MUS Sports News

Wrestlers Now Look To Postseason

The varsity wrestling team completed their regular season this past weekend as they competed in the Viking 8 Dual Tournament in Jasper, Alabama.

Despite the icy conditions in central Alabama, the Owls successfully defended their title, winning the event with a victory over Walker (AL) High School in the finals, 54-18.  Overall, MUS went 3-0 as a team.

Individually, the following student-athletes went undefeated for the event: Barret Folk (130), Andrew Maroda (135), William Alexander (145), Sam Goldstein (152), William McGehee (160), Andrew Gardella (171, 189), Andrew Amos (189), and Barrett Huggins (215).

In the quarterfinals, MUS defeated Sumiton Christian School, 72-9. Then, the Owls easily handled Buckhorn (AL) in the semifinals, 53-28, as they advanced to face the host school in the finals.

With the win, MUS ends the regular season with a 12-6 record.

With the regular season now complete, Coach Shaun Gehres and the Owls now look to the postseason.  State Duals take place February 1-2 in Nashville, and Individuals occur two weeks later in Chattanooga.

Wrestlers Compete In Chattanooga

Last week, Coach Gehres took twelve MUS wrestlers to Chattanooga to compete in the Division II State Individual Wrestling Tournament. Though the Owls did not win any individual state championships, several wrestlers medaled and preformed very well.

MUS had three wrestlers place in the top-six in their weight class. Senior Zach Gordon, one of the Owls' best wrestlers in recent history, finished third by winning three of his four matches in the 189-pound division, making him a three-time medalist during his career.

Senior Miles DeBardeleben also had an outstanding tournament as he won four of his six matches, claiming fourth overall in the 171-pound class.

And senior Ben Stallworth also performed well as he finished sixth in the 215-pound division, winning three matches. 

The Owls had several other wrestlers win matches but not medal, including senior Ian Carruthers (285), junior Sam Goldstein (145), and sophomores Mason Gudelsky (112), Barret Folk (125), and William Alexander (140).

Other MUS wrestlers participating included eighth-grader Will Rasch (103), sophomore Andrew Maroda (130), senior Paul Kennedy (152), and junior Andrew Amos (160).

Congratulations to these wrestlers, the rest of the varsity team, and Coach Gehres on a successful 2006-07 season.

Wrestlers Battle At State

After having claimed third place in the regional tournament, the varsity wrestling team participated in their seventh straight state-dual wrestling match this past weekend in Clarksville, battling some of the top teams in the state.

Facing an extremely tough draw, the Owls opened with state-power Baylor, losing to the Red Raiders, 66-9. MUS got points as Zach Gordon defeated his opponent, 5-2, and Barret Folk pinned his opponent.

With the loss, the Owls fell to the consolation bracket, where they faced Memphis rival Christian Brothers. Despite another good effort, MUS lost, 65-10.

The Owls’ points came from Miles DeBardeleben’s pin, and Andrew Maroda won by points. Despite losing both of their team matches, the Owls still gained experience for their young squad.

Coach Gehres’ team now will look to the individual state tournament, to be held beginning next Thursday, February 15, in Chattanooga.

For a complete breakdown of the Baylor and Christian Brothers matches, click here.

Wrestlers Advance To State

The MUS varsity wrestling team advanced to next Saturday's state wrestling dual meet with a third-place finish at last weekend's region duals, held at St. George's.

The team battled through the consolation bracket of the meet to claim the bid, their seventh-consecutive state berth.

The Owls first took on St. Benedict in the semifinals. Despite wins from Mason Gudelsky (112 lbs), Miles DeBardeleben (171 lbs), Zach Gordon (189 lbs), and Ben Stallworth (215 lbs), MUS fell to the Eagles, 47-21, and moved to the consolation bracket.

In the consolation semifinals, MUS handled the host school, St. George's, in a hard-fought battle, 45-34, to give itself a chance at the state berth. Their consolation finals opponent would be rival Briarcrest, whom the Owls earlier defeated in a very close match, 42-39.

But the rematch would not be as close this time. MUS got key wins from Andrew Maroda (135) and Paul Kennedy (152) to defeat the Saints, 44-27. With the win, the Owls advance to the state duals, to be held this Saturday at Clarksville High School.

Four Owl wrestlers went undefeated at region: DeBardeleben (171), Gordon (189 and 215), Nathaniel Kastan (189), and Stallworth (215). These four led MUS to the third-place showing.

Congratulations to Coach Gehres and the team on the state berth, and good luck to the next week in Clarksville.

Wrestling Defeats Briarcrest, White Station

The varsity wrestling team continued their strong season with two wins over good competition at Briarcrest last Tuesday.

MUS first defeated region rival Briarcrest in a very close match, 42-39, as the upper-weight classes did well and led the team to the important region win.

The Owls then came through with another solid performance, easily handling White Station, 64-12, gaining valuable experience.

Coach Gehres and his squad do not have much time to rest as they are back in action Thursday, battling St. Benedict and Germantown in dual matches. The competition is set for St. Benedict and due to start at 6:00 p.m.

Wrestling Prepares For Postseason

After a solid season in 2005-2006, the MUS varsity wrestling squad has begun the 2006-07 season strongly while competing against tough competition statewide. 

After having opened in the Cordova Preseason Tournament, the Owls would officially begin their regular season with dual matches against Collierville and Harding. Although the Owls fell to Collierville in a close match, 40-33, the team would dominate Harding in the second match, 70-11.

The Owls would then move on to their first big meet of the season, the Blackhorse Invitational at Houston High School.

Competing in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the area, the Owls would prove that they are one of the better squads in the city with a fifth-place showing.

Individually, Zach Gordon claimed second in his weight class; Nathaniel Kastan fourth in his; and Kyle Anthony, Barret Folk, and Sam Goldstein fifth in theirs, helping to propel the Owls to the top-five finish.

After having defeated Arlington, 58-21, and Brighton, 58-18, in their next match, the Owls would move on to another highly competitive meet, the Cordova Duals. The Owls would take third-place out of twelve teams before the Christmas holiday.

The new year found MUS at the Ravenwood Tournament in Brentwood, Tennessee. The Owls would once again produce fine individual finishes, highlighted by Gordon's third-place finish in the varsity tournament. In the JV tournament, MUS also did very well, led by James Arnold’s first-place finish in his weight class, John Battle's second, Robb Harrison's third, Ashton Riker's third, and Lawson Mann's fourth.

In the next few weeks, the Owls will compete in several dual matches as they prepare for the highly-competitive region meet, to be held at St. George's on January 27. 

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.

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.

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.