful of Owls have the potential to place this season.

Diamond Owls Begin Practice On Monday

MUS Baseball will start practice on Monday, February 13, in preparation for the 2006 season that opens up March 15 against Millington High School in the Metro Invitational Tournament.

Head Coach Marc MacMillan ’92 is enthusiastic and excited about the start of the season.

“The process of preparation began with summer baseball and continued with our physical-development program throughout the fall and winter, so the first day of practice brings an sense of optimism and excitement.”

The Diamond Owls are coming off of a year in which they won 24 games and finished runner-up during the regular-season divisional play. However, Coach MacMillan is aware that this year’s team is different than his 2005 club.

“Our 2005 ball club was made up of an experienced group of seniors, many of whom had played at the varsity level since their freshman year. Their experience and excellent leadership allowed for a successful season, both on and off the field,” said MacMillan.

“Our 2006 squad has 12 letterman returning, including seven seniors. Our senior leadership will continue to be very good. The on-the-field experience level, however, will dictate the need for patience early in the season and development throughout in preparation for the D2 West Tennessee Regional Tournament.”

The Diamond Owls preseason and regular-season schedules are available on the MUS Baseball website.

Basketball Loses Two

The MUS varsity basketball team fell in its two games this past week as they lost a hard-fought, overtime thriller at CBHS, 59-58, and then were soundly defeated Tuesday night at ECS, losing 75-47. With the losses, MUS’s record stands at 15-10, 2-6 in the region.

On Friday night at CBHS, the game was close the entire night as there were seven lead changes, and the largest lead that either team held was just 8 points.

After having trailed by 5 points at the half, 31-26, the Owls fought back in the third quarter behind Elliott Cole’s 11 third-quarter points and led, 49-44, heading into the fourth.

But the Owls could not close the game out as they had no answer for CBHS’s Chris Walker, who ended up with 21 points and 8 rebounds. However, MUS still had a chance to win at the end of regulation.

After Kevin Gray had stolen the ball from CBHS’ Martin Mitchell, he was fouled on the floor on his way to the basket with two seconds left.  Then, having to take the ball out under the basket, the Owls got a shot, but Walker blocked the John-Stokes attempt, sending the game into the extra stanza, tied at 55.

In overtime, CBHS made two important free throws going down the stretch to win. In the loss, Cole led the Owls with an impressive 26 points. Ferrakohn Hall added 10 for the Owls.

On Tuesday night at ECS, the Owls got behind early and never could get back into the game against the lead-leading Eagles. MUS could not stop ECS forward Tim Johnson as he scored 28 and grabbed 13 rebounds. Cole scored 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Owls, and Philip May added 10 points also.

The Owls face Briarcrest next at home on Friday, February 10. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Aquatic Owls Look To Postseason

In the last regular-season meet of the year, the varsity swim team fought a close battle with the Germantown team and finished in a tie at 100 points. Also swimming were Collierville (37 points), Bolton (20 points), and St. Benedict (19 points).

The Aquatic Owls showed what teamwork is all about with the maximum three swimmers per school scoring in every event.  Seniors Dex Witte in the 100-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle and Daniel Harriman in the 50-yard butterfly and 100-yard individual medley placed second in both their events. The 400-yard freestyle team of Harriman, juniors Erim Sarinoglu and John Goldsmith, and freshman Johnny Dillon placed 2nd, also.

Third-place finishes were recorded by Dillon in the 100-yard backstroke, Goldsmith in the 100-yard freestyle, freshmen Tucker Witte in the 500-yard freestyle, and Jon Mitchell in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Other scoring Owls included senior Collier Calandruccio, juniors Bill Bell, Ashton Fisher, Andy Kim, and Scott Guinn, and freshmen John Rutledge and Forrest Wortham.

Next Saturday, February 11, the swimmers compete in the Shelby County Championships at the University of Memphis.  All 13 men's teams in the Memphis area compete.  The Owls will look to improve on last-season's runner-up finish at the county meet.

Wrestlers Battle At State

The varsity wrestling team made their fifth straight state-dual appearance earlier today in Clarksville, Tennessee.  Despite losing both of their team matches, the Owls were very competitive and claimed seventh overall. 

For a complete breakdown of the McCallie and Father Ryan matches, click here from the TSSAA website.

Wrestlers Take Second At Region

The MUS varsity wrestling team had finished in second place for five consecutive seasons coming into last weekend's event.  This year, they entered the tournament at Briarcrest with momentum from two recent wins.

Just four days before the Regional competition, the Owls had beaten St. Benedict, 43-26, and then they went on to roll over Kingsbury, 72-12. In order to qualify for the State competition, the Owls needed to place in the top two at the Regional tournament.
         
Being seeded second in the tournament, the Owls drew a first-round bye and automatically advanced to the second round. They met Harding in this round and won a tight one, 43-33. The Owls had great individual efforts put forth on the mat against the Lions. Senior Cameron Ridgway won a big match against a ranked foe, and junior Miles DeBardeleben stepped up and got a crucial pin. The Owls then moved on to the final round where they took a sixth consecutive runner-up finish after having lost to CBHS.
         
The Owls were happy with the effort put forth at the Regional competition, and they acheived their goal of qualifying for State. This weekend, the Owls are in Clarksville for the State Duals. Last season, MUS made wrestling history by winning their first match at the State Duals. This year, the team hopes to improve on that history, but they will face formidable challenges, such as their first-round opponent, McCallie.