11 in 11 Part 2: Cody Tollison

Cody Tollison is the starting quarterback this year for the Tigers after missing all of last season recovering from a torn ACL. Cody’s first touchdown pass of the season came against Oakland in the 4th quarter when he hooked up with Corey Sacks on a 20 yard throw to send the game to overtime. Cody is also the Tigers' Ace pitcher and center fielder for the EHS baseball team. Last year Cody recorded 14 strikeouts in one game against Father Ryan. Will Cody Tollison be able to make a big impact in two different sports this year for the Tigers?

Cody, how hard was it to sit out the all of last year when Ensworth went undefeated in the regular season?

It was hard at first but then I realized it was a good opportunity for me and Coach Scott to prepare for next year by learning to read defenses in the booth.

How hard was it to be named the starter and yet lose the job to injury?

It took me a few days to realize what happened but I knew all I could do was cheer for T and the team.

Besides attending summer workouts and two-a-days what have you done to prepare yourself in the off-season?

Watching some video from last year's games.

Did you play any baseball this summer? Have any colleges shown interest in you?

Yeah, I played for the Franklin Outlaws. So far I've talked to MTSU and a few other smaller schools.

Last year's offense relied heavily on the option; are you comfortable running it like we did last year?

The option had my number the last three years but lately it's what we have been working on the most.

How hard is it to follow Tavarres Jefferson after the year he had at quarterback last season?

It's some big shoes to fill, but with the team we have it just makes it easier to step up.

How do you feel about this year’s offensive line and receiving corps?

Its good to know we have an O-line that is tough and conditioned enough to play both ways. I always know when I throw the ball that Corey Sacks or Jacob Carter will come down with the ball.

Do you think Ensworth has a shot at the state title this year?

We have a shot, but so does everyone else. We are going to take this season week by week.
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11 in 11 Part 1: Orleans Darkwa

Orleans Darkwa is one of the state's best running backs and it showed during last week's game against Oakland. He put up an impressive 101 yard performance against one of the state's toughest defenses. Last year he racked up 1,947 rushing yards with over 20 all-purpose touchdowns. Can he do it again?

What expectations do you have for the season?

I would say my expectations for this year are just to get better as a player overall, and to win the state championship. We have gotten close the past two years, but now I think it's time to finally get to where we have been wanting to the past two years.

How tough was Oakland’s defense?

Oh my, Oakland's defense was the toughest defense I have faced since I have been at Ensworth. They definitely have that aggressive mentality in which they don't want you to get a yard on any play. That is hard to find in defenses, but they have it. I am sure that they will have a successful season this year.

Did you ever think we were out of the Oakland game in the second half?

I thought we didn't come out with that fire like we did in the beginning of the game, but I never thought we were completely out of it. I knew Coach Bowers was going to call the right plays. It was just on us to show the effort and heart to execute out there and we did.

What are some areas that you can improve on this season?

I want to improve on my elusiveness as well as my footwork. I believe it will come as the season progresses.

Ensworth is ranked 1st in the Midstate football poll, do you actually think EHS is that good?

Yes, I believe we are that good. We have, in my opinion, the best coaching staff in the state and great players on this team. As long as we execute, play hard, and do what the coaches ask of us, I believe we will be able to maintain that ranking.

The MBA game is coming up next week; looking back on last year, how tired were you after those 99 and 80 yard runs? How many touches do you expect in this year’s game?

Oh I have to be honest, I was pretty tired, but those were exciting plays, and credit goes to the line on those, but as far as carries, I have no idea how many carries I will get. Coach Bowers can do anything in this game, so we will just find out next Friday.

Big Red Rally

One of the most exciting games in a yeaaarrrrrr.... OK, perhaps one week, took place Friday night as the Big Red made an 11 point comeback in the final 5 minutes of the 4th quarter.

Maplewood led the entire game until 4:38 was left in the 3rd quarter. The Panthers backup running back LaDarious Venlier had plenty of room to run behind the state's most coveted offensive lineman prospect James Stone. Venlier scored the game's first touchdown on Maplewood's opening drive from 37 yards out. The Big Red responded with an impressive drive of their own, capped off with a 17 yard touchdown pass from Luke Colbert to Fitz Lassing.

During MBA's first drive of the second quarter, Maplewood defensive lineman Jontez Vaughn recovered Fitz Lassing's fumble at the MBA 18 yard line setting up a 7 yard touchdown run for Denzel Jones. After Lassing's 66 yard punt, MBA responded once more with a 44 yard drive led by Luke Colbert and Fitz Lassing to tie the game with Tyler Franks' 2 yard touchdown run. At halftime the game was tied at 14-14.

At the 4:38 mark in the 3rd quarter the Big Red took their first lead of the night after Andrew Fletcher's 21 yard field goal, but this time the Panthers responded with a scoring drive of their own when LaDarious Vanlier scored his second touchdown of the night from 58 yards out. And guess what? MBA did not respond; the Panthers stopped Tyler Franks on 4th down at the MBA 46. The Panthers drove the ball down field once more to take an 11 point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.

This is where it gets exciting. With just over 5 minutes left, the Big Red still trailing by 11, all of the sudden the Red begins to Roll. MBA wide receiver William Tanner, Fitz Lassing and Luke Colbert rediscovered their offense and cut the Panther's lead to 5 after Lassing scored on a 10 yard screen pass with 3:33 left to play but failed on the 2 point attempt. MBA had to recover the onside kick to even have a chance, and I bet you can guess what happened...they did, Tanner recovered! Once again Colbert, Tanner and Lassing drove downfield to take a 31-28 lead over Maplewood with only 2:18 left to play. Maplewood did not roll over, getting it into MBA territory before the Panthers were stopped on 4th and 12. From then on MBA lined up in the victory formation, and the students stormed the field.

The Big Red move to 2-0 on the season and Maplewood falls to 1-1. The Big Red takes on the State's #1 ranked team Ensworth at Tommy Owen Stadium, but this week's contest may be hard to top.

11 in 11

Since we are off this week I will be a writing a new column called 11 in 11. With the Tigers starting off the season strong with a impressive win over one of Tennessee's top teams, I will attempt to interview 11 of the top players on this year's team in 11 days and ask them questions about the big win over Oakland and their goals for this 2009 season. First up should be Senior running back Orleans Darkwa.

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Now on Rivals

On Monday I was contacted by Bryan Moss, publisher at Rivals.com affiliate TN Varsity. He asked me to write a column for the site that would cover the Tigers, on a regular basis. I will publish some of my articles here and link them on the blog, and I'll keep you guys updated on when the new articles will come out.

Around The Web 8/25/2009

Tigers Ranked #1 in Midstate Football Poll

Ensworth Volleyball Among The State's Best

Reuther Recovering Quickly

pic: tennessean.com
Tiger's two-way senior lineman Miller Reuther was helped off the field Saturday night against Oakland and did not return; he couldn't walk without the support of crutches after the game. Reuther did indeed injure his ACL but luckily it was just a sprain. Miller's mobility is still limited and has not seen the field since Friday night but he can get around without crutches or a knee brace. Coaches expect him to be able to participate in this coming Monday's practice before the MBA game.

Too Shallow

Many of the coaches think that this team has more potential then last year's, but what this season really comes down to is the ability to stay healthy for an entire season. Last year the Tigers had 5 key players out with ACL injuries but still managed to go undefeated during the regular season. The defensive and offensive lines are the number one area for concern after losing players like Tyler Johnson, David Davis, Watson Sweat and all state lineman Will Netterville to graduation. The Tigers may have one of the toughest schedules in the state; perhaps one of the toughest since the birth of the TSSAA, so it could be a little too tall of an order for the running backs to be rushing behind the second team offensive line or for the second team defensive line to rely on the secondary. Depth and the ability to make it to the end of the season scott-free will be the key factors for the Tigers' run towards Cookeville.

Ensworth JV VS. Franklin Ends in Shutout 0-0

In today's JV game against the Franklin Rebels the offense was nowhere to be found. The Tigers had two touchdowns called back on two hook'n'ladder passes that were both ruled to be indeed forward passes. Another missed opportunity came when junior wide receiver David Dingess failed to catch what would have been the game winning touchdown from Drew Parker. Overall both defenses played well but if those foward passes were legal we would have a different result.

Around The Web 8/23/2009

Game Of The Week

Ensworth, Oakland headed to OT

Ensworth Beats Oakland With Defense

Tigers Edge Patriots in Overtime 22-20

The Tigers came away with one of the most hyped and exciting games in school history. The game was Rivals.com's high school game of the week. The pregame atmosphere was great for a Saturday night; it was almost like the MBA game last year. The tailgaters were out, the TV trucks were stationed behind the end zone bleachers, there were reporters on the side lines, TV cameras were every where in the stands, and parents and teachers were there early to save seats before the rest of the capacity crowd filled up the stands.

The game started off as a defensive struggle. Daniel McFadden recovered a fumble on the Patriots opening drive, giving the Tigers great field position; however, they left empty handed after a series of false start calls against Ensworth, forcing 4th and goal from outside the 20. On 4th down Jacob carter missed the long field goal attempt and from then on the game was scoreless until about halfway through the second quarter when the Tigers put an impressive drive together led by Orleans Darkwa who capped it off with a 2 yard touchdown run, but Jacob Carter missed a crucial extra point putting the Tigers up 6-0 at the half.

In the second half the Patriots came out strong after recovering Quinn Hamilton's second fumble on the opening kick-off. Tee Mayberry took the ball into the endzone from 1 yard out to give Oakland a 7-6 lead. After the Tigers did virtually nothing on their next series Oakland got the ball back and junior OL/DL Antonio Richardson came hobbling out of the game to get looked at by a trainer. During Richardson's absence Oakland drove down the field and scored on Mayberry's second touchdown of the game from 18 yards out to take a 14-6 lead.

The Tigers came back in the 4th quarter with the help of a 25 yard punt return to the Oakland 20 from senior Jacob Carter. Then senior quarterback Cody Tollison hooked up with Corey Sacks for his first touchdown ever as starting quarterback for the Tigers. The Tigers needed the 2 point conversion to tie at 14-14, and they converted with the help of Darkwa's 2 yard run.

The Tigers went on offense to start overtime, and they were rewarded with a 5 yard encroachment call against the Patriots. Soon after, Orleans Darkwa had his second touchdown of the game from 2 yards out. The Tigers went for the 2 point conversion once again, this time it was junior running back Marcus McAlpin taking it off an option pitch from Tollison.

Oakland's first play was a 9 yard run from Mayberry, and then the very next play, he took it in for the score from 1 yard out. However, they had to go for the two points. The Patriots fans were in shock when they saw the pass from Christian Adams to tie the game and send the match into a second overtime fall incomplete.

The players went crazy and the coaches went wild as the Ensworth students swarmed the field after the amazing comeback victory.


More pictures courtesy of Ensworth and The Tennessean

More Stats from Max Preps