MUS Sports News

Soccer Team In Germantown Invitational

With four straight wins heading into Tuesday’s game against ECS, the MUS varsity soccer team hoped to continue their winning ways. But inclement weather forced the officials to call the game midway through the second half at a score of 1-1.

Brian Evans scored for the Owls.

So far this season, the Owls have played well, and their record stands at 8-2-2.

The Owls will face their most important stretch of games as they play in the Germantown Invitational this weekend and then try to qualify for state through regionals.

On April 28, the Owls play Baylor for the first-round game of the Germantown Invitational. Over the next two days, the Owls challenge Germantown High School and Pope John Paul II.

Tennis Team Gets Shutout Wins

Last week, the varsity tennis Owls had one of their bigger weeks of the year, taking on two of the better squads in West Tennessee and coming out of top in both team matches.

Last Tuesday, the Owls came off a four-day weekend break refreshed and ready to take on University School of Jackson. The last time the Owls played USJ, MUS beat them, 9–0, in Jackson, but three matches went to close tiebreaks. This time the match was at MUS, but the scoreboard would not change as the Owls once again won, 9–0.

Not only did the Owls best players play, but also some younger members of the team got some experience too because of extra players that USJ brought.

The Owls then took the court Thursday to play their rivals, CBHS.  The Brothers didn’t put up much of a fight as the Owls rolled, 9 – 0.

Now MUS looks to the Francis E. Carter Tournament in Nashville. 

The tournament, which spans from April 28-29, is the last competition for the Owls before the Regional Individual Tournament, which starts the first day of May. Last season, the Owls took second in the Francis Carter Tournament.

Although the Owls have been juggling their roster from time to time, the order of players looks to be in place for the tournament season. 

The top five singles spots will be filled by William Lang, Spencer Heflin, Watson George, Alex Addington, and Will Carter. The doubles teams will be Lang/Heflin and George/Carter. The MUS coaches are confident that this lineup will produce the best postseason results.

Soccer Has Easy Time Against Gryphons

The MUS varsity soccer team showed its dominance last Tuesday against St. George’s at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

MUS defeated the Gryphons, 6-0, as the Owls controlled the game the entire way and were never threatened.

Alex Rainer, Brian Evans, and Louie Ghawji all scored 2 goals for the Owls.

With the win, the Owls advance to 7-2-1.

Next, the Owls take on Briarcrest at Mike Rose Soccer Complex on April 20. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tennis Team Recovers After Buckhead

Ever since the MUS tennis team was sent home early from the Buckhead Rotary Tournament, the Owls have turned around and rolled over all their opponents. 

The team has competed in five local matches since the Buckhead Rotary, and they have come out on top each time.  Four of the Five matches were 9-0 shutouts, demolishing opponents from University School of Jackson, Briarcrest, ECS, St. George’s, and Tipton-Rosemark.

The Owls are also pleased to have junior William Lang back on the court as he recently recovered from a back injury. 

“He’s feeling better and practicing, but we’re not going to have him playing in matches just yet,” said Coach Bill Taylor. 

Taking into account the past five matches, the Owls have no reason to risk their number-one player.

The next opponent for the Owls will be University School of Jackson when they come to Memphis to play the Owls again. When the two teams met in Jackson two weeks ago, the Owls won 9 – 0, but the score did not do justice to the extremely close matches. 

“They’re probably the second best team in all of West Tennessee,” said sophomore player Watson George. 

The Owls also have the postseason in the back of their minds, as the state title has always been their annual goal.

Soccer Pounds Lions

The MUS varsity soccer team showed its dominance on Tuesday against Harding Academy on the MUS soccer field.

MUS defeated Harding, 12-1, as eight different players scored for the Owls, and all players received valuable playing time.

MUS opened up the game with a stunning six goals scored in the first ten minutes of the game. From that point, the Owls would continue to dominate throughout.

Alex Rainer led the Owls with a hat trick. Corbin Linebarier added two goals, while Daniel Lansky, Brian Evans, Logan Welch, and Richard Blount also scored.

With the win, the Owls advance to 6-2-1.

Next, the Owls take on St. George’s at Mike Rose Soccer Complex on April 18. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Track Represents In Oxford And Eads

Even with the storms and threats of tornadoes, the varsity track team competed in the Ole Miss Invitational last Friday and Saturday.

The Owls started the meet strong, but the weather forced an early ending. Although they completed only ten events before the bad weather, the Owls finished in second place with some good showings in distance and field events.

Junior Ken Haltom won the 1600m race with a time of 4:25.52, a very fine time.  His teammate, senior Donald McClure, finished fourth in the race, but he was not outdone as he won the 3200m race, running a 9:52.19.

In field events, senior Andrew Gordon claimed second in the shot, while teammate Allie Folk, a junior, placed seventh before the storms halted the meet.

Several days before the Oxford meet, the Owls competed in a local meet at Briarcrest Christian School.

The Owls had some great individual performances that led to the first-place finish at BCS. 

Several Owls finished first in their events, driving the team to victory, and the most help came from those who not only placed first but also were awarded five points. 

Five-point scorers included junior Drew Alston in the discus, Gordon in the shot put, Haltom in the 3200m run, McClure in the 1600m run, junior Lee Moore in the 300m hurdles, and junior Clement Oigbokie in the 800m run.  Also, the Owls top 4x400, 4x200, and 4x100-meter relay teams all took first and scored five points.

This season, the track team has the unique obstacle to overcome as they have no home meets scheduled because of the construction on a new stadium. However, the Owls enjoy competing on foreign tracks to perform their best. 

The next invitational for MUS in the Germantown Invitational on April 21-22 at Germantown High School.

Lacrosse Getting Ready For Playoff Time

With a mere five games remaining in the regular season for the 2006 varsity lacrosse team, Coach Dent's squad has battled some of the best competition in the South as they prepare for the TSLA playoffs, to be held at MBA in Nashville the second weekend of May.

Currently, the Owls sport a 7-5 record, which is unusual for one of the most dominant programs in the area. But a closer look at the record shows that three of the five losses were one-goal setbacks, and the competition that the Owls have faced has been outstanding, battling powers from Georgia, Ohio, Texas, and New York, including top teams from Tennessee, in various tournaments and invitationals.

Offensively, MUS has been led by senior Doug Boyer, who leads the team in points (goals and assists) and goals. Boyer is followed in points by junior Buck Towner; sophomore Patrick Stewart, who also leads the team in assists; and senior John Klinke.

Senior Aaron Khouri, Klinke, and Towner have also been consistent threats scoring goals as they are all tied for second in goals scored, behind Boyer. 

Defensively, the Owls are led by senior Garrott McClintock, who leads the team in loose balls and takeaways. In addition to McClintock, Boyer, Klinke, and Towner, who have all placed consistently high in defensive categories, seniors Zach Matthews and Blake Karban, sophomores Scott McClintock and Ben Arnold, and freshman Barry Hillyer also have been solid defenders and place in the top-five of many defensive categories, including faceoffs and intercepts.

And in goal, junior Jason Daniel has become one of the top goalies in the state as he has logged most of the time for the Owls.

After having competed in an invitational last weekend in Chattanooga, MUS will have some time to practice and adjust as they will not play again until April 19 in a contest against Houston, a squad they beat earlier in the year, 12-6.

Track Team Gains Experience Away From Home

The varsity track team has moved into the second half of their season as they are developing some depth and gaining some experience.

This year has been unusual as Coach Alston and the team have not been able to host any events because of the construction taking place on the football stadium. Consequently, the team has been on the road throughout the season, competing in new meets for them. 

Despite being away from home, the Owls have performed very well as they have not finished worse than fifth in any of their first six meets, including first-place finishes at St. Benedict and at Briarcrest.

Some of the key field contributors so far this year have included seniors Andrew Cabigao, Andrew Gordon, Devin Owens, and Will Thornton; juniors Drew Alston, Allie Folk, and Ian Thomas; sophomores Sam Goldstein and Nathaniel Kastan; and freshmen Jared Davis and Barret Folk.

Key sprinters have included seniors Philippe Blais and Hugh Francis; juniors Miles Bryant, Lee Moore, and Clement Oigbokie; and freshmen Will Benton, Robert Cowan, Michael Folk, and Lowell Hays.

And distance contributors so far this season have included seniors Matt Dowling, Oliver Green, and Donald McClure; juniors Stephen Counce and Ken Haltom; and sophomore Josh Vieira.

The Owls' next meet is this Thursday, April 13, at ECS as they will take on the host Eagles and SBEC. The region meet will take place at Briarcrest this year and be held May 17-19.

Soccer Battles Tough Opponents On Road

After having begun the season with an impressive 3-0 record, the MUS varsity soccer team had traveled to Knoxville this past weekend to play in the Bearden Invitational before battling CBHS this past Tuesday in an eventful week.

At this invitational, MUS faced its first stout competition of the year as they took on Bearden High School, Farragut High School, and McMinn County in consecutive days. The Owls finished the weekend 1-1-1 as they defeated Bearden, 2-1; tied Farragut, 1-1; but lost to McMinn County by the score of 2-0.

In Friday’s game versus Bearden, senior Brian Evans scored two unassisted goals to give MUS a hard-fought win. The defense continued to play well, allowing only one score.

The next day, MUS faced another talented team in Farragut.

Senior Daniel Lansky scored the lone goal for the Owls off an Evans assist. But MUS struggled to convert opportunities into goals and settled for a 1-1 draw.

On Sunday, MUS simply wore down as the starters played extensive minutes the entire weekend.  The fatigue resulted in offensive struggles as the Owls were shut out for the first time this year, losing to McMinn County, 2-0.

Returning home, MUS looked to rebound against their talented rival, CBHS.

But MUS was overmatched on this day as they struggled to stop CBHS’s offensive attack.

Evans scored the only goal for the Owls as MUS lost, 4-1.

After the four games, MUS’s record stands at 4-2-1.

Tennis Fights Rain And Opponents

Last weekend, the MUS tennis team went on their farthest road trip of the season to Atlanta as they competed in the annual Buckhead Rotary Tournament, an event the Owls have won before. Last season, the Owls reached the semifinals there but lost to Marist to end their run.

This season, the Owls traveled to Atlanta having played only one of their three scheduled opening matches because of rain. 

In their first-round match, MUS fought past their opponent, edging out Northview High School, 3–2. Then the Owls moved on to play their semifinal opponent, host Westminister, a team the Owls beat in the same tournament last year.

However, the Wildcats, the six-time Georgia defending state tennis champions, avenged last year's loss as they defeated the Owls, 3-0, bringing the MUS tournament run to an end. 

Coach Bill Taylor elaborated on the loss.

“It was the first time we’ve lost to them, but we had our opportunities. We just couldn’t pull it out,” said Taylor, who wasn’t too concerned since his team is playing without their number one player, William Lang.

Lang, who was out most of last season because of injury, is now suffering a fracture in his back. Although the team hopes his recovery will go quickly, the Owls have to stay focused on the matches at hand. 

The team also had to recover after their loss in Atlanta, and they accomplished that feat in their next match against St. Benedict. This match started out smoothly but got rained out halfway through the match.

The Owls then were eager to get on the road to Jackson, TN, where they would face University School of Jackson. 

The Owls came out with a 9 – 0 victory, but the score does not represent the quality of the match. It was close competition all across the board with the first three matches going to third-set tiebreaks.  The Owls will have to deal with the toughness of USJ again in mid-April when they will come to the Owls’ home courts.