MUS Sports News

Football Team Wins, Earns Playoff Berth

Needing a win to advance to the state playoffs, the MUS varsity football team responded as they soundly defeated the Briarcrest Saints, 35-0, last Friday night at Hull-Dobbs. The Owls put up points from both sides of the ball in the drubbing of their cross-town rival

The Owls (5-5, 2-3) jumped out early on the Saints (2-8, 0-5) with a big play on special teams.

When Lowell Hays blocked a Mark Longworth field-goal attempt from 28 yards out, senior Allie Folk picked up the ball and rumbled for a 63-yard score. Zach Scott’s PAT gave the Owls the early 7-0 lead just 4:50 into the game.

Behind the huge momentum swing, the Owls would control both sides of the ball for much of the game.

Two series after Folk’s touchdown, the Owls would extend their lead as Walt Wepfer took a Michael Park screen pass 30 yards for the score to complete the 5-play, 52-yard drive that amassed 2:04. Scott’s extra-point gave the Owls a 14-0 just one play into the second quarter.

Despite being down, Briarcrest played hard throughout and would not allow MUS to put them away. However, they could not find the end zone even though they had a 10-play drive in the second quarter. Their inability to score gave MUS the opportunity to extend the lead, and ultimately, the Owls did just that.

After a 61-yard completion from Park to Blair Wright, who ended the game with 4 catches for 96 yards, moved the Owls deep into Briarcrest territory late in the half, Park hit Stephen Bowie from 4 yards on 3rd-and-goal for another score. Scott’s PAT gave the Owls a 21-0 advantage heading into halftime.

The second half was mostly a continuation of the Owl dominance as MUS would eventually score two more times and increase their lead to 35. On only the second play of the half, John Stokes recovered a Griffin Moss fumble and returned it 28 yards for another Owl score.

With reserves now in the game, the Owls continued to play solid defense that limited BCS to only 139 total yards for the game, including –2 yards passing, the second lowest passing total in school history.

MUS finished the scoring late in the game.

RB David Tillman went in from 6 yards out to culminate the 12-play, 49-yard drive that took up 6:20 as he carried the ball ten times on the possession. Freshman Christian Kauffman tacked on the extra-point to end the scoring.
   
With the win, the Owls advance to the state quarterfinals, looking to defend their back-to-back state titles. Their first opponent will be the very familiar Red Raiders from Baylor in Chattanooga. The Owls hope to avenge a 22-20 loss suffered at home earlier this season. Kickoff at Baylor is set for 6 p.m. CST.

Runners Claim State Berth As Haltom Wins Region

The varsity cross-country team finished fourth at yesterday's region meet at Shelby Farms as they earned a berth in the state meet, to be held November 4 in Nashville.

The Owls finished with 85 points, which was 16 points behind third-place St. Benedict. CBHS won the 56-man event with 49 total points.

Senior Ken Haltom won the race with a 16:43.  Other MUS finishers included Josh Vieira (6th), Matt Grisham (19th), Stephen Counce (27th), Robert Tipton (32nd), Thomas Ivy (35th), and Alan Blount (42nd).

Good luck to Coach Tyler and the team at state.

Injury Dampers Big Win

In a game shortened because of an injury to Kingsbury safety Daivious Hewlett, the MUS varsity football team advanced one step closer to a playoff berth last Friday night as they defeated the Kingsbury Falcons, 34-6, in front of a Homecoming crowd.

Although the Owls (4-5, 1-3) would trail early, the win was never really in doubt as the Falcons (1-8) had no answer for the Owl rushing attack, which accumulated 231 yards on the ground, the second highest rushing total of the year.

After having blocked a Kingsbury field goal early in the first quarter following an MUS turnover deep in their own territory, the Owls put together an impressive 7-play, 73-yard to move the ball into Kingsbury territory. From there, Zach Scott nailed a 38-yard field goal to give the Owls the 3-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the quarter.

Folowing a series of punts, the Falcons would respond early in the second quarter after having forced an MUS fumble on the 50-yard line.

A 30-yard Greg-Powell completion to Gabriel Hunter moved the Falcons into Owl territory. From there, Powell would scramble 9 yards for the score to complete the 8-play drive. The two-point conversion was no good, and the score stood at 6-3 with 6:36 remaining in the half.

The Owls would respond and take back the lead for good as they continued to run the ball effectively on the Falcon frontline late in the half.

Walt Wepfer and Michael Park would move the ball a combined 66 yards, all on the ground, to the Falcon goal line. From there, Park would sneak in from 1-yard out to give the Owls the lead once again and culminate the 11-play, 67-yard drive. Scott’s PAT was good as the Owls regained the lead, 10-6, with 1:41 remaining.

But MUS wanted more, and they got an opportunity following a defensive stand and a good use of times-out by the coaches.

Taking over at the Falcon 32 with just 27 seconds remaining, the Owls got close following a 28-yard run by Wepfer, who finished the night with 160 rushing yards and added 28 receiving yards on 3 receptions. To end the half, Scott booted through a 25-yard field goal to extend the lead to 7 at the break.
 
Having regained the lead, the Owls would dominate for the remainder of the game.

MUS would add on to the lead on their first possession of the half with a 7-yard scoring run from Wepfer. Then they would tack on a deep 67-yard touchdown pass from Park to Stephen Bowie on the second play of the fourth quarter to give them a 27-6 lead.

The Owls would continue to add to the lead following another Kingsbury punt, the fourth of the evening.

Taking over at their own 14, MUS amassed large chunks of yardage against a worn-out Falcon defense, including a 20-yard run by Chase Moore. Then from the Kingsbury 39, Park hit Taylor Reed for the score to extend the lead.

However, the fun would end after the Scott PAT had given the Owls a 34-6 lead because of an injury to Hewlett, who was trying to block the extra-point. The game was called with 6:04 remaining in the game.

The Owls now need one more regular-season win to advance to the playoffs. They will look for that win next week as they take on the cross-town rival Briarcrest this Friday night at Hull-Dobbs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Owl Runner Named Player Of The Week

For his performance at last week’s County Championship Meet, Owl cross-country runner Ken Haltom was named the Commercial Appeal's Player of the Week.

Haltom, a senior, ran a 16:41, winning the event at Shelby Farms by twelve seconds.

As a team, MUS finished fifth as they look to the region meet, held Thursday, October 26, at Shelby Farms.

Congratulations to Ken on his achievement, and good luck to Coach Tyler and the team as they head to the region meet. 

For additional coverage, click here.

Owl Golfers Claim Third In Murfreesboro

The varsity golf team completed their 2006 season yesterday in the final round of the state tournament, held at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro, as they finished third overall, three strokes ahead of MBA.

The Owls entered day two in fifth place, shooting a team-total 296 on the first day. Though they shot 308 on day two, the tough conditions on the course hurt other teams as well, and the Owls persevered to grab the third spot.

MUS was led by sophomore Drew Frisby, who followed up his first-day 71 with a 77 on day two to finish tied for eighth overall. Other Owl finishers for Coach Greg King's squad included senior Dev Varma (75/76 - 151), senior Daniel Brown (72/81 - 153), junior Paul Billings (80/74 - 154), and freshman Wilson Orr (78/82 - 160).

Baylor won the event easily, shooting 577 overall and finishing seventeen strokes ahead of runner-up Knoxville Webb. The Owls followed their third-place region showing with this third-place finish as they defeated both ECS and CBHS, the two teams that had finished ahead of them at region.

The third-place showing also matched last-year's finish as Coach King continues his streak of finishing in the top-three at state every year as varsity coach.

For complete state coverage, click here.

Golfers In Fifth After Day One

The MUS varsity golf team has completed their first round in state-tournament action at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro as they are currently in fifth place overall, just six shots out of the second spot.

The Owls shot a team total 296 during the first day, led by sophomore Drew Frisby's 1-under, 71. Senior Daniel Brown also had a good round, shooting par-72. Other Owl finishers included senior Dev Varma's 75, freshman Wilson Orr's 78, and junior Paul Billings's 80. 

State-power Baylor is dominating the tournament, leading by fifteen shots after round one as Red Raiders are claiming three of the top four individual spots. Frisby is currently tied for sixth overall with his 71.

Though a state title may be out of reach, the Owls can claim a runner-up spot with five good individual rounds tomorrow (only the top four rounds are counted). They will look to accomplish that feat as the final round begins at 8:00 a.m.

Owls Fall To Rival

The MUS varsity football team fell to archrival Christian Brothers last Friday night, 35-17, at Tom Nix Stadium as they sought to even their overall record and move closer to a playoff berth. Although MUS moved the ball through the air for much of the game, the stout CBHS running attack eventually wore down the Owl defensive front.

MUS (3-5, 1-3) looked very prepared and ready from the start as Buck Towner recovered a Chris-Walker fumble at the CBHS 39-yard line just minutes into the game.

With the ball, the Owls moved deep into CBHS territory after a 22-yard completion from Michael Park to Stephen Bowie. Then Park sneaked in from one yard out to give the Owls the early advantage. Zach Scott’s PAT made the score 7-0 with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter.

However, CBHS (6-2, 3-1) would respond as freshman RB Eric Watson capped off an eleven play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard dive of his own. Kevit Ritt’s PAT was good to even the score at 7. 

After both teams had faltered on their next few drives, CBHS gained the lead when QB John Michael Skinner hit WR Drew Martinez on a 41-yard connection to cap the 3-play, 48-yard drive that began following an MUS interception, one of three thrown by Owl quarterbacks. Ritt’s PAT gave the Brothers a 14-7 lead with just 1:11 remaining in the first half.

MUS would respond heading into halftime following an impressive drive. 

Taking over at their own 30 with 1:02 remaining in the half, Park got some time and hit 4 of 7 passes, moving the Owls as far as the CBHS 11-yard line.  However, the drive stalled, and MUS settled for a Scott 33-yard field goal, making the score 14-10 at the break.

But that was as close as MUS would get on this night. Although they played hard, the defense gave up several big plays that hurt them as they had difficulty containing the trio of Skinner, Martinez, and Watson.

First, a 50-yard touchdown pass from Skinner to Martinez early in the third quarter increased the Wave lead to 21-10 just minutes in.

The Owls did respond late in the third as they put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive that amassed 5:26. Walt Wepfer culminated the possession with a 12-yard run for the score, and the Scott extra-point cut the lead to 21-17.

Yet MUS could not regain the lead despite having the ball twice near midfield down by four.

A 72-yard scoring run from Skinner and a 16-yard touchdown run from Watson in the fourth quarter salted away the Purple-Wave win.

With the loss, the Owls now stand at 3-5, needing to win both of their remaining games (Kingsbury and Briarcrest) to advance to the state playoffs.

Following Fall Break, the Owls will look to get one win closer to a playoff berth as they take on the Falcons for Homecoming. Kickoff for the October 20 tilt is set for 7:00 p.m.

Owls Fall In Nashville

After a convincing win over Memphis Northside, the MUS varsity football team lost to a very talented Brentwood Academy team, 31-14, in Nashville as the Eagles overpowered the Owls, outgaining the visitors 261-51 on the ground.

Brentwood Academy (5-1, 2-1) looked strong from the start.

After having forced the Owls (3-4, 1-2) to punt on the opening possession, BA put together a 54-yard drive on eight plays, capped off by a Chris Jordan 14-yard scoring run. Tyler Baker’s PAT was good to give the Eagles a 7-0 early lead.

After the score, both teams traded punt until MUS finally responded.

Starting an impressive drive from their own 28-yard line, the Owls used a strong rushing attack of Michael Park, Walt Wepfer, and Chase Moore to move the ball to the 7-yard line. From there, on the seventeenth play of the possession, Park connected on a screen pass with Drew Alston for the score. Zach Scott added the PAT to even the score and end the 6:10 drive in the second quarter.

However,the Eagles responded before the half.

With Jordan on the sideline with a knee injury, backup RB Tyree Ford came in and showed the BA depth. From midfield, Ford outran several MUS defenders and scored on just his second carry of the game, giving the lead back to the Eagles with 2:48 remaining in the half. With the PAT, the Eagles led, 14-7, heading into halftime.

After having showed signs of consistently good play in the first half, MUS hoped to build on their some of their success in the second half and defeat the Eagles for the fourth straight.

MUS caught the first break of the half as they forced two early turnovers, both fumbles by WR Bill Kottas. While they could not take advantage of the first, they did make BA pay on the second, a muffed Alston punt.

Taking over at the Eagle 16-yard line following Sisco Larson's recovery, Park would score four plays later on a sneak to tie the game following Scott’s extra-point.

But the Owls had no answer for Ford.

After Ford had reeled off another huge scoring run of 49 yards to give the Eagles the lead with 6:03 remaining in the third quarter, Brentwood controlled the ball and limited their mistakes the rest of the game to ensure the win.

The Eagles added a 20-yard field goal by Baker and 2-yard touchdown run by Ryan White in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach as MUS again dropped below .500. 

The Owls return to action this week as they face arch-rival Christian Brothers on the Brothers’ new field turf. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.