Five MUS football players will be trading in their Owl jerseys for a different uniform next season.
These seniors marked National Signing Day, February 7, 2007, by gathering in the Weiner Hospitality Room with their friends, families, and coaches to make commitments to play college football.
Congratulations to Drew Alston (Cornell), Tyler Horn (Miami, FL), Chase Moore (Rhodes), Zach Scott (San Diego State), and John Stokes (Vanderbilt) on their signing.
Despite setting four school records, the MUS varsity football team concluded its season last Friday night, losing 40-21 to the Baylor School in Chattanooga. Although the Owls refused to give up and played well in the second half, they had to overcome too large a deficit to advance and defend their consecutive state titles.
The Red Raiders (9-2, 3-2) looked dominant on their opening drive as RB Kevin Cooper, a University of Tennessee commitment, moved the ball deep into Owl territory with a 41-yard run on the second play of the contest. Two plays later, Cooper scored from 2 yards out to give the Raiders the early lead. However, on the PAT Lowell Hays blocked his fourth kick this season to keep the score at 6-0.
The Owls (5-6, 2-3) looked to respond with a score of their own, but turnovers, penalties, and mistakes hurt MUS much of the first half.
However, the visitors finally began to move the ball through the air as they had good field position throughout much of the second quarter.
Yet they still could not take advantage of the momentum. First, Zach Scott missed a 36-yard field goal early in the quarter following a 6-play drive. Then, as the Owls were threatening on their next possession, Baylor DE Sidney Tarver ended the drive as he intercepted a Michael-Park pass on the Baylor 19-yard line and returned it 81 yards for the score. The two-point conversion failed, and the score remained 12-0 with 2:10 remaining in the half.
But the hosts were not done in the first half.
Following a quick punt and a good use of times-out, QB Tyler Massey took advantage as he hit Brandon Joynes from 44 yards out on the first play of the possession to increase the Red-Raider advantage with only 42 seconds remaining. Tanner Taylor’s extra-point gave Baylor the 19-0 halftime lead.
Baylor extended the lead in the third quarter as they continued to pile up yardage. Another long Cooper scoring run as well as Massey’s 1-yard touchdown plunge with 3:21 left in the third quarter would extend the Baylor lead to 33-0 and all but end the MUS hopes.
Yet the Owls did not quit.
First, Park hit Lee Moore on a 93-yard touchdown catch, setting a school record for longest touchdown reception.
Even though Massey would add another scoring run with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter, MUS responded with two more scoring drives.
Senior Stephen Bowie caught Park’s second touchdown pass of the night, hauling in a 44-yard toss that culminated a 7-play, 87-yard drive and cut the lead to 40-14. Then Park found Collin Fountain from 7 yards out for another score with 8:27 left in the game, but the scoring ended there as the Owls’ season concluded.
MUS did set several school records in the game. First, Park threw for the most passing yards in a game as he threw for 440, besting the previous mark of 362 set in 2003. His 41 attempts also set a record. His 421 total offense yards from scrimmage bests another mark. And Moore’s 93-yard touchdown reception was the Owls’ longest pass play in history.
Although the Owls’ season concludes at 5-6, they fought hard this year and were competitive throughout while facing one of their most competitive schedules in school history. They will miss their 29 senior players, but they will look to their underclassmen to step up next year and provide leadership to get MUS back to its winning ways.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In a game in which the Owls were heavily favored, the MUS varsity football team dominated the Northside Cougars last Friday night at Hull-Dobbs Field, winning 48-0.
The Cougars (0-4) looked overmatch from the start as they fumbled on their first play from scrimmage, and John Stokes recovered at the Northside 19-yard line. Three plays later, the Owls (3-3, 1-1) too advantage of the miscue as QB Michael Park scored from 5 yards out. Zach Scott’s PAT was good to give the Owls a 7-0 lead just 1:32 into the game.
After having fumbled on their next possession, the Owls regained control on their third drive and scored again as RB Walt Wepfer sprinted in from 15 yards out to cap off a 3-play, 40-yard drive. Scott nailed the PAT to give the Owls a 14-0 lead.
Amazingly, the Owls would score again on the kickoff following the touchdown as Justin Rayner fumbled near the end zone, and Michael Folk recovered it for another score. Scott’s PAT was good and gave the Owls a 21-0 lead with 5:52 remaining in the quarter.
The rest of the game would be much like the first quarter as MUS would dominate on the ground and hold Northside to 61 total yards for the game. After a Scott field goal had put the Owls up 24-0 through the first quarter, Owl reserves played the rest of the game, giving the starters an early break. Behind scores from Wepfer, Jeffrey Wright, and Blair Wright, along with a 32-yard field goal by Andrew Maroda, the Owls led 48-0 by the end of the third quarter.
With good sportsmanship, the Owls did not score in the fourth quarter as MUS cruised.
Overall, MUS decisively dominated the outmanned Cougar squad as the Owls needed only seven pass attempts to gain their 277 total yards and 48 total points. Owl reserves gained valuable experience and played well as the starters rested and begin to look to Brentwood Academy (4-1, 1-1), their next opponent. That road conference game will mark a rematch of the 2004 state-title game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
In a game full of homecomings, the MUS varsity football team fell to the Baylor School last Friday night at the grand opening of the new sports complex, 22-20.
Baylor, led by former coaches Phil Massey and Bubba Burr, along with former Owl Tyler Massey, won a hard-fought, emotional game. Behind Tennessee commitment Kevin Cooper's 202 rushing yards, the Red Raiders outgained the Owls in total yardage, 397-246, in route to the comeback victory.
Baylor (4-1, 1-1) looked very strong from the outset as their defense drove the MUS offense back to its own 12-yard line on the first drive of the game.
Following a Drew Alston punt, the Red Raiders took over on its own 48-yard line and immediately began moving the ball. After three Cooper rushes for 35 yards, the Owl defense finally stopped the visitors and forced a field-goal attempt. The 32-yard Tanner Taylor try missed wide, and the Owls (2-3, 1-1) escaped, at least for now.
But Baylor would score on their next drive as they continued to pound it on the ground with Cooper. From the MUS 12-yard line, Cooper ran up the middle for the score that culminated the eleven-play, 68-yard drive that amassed 4:38. The PAT was good for a 7-0 Baylor lead.
The rest of the half would continue to consist of MUS punts and long drives by Baylor. However, the Red Raiders could not put the Owls away as Taylor missed another field-goal attempt, this one from 31-yards out, late in the half, and the Owls trailed only 7-0 at halftime.
The opening of the second half looked much like the first as Cooper continued to dominate on the ground.
Taking the opening drive and moving the ball deep into MUS territory, Baylor was poised to increase its lead. Then, from the MUS 11-yard line, Cooper continued to rack up yardage as he went in for the score to culminate the impressive eight-play, 84-yard drive. Sophomore Lowell Hays blocked the PAT to keep the score at 13-0.
But the Owls would finally respond.
QB Michael Park completed a 22-yard pass to Alston, and then a 47-yard completion to Stephen Bowie to get the ball deep into Baylor territory. Then, on the seventh play of the drive, Park sneaked in from 1-yard out to get the Owls on the scoreboard. Zach Scott nailed the PAT to make the score 13-7.
Apparently, the score got the MUS defense fired up.
On Baylor’s first play of the succeeding drive, John Stokes forced and recovered a Massey fumble at the MUS 19-yard line. The Owls would score on their very next play as RB Chase Moore sprinted into the corner of the end zone from 19 yards out for the touchdown. The PAT was good, and the Owls gained the lead for the first time all night, 14-13, with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter.
With all the momentum in their favor heading into the fourth quarter, the Owls were now faced with the daunting task of stopping the relentless Baylor attack.
Unfortunately, Cooper and Massey were too strong.
Early in the fourth quarter, Massey completed a 51-yard pass to Sidney Tarver that set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Massey to James Feher that ended the seven-play, 74-yard drive. However, the Baylor two-point-conversion attempt was no good, and the score stood at 19-14.
Needing a score to regain the lead, the Owls made a mistake as Park was picked off by Wes Idlette, who returned it to the MUS 10-yard line. After a nice defensive stand by the Owls, Taylor nailed his 26-yard attempt to give Baylor a 22-14 lead with only 9:01 remaining.
Although they had played inconsistently throughout the game, the Owls still had a chance to pull even with 6:00 remaining in the contest.
With a good balance of Park completions and nice runs by Moore, the Owls moved the ball 73 yards on nine plays to the 2-yard line. From there, Park scored on a quarterback sneak to cut into the lead. MUS was forced to go for two, and when Park’s pass was batted down by a Baylor defender, the score stood at 22-20.
Unfortunately, MUS never saw the ball again as Baylor took the win.
Although the Owls made some mistakes, they played well in the second half as they hung tough with a very talented Baylor squad.
MUS will look to bounce back next week at home against Memphis Northside, whom the Owls defeated, 52-0, last year. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
In a game full of big plays and momentum changes, the MUS varsity football team fell to cross-town rival ECS on the road, 21-12, last Friday night.
In front of a huge crowd, ECS (4-0) made numerous big plays which the Owls (2-2) could not answer as two fourth-quarter touchdowns ended the hopes of MUS.
Yet the Owls looked poised in the first-quarter as they jumped out to an early lead.
On only the second play of the game, John Stokes intercepted an Adam-Currie pass and returned it to the ECS 27-yard line.
The visitors wasted little time getting into the end zone from there. From the 5-yard line, Walt Wepfer outran the ECS defenders and dove into the right corner of the end zone to give MUS the 6-0 lead. However, Zach Scott could not connect on what would be a crucial PAT, and the score stood at 6-0.
However, for the rest of the quarter, MUS could not gain back their offensive rhythm and extend the lead.
Consequently, the Eagles took advantage of the inconsistent play and, after an interception return deep into MUS territory, reached the MUS 1-yard line. Currie ran a QB sneak into the end zone to start the second quarter and get the Eagles back in the game. Jonathan Hodges nailed the PAT to give ECS a 7-6 advantage with 11:56 remaining in the half.
The rest of the second quarter consisted of long but unproductive drives by the MUS offense, ending in perfectly positioned punts by Drew Alston. Consistently having bad field position, ECS could not put any more points on the board, and the half ended.
A halftime deficit was nothing new to the Owls, having trailed at the break in two or their first three games this season.
But ECS would not fold in this game.
Both defenses dominated for the entire third quarter, and neither team could score. Turnovers and penalties consistently limited the Owl offense, and the score stood at 7-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
After another great Alston punt positioned the Eagles deep in their own territory, the ECS offense made its first huge play just four minutes into the fourth quarter.
On a 2nd-and-13 from their own 12-yard line, Adam Currie found John Barry Jenkins behind the MUS secondary, and Jenkins outran his pursuers for the score. Hodges added the PAT to give ECS a 14-6 advantage.
But MUS refused to give up.
The MUS offense finally found some momentum on their next drive as Michael Park completed passes of 10, 7, and 11 yards, and he scrambled for gains of 8 and 9 yards to move the Owls to the ECS 1-yard line. Park then dove in from there to make the score 14-12 with 5:35 remaining. Forced to go for two, Park was flushed out of the pocket and had to make a tough pass, which was incomplete.
To keep their chances alive, the Owls then had to get a stop and get the ball back. And they accomplished their goal very quickly and forced the Eagles to punt.
Yet, after having taken over at their own 30 with just 3:53 to go, the Owls' bid for victory took a serious blow as Park was picked off on the second play of the drive at the MUS 41-yard line.
With the good field position, the Eagles had the chance to score and end the game. On a crucial 4th-and-9 from the MUS 30-yard line, Nick Crawford made a amazing, diving catch in the back of the end zone with just 1:54 left in the game. The PAT was good, and the catch subsequently ended the Owls' comeback attempt.
MUS will look to bounce back next week when they open the new sports complex against Chattanooga Baylor, which is led by former coaches Phil Massey and Bubba Burr. Festivities begin at 6:30, and kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
Needing to bounce back from a loss to Nease (FL), the MUS varsity football team opened up their conference season with a blue-collar win over Montgomery Bell Academy last Friday night, taking the hard-fought, defensive battle, 10-7, in the first game played in the new all-sports stadium.
Just as they have frequently the past three seasons, the Owls (2-1, 1-0) overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Big Red (2-1, 0-1).
After both teams had opened the game with three-and-outs, the MUS offense looked good on their next drive as they put together a 10-play, 57-yard drive. However, once reaching the MBA 4-yard line, the Owls could not reach the end zone as they were forced to kick a field goal. Zach Scott nailed a 20-yarder to give MUS a 3-0 advantage early.
That field goal would hold for much of the first half, but MBA would finally start moving the ball late in the second quarter.
On 2nd-and-10 from the MBA 41-yard line, RB Patrick Crum dashed 22 yards to get into MUS territory. Four plays later, QB Austin Bennett completed a 26-yard pass to Swan Burris for the score. Clayton Foster's PAT made the score 7-3 with 1:27 remaining in the half.
MUS could not answer in the little time left in the half, and MBA went into the locker room with momentum and the lead.
The second half opened up with a 28-yard drive by MBA before DeAndre Jones forced a Bennett fumble on the MUS 45-yard line, recovered by senior DE Buck Towner.
Despite the good field position, the Owls could not capitalize and were once again stopped by the persistent Big Red defense. This trend continued throughout the third quarter and through some of the fourth quarter until the Owls finally began to put together a drive.
Starting on their own 32-yard line, QB Michael Park and RB Walt Wepfer made some crucial plays to move the ball to the MBA 32-yard line. From there, Park hooked up with the versatile Scott for the go-ahead score with 7:43 remaining in the game. Scott tacked on the PAT for the Owls as they regained the lead, 10-7.
On their last drive of the game, MBA moved into MUS territory in the final minute, but without any times out, the Big Red ended their own hopes with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that pushed them back into their own territory. On the last play of the game, Ben Stallworth sacked Bennett to perserve the victory.
The game was remarkably even as MUS held only an 12-yard advantage in total offense, and both teams had the ball 24:00. But the Owl defensive front and third-down conversion rate (5/12 compared MBA's 2/10) were the keys to victory.
With the win, MUS extended the series lead over MBA to 9-6 as they defeated the Big Red for the fourth consecutive time.
Next week, the Owls travel to Evangelical Christian School to take on the undefeated Eagles. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.