MAKE EM SAY ONE! EHS 28 Baylor 21 Ensworth Wins Their First State Title

Photo: Ensworth.com

The gold football is coming to Ensworth! Ensworth defeated Baylor 28-21 in a thrilling last-second come from behind victory to finally reach the summit of high school football after falling short in the playoffs in their first three attempts.

A scoreless first quarter filled with turnovers and miscues showed that both sides had some state championship jitters to overcome. In the second quarter, Baylor broke through with a 34 yard touchdown pass as Jacob Huesman masterfully evaded the rush and fired a strike on the run that hit Matthew Oelleri in stride down the sideline.

Ensworth answered back on their very next possession. After driving to the 35, Drew Parker threw up a jump ball to Cory Batey, who showed his athleticism and pulled it down to level the score with 7:45 remaining in the first half.

Baylor looked to go into halftime with the lead, advancing the ball all the way to the Ensworth 4 yard line. However, following 2 penalties on the subsequent series and a delay of game that nullified a 19 yard field goal that split the uprights, Andy Priddy’s 25 yard attempt went begging as it sailed wide left. The halftime score was 7-7.

Baylor got the ball back to start the second half, and this time they were able to hit paydirt. A 12 play 69 yard drive that culminated in a 2 yard Huesman sneak for a TD took 5:12 off the clock got the lead back for Baylor, taxing Ensworth’s defense in the process.

That fatigue showed the next time Baylor got the ball. Following a Drew Parker interception, Baylor got the ball in EHS territory at the 34, and they wasted no time running over, around, and through the Ensworth defense that had just been on the field for over 14 minutes of game time in a row. Huesman broke a 17 yarder that gave Baylor a commanding lead of 21-7 with 4:41 remaining in the 3^rd quarter.

The next Ensworth drive would prove to be the turning point in the game. After one of many touchbacks from Baylor’s kickoff specialist, they got the ball at the 20. After a 12 yard gain on the first play, Corn Elder got the call, and he answered it to the tune of a 68 yard electrifying touchdown run. 21-14 was the score with 3:51 remaining in the 3^rd quarter.

Despite a quick turnaround, the Ensworth defense appeared to get its second wind, shutting down Baylor’s previously dominant running attack and keeping them off the board entering the 4^th quarter.

Ensworth got the ball toward the end of the 3^rd and took it 70 yards on 14 plays, the last one being a Drew Parker QB sneak from a yard out to tie the game, taking 5:42 off the clock in the process.

Baylor’s chance to respond was stifled, but they got the ball back with 4 minutes to go in the game. They picked up a first down, getting to their own 35, but Quinn Hamilton led the charge to stop them right there, picking up 2 sacks of Jacob Huesman that forced Baylor to punt the ball back to the Drew Parker-led Tiger offense with 1:21 left in the game.

Photo: HighSchoolSports.net

The fate of Ensworth’s final drive rested on Drew Parker’s right arm and his legs on one occasion. His scramble got Ensworth into Baylor territory at the 47. Several pass plays later, including a 20-yard strike to a wide-open Wirth Campbell down the middle, got the Tigers to the Baylor 11. Parker spiked the ball, setting up 2^nd and 10 with 16 seconds left. As on the first touchdown pass, the play call again relied on the athletic talent of Parker’s strong-side receiver, and David Dingess did not disappoint, going up high to avoid what could have been a game-saving interception for Baylor and ripping the ball and the state championship dreams away from Baylor. The touchdown came with 8 seconds left on the clock, finishing Ensworth’s second straight comeback victory and bringing the state championship trophy back to Nashville.

-Alex Boehm

Ensworth and Baylor To Face Off in Cookeville

Where: Tennessee Tech -Tucker Stadium

When: 7PM

Media: PBS (Comcast channel 8), EnsworthLive.com, 560 AM

Records: EHS 9-2 (6-1) Baylor 10-1 (6-1)

After losing their best player, an 0-2 start and a QB change, Ensworth has managed to find themselves in the DII-AA State Championship game with the Baylor Red Raiders. Baylor has only lost once this season and that loss was to the Tigers in Chattanooga.

Out of the 6 Mr. Football finalist in DII-AA, 3 of them are playing in this game; Corn Elder, Keenan Crenshaw and the winner, Jacob Huesman.

How these teams got here...

Since losing to MBA, Ensworth has averaged 31.4 points per game on offense. Senior QB Drew Parker came and took over at QB after the loss to MBA and has broken about every school passing record in the process. Sophomore RB Corn Elder has been nothing short on sensational; Corn has rushed for 1,768 yards and 23 TDs. On the line Seniors Keenan Crenshaw, Taylor Grant and Chance Williams have stepped up big after Antonio Richardson withdrew from school.

Baylor is led by their Senior QB Jacob Huesman. The Mr. Football winner has passed for 1,078 yards and 7 TDS and rushed for 1,750 yards and 25 TDS. Huesman's primary target is Matthew Oellerich with 29 rec. In the backfield is Freshman RB George Porter, who has rushed for 952 yards and 9 TDS. Baylor's defense is led by Senior LB David Helton, who has racked up 115.5 tackles in all 11 games. Baylor's defense only gives up an average of a mere 19 points a game.

Last time these two teams met Corn Elder took control of the game. Elder scored 4 TDs (2 rushing, 1 receiving and a 80 yard punt return). David Dingess and Cory Batey both had good nights receiving while Drew Parker threw for 239 yards and 2 TDs on only 18 attempts.

Jacob Huesman did it all for Baylor, scoring all 4 of the Red Raider's TDs, one was a 61 yarder. The defense could not stop Elder and got beat deep by Drew Parker on many occasions.

For Ensworth to win this game they have to get Corn Elder the ball my all means necessary. Once the Tigers establish a run game they should be able to air it out. Last time Baylor's secondary gave Ensworth's WRs too much room to work. On defense, Ensworth has to contain Jacob Huesman which is a lot easier said than done, he committed to UTC where his dad coaches and believe me, there are a lot more schools than UTC that this kid can play for.

Baylor has to keep Elder in check and so far, no team has been able to do so since Ensworth played BA in September. They also cannot allow Ensworth to beat them deep through the air like they did last time, getting pressure on Drew Parker is key to stopping the Tiger's passing attack.

Prediction: I don't really have one, I can see this going either way but I like Ensworth's chances.

State Bound! EHS 20 BA 19

Photos: Deena Graham

Backed up after a holding penalty, the Tigers were forced with 3rd and 37 from their own 8 yard line with 1:30 left in the game. Now press pause, what are the odds that an offense that has failed to convert in the red zone on two separate occasions can go 92 yards in 1:30? What are the odds of going deep on one of the states best DBs and making the play 40 yards down field? What are the odds that your TE comes up with 28 yard catch that has only had 1 catch all year? What are the odds that you score on one play after failing to get a TD on two earlier red zone attempts? Not good, but it happened.

BA took an early 16-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. Nathan Renfro hit a 35 FG. Ensworth punted.

Victor Caro scored on a 33 yard TD run, Ben Boatright missed the PAT. Ensworth punted.

Matt Hamby and company drove 84 yards downfield on a drive that was capped off by a 3 yard TD run by Hamby.

Ensworth answered with a 22 yard FG by Clayton McGlasson. BA was picked off by Rodney Edmiston.

Ensworth answered with a 26 yard FG by McGlasson. It was 16-6 BA at the half.

Ensworth had never been in this position in the past two seasons in the playoffs. They took leads into halftime in previous years against BA and MBA, they lost both of those games.

Ensworth's opening drive of the 2nd half went 80 yards and capped off with a 38 yard run by Elder. The score put Ensworth with in 3. Corn finished with 204 rushing yards and 1 TD.

BA answered later with a 42 yard FG by Renfro with 10:37 left.

After a punt by BA Ensworth found itself at their own 14 with 3:32 left. After a few plays Ensworth found itself at midfield, but after a sack and a holding penalty, all of the sudden it was 3rd and 37 from the 8 with 1:30. That was just the beginning of "The Drive".

On 3rd and 37 from the 8 Drew Parker found David Dingess for a 40 yard completion. Dingess made the catch over the BA player o the side lined and still managed to hold onto the ball and stay inbounds. With time ticking down Parkers next pass want to the TE Conor McDermott that put Ensworth in scoring position 28 yards later at the 13 yard line. Dingess caught a game high 6 balls for 127 yards. Parker passed for 189 yards and 1 TD. Parker was 13-23 on completions.

After settling for 2 FG previously from inside the 20 in took only one try and one amazing catch by Cory Batey on the sideline to put Ensworth ahead for good 20-19.

Ensworth will take on Baylor Thursday December 2nd in Cookeville for the TSSAA State Championship. Too bad Taylor isn't hype enough for it. ;)

TIGERS WIN 20-19!!!!

RD 3: EHS VS BA

Where: Ensworth

When: 7PM

Media: EnsworthLive.com, 560 AM

Records: EHS 8-2 (6-1) BA 9-2 (5-2)

Key Players

EHS: RB Corn Elder, DT Keenen Crenshaw, QB Drew Parker, LB /RB Nantambu Fentress

BA: QB Matt Hamby, RB Radir Anoor, DB Derek King, WR Weldon Garlington

The last time these two teams met, it was nothing short of a dog fight. BA shutdown Ensworth's star running back Corn Elder, holding him to 66 yards rushing. Ensworth won the turn over battle, intercepting BA QB Matt Hamby 4 times. The film has been watched, adjustments have been made, the question is, who can execute better this time around?

Prediction EHS 28 BA 21

Tigers Roll Big Red 35-14

AP: Tennessean

Since September 3rd Ensworth could not wait to get another shot at MBA. After Ensworth learned that the Big Red defeated Father Ryan they knew what had to be done, and they executed.

Ensworth set the pace early after receiving the opening kickoff. The Tigers marched down to the 11 yard line where Nantambu Fentress would take it in for the Tiger's first lead of the game.

The defense forced MBA to go 3 and out and it did not take long for the offense to get back into the end zone with a 3 play 66 yard drive. Corn Elder took off for a 56 yard run; however, this was not Elder's longest run of the night.

Ensworth recovered their own kickoff in MBA territory but it was picked off by Austin Blackwell on a flea-flicker pass by Drew Parker. MBA was picked off on the very next possession by LB Austin Prevost but the Tigers later turned the ball over on downs.

MBA answered before the half with a 22 yard TD pass from Aaron Simonis to Austin Blackwell. Ensworth would attempt a FG right before halftime but McGlasson's kick was partially blocked and wide. Ensworth would take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

On their first possesion of the 3rd quarter, MBA tied it up with a 12 play 67 yard drive that ended in a 6 yard TD by RB Tyler Franks. MBA ran the ball like it was going out of style, MBA ran for 116 yards on 38 attempts.

But yet again, Ensworth had an answer, Corn Elder. On the very next play Corn Elder ran 63 yards for the go ahead score. Ensworth would not look back, Aaron Simonis threw another interception, this time Rodney Edmiston came down with it.

That set up a 53 yard run by Elder on a delay handoff from Parker. Ensworth would take a 28-14 lead into the 4th quarter.

Aaron Simonis later came out of the game and was replaced by Dylan Hall. Hall was picked off by Quinn Hamilton and the Tigers put the game away with a 5 play 28 yard drive capped off with a 4 yard TD by The Cornelius Elder set up by a 27 yard pass to David Dingess. Elder finished the night with 304 rushing yards on 25 carries with 4 TDs. WR Cory Batey had a strong night as well, catching 6 passes for 85 yards.

Ensworth will play Brentwood Academy for the second time this season on Friday. Last time these two teams met in October, Ensworth prevailed 21-14. The game will be played at Ensworth.

Part II

When: 7PM

Where: Ensworth

Media: EnsworthLive.com (no video or WNSR, just me and Coach Shultz!)

Records: EHS 7-2 (6-1) MBA 8-2 (5-2)

For the second time this year two cross town rivals will go at it again. Ensworth will play host to MBA again, this time a trip to Cookeville is on the line.

After getting off to an 0-2 start Ensworth went on a 7 game hot streak. In that time the Tigers knocked off undefeated favorites Smynra, Brentwood Academy and Baylor. MBA is Ensworth's last loss. In their last meeting Ensworth out gained the Big Red in total yards and almost every statistical category, except turnovers and points.

Tyler Franks was key for MBA when both these teams met in September, scoring all 3 of MBA's TDs. Corn Elder was the work horse for Ensworth, rushing for a game high 134 yards with 1 TD.

MBA beat Father Ryan 7-3 in the first round, Ensworth is coming off a bye.

Prediction EHS 35 MBA 14

Ensworth Takes Care Of Business EHS 36 BGA 14

Again it was a beautiful, chilly night in Franklin. Ensworth looked to extend their winning streak to 7 straight games and come away with the number one seed in the DII AA playoffs. While BGA hoped to better their seed and come away with a win on Senior Day; no such luck for the Wildcats.

In the first 1:13 of the game their were 4 turnovers. BGA fumbled the opening kickoff, Drew Parker threw an interception, Corn Elder picked off CJ Beathard, and Drew Parker fumbled. After that sequence, BGA ended up with ball at the EHS 35 yard line and drove to the goal line where RB Blake Thomson scored the first Wildcat TD.

Now, there has been a trend that has begun to develop after long scoring drives by the Tiger's opponents. After Quinn Hamilton brought the ensuing kickoff to the 19, Corn Elder went 81 yards for the score.

BGA's Keenan Bass answered with a 20 yard TD of his own. Bass would later leave the game with an injury in the 4th quarter.

The trend continued, Quinn Hamilton took the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a TD, tying the game at 14-14.

To start the 2nd quarter the Tigers went 90 yards in 1:22. Corn Elder scored his 2nd TD of the night on a 22 yard run, Clayton McGlasson's PAT was no good. But McGlasson would add a 35 yard FG before halftime. Ensworth would lead 23-14 at the half.

The second half was all about Corn Elder and the Ensworth defense. Corn busted out for TD runs of 30 and 63 yards in the third quarter. He would finnish the night with 240 yards on only 11 carries with 4 TDs.

The Tiger defense blanked the Wildcats in the second half. Junior Keshonn Carter put a big hit on CJ Beathard and since then Beathard could not seem to get in a rhythm.

After 13 plays in the red zone BGA came away empty in the 4th quarter.

Ensworth will play the winner of MBA vs Father Ryan November 12th as the number one seed at home.

VOTE 4 CORN!!

Vote for Corn to be the Alexander Automotive Touchdown Player of the Week! Watch Channel 4 on Thursday at 6:30 to see who wins.

http://www.wsmv.com/hsfootball/index.html

Party Crashers- EHS 41 Baylor 29

For the third straight time this season, the top ranked team in the state has fallen into the jaws of the red hot Tigers. This time the Red Raiders were the victims of another upset on their own field on Senior Night. I apologize for the late recap, had a test the next morning.

Baylor took an early 3-0 lead to open up the game. Andy Priddy hit a 34 yard field goal that would give the Red Raiders their only lead of the night.

Next possession, Ensworth drove the ball down to the Baylor 30 yard-line after having been closer but they were backed up by a series of penalties. That didn't keep Corn out of the end zone, he took a screen pass in for his first of 4 TDs for the night.

Baylor would respond with a 70 yard drive led by Chattanooga commit, QB Jacob Huesman. He would cap the drive with a 10 yard TD run. He would run for 84 yards and pass for 146. In addition, he scored all of Baylor's 4 TDs but Huesman seemed to be all of Baylor's offense.

Tigers answered spontaneously. The speedy sophomore (I'm running out of names at this point) Corn Elder flew by the secondary for a 80 yard TD run on the first play of the drive. Corn came out of the game for a while but returned in the second half. The Tigers would go into the half with a 14-10 lead.

Without Corn for a few plays Nantambu Fentress decided to take full advantage of his 4 carries. He took his first carry 80 yards to the house. Extending the lead to 21-10.

Huesman scored his 2nd TD on a 2 yard run and Ensworth answered again, this time through the air. Drew Parker hit David Dingess for a 51 yard TD. Dingess had 4 rec for 77 yards, Cory Batey led EHS with 5 rec for 96 yards.

Huesman scored again from 2 yards out, Baylor got the ball back but was forced to punt to Corn Elder. Guess what happened? 70 yard return, EHS up 35-23.

In the 4th quarter Huesman did his best elder impression and ran 61 yards for his final TD. Elder did his best Huesman impression with a 63 yard run 7 minutes later. Ensworth finnished the game with 575 yards of total offense, 336 came on the ground.

Ensworth will finnish the regular season at BGA next Friday.

Tigers Hold On EHS 30 FRHS 22

Every year this game comes around it looks like it will be a comfortable win one way or another but when the Tigers play the Irish you can through the records out the window.

The Tigers got off to a quick star after receiving the opening kickoff, Corn Elder and Nantambu Fentress led the way on the opening drive. Fentress capped the drive off with a 16 yard TD run.

Father Ryan began their opening drive from the EHS 41 but lost the ball at the EHS 48, Corn Elder came up with the big recovery and the Tigers quickly struck again; Drew Parker hit David Dingess for a 50 yard TD.

The Tigers defense came back strong and forced the Irish to punt from their own 47 but was muffed at the EHS 11 and the Irish recovered. Father Ryan took advantage with a 2 yard TD run by Prince Iworah.

The offense responded with a 51 yard drive capped off by a 4 yard TD by Corn Elder. Clayton McGlasson's PAT was no good and put the Tigers up 20-7.

Right before halftime EHS forced an Irish punt with 45 seconds remaining, in that time the Tigers drove all the way to the Father Ryan 25 where Clayton McGlasson would hit a career long 42 yard FG as time expired, putting Ensworth up 23-7 at halftime.

However, the second half was not go quite as planned for Ensworth. The third quarter was pretty much a stalemate but the Tigers began the fourth quarter with a 30 yard TD run by Elder, putting Ensworth up 30-7.

But the Irish did not abandon ship, Ensworth put in their second team offense and defense and Father Ryan took full advantage. QB Christian Nicho found WR Raphael Hopkins for a 24 yard TD cutting the Ensworth lead to 30-14. Ensworth got the ball back but did not convert a 4th and 6. The Irish took over and drove 61 yards downfield to tie it up, this time Nicho took it in himself from 1 yard out and converted the 2 point conversion.

That's when things got interesting, the Irish recovered the on-sides kick only down by 8. Then the super soph came to the rescue, Corn Elder picked off Christian Nicho's pass in the end zone and the Tigers ran out the clock to finally preserve the victory.

Next week Ensworth travels to Chattanooga to take on the undefeated Baylor Red Raiders, that game will also be streaming on EnsworthLive.com.

Tigers Say, "Good Knight" EHS 35 JPII 6

Friday was another great night for football at Ensworth High School; everyone wearing pink to raise breast cancer awareness, all the students getting ready for homecoming house competitions and some familiar faces came to visit for the school's third homecoming weekend. Like most schools, Ensworth scheduled the division's whipping boy for homecoming and won convincingly.

There were two story lines that were evident in this game, the first was Ensworth's defense. The Tiger defense held JPII to a game total of 99 yards on offense. The defense forced 7 punts and gave up only 6 first downs. As Ensworth's lead increased more underclassmen and 2nd team players entered the line up. Sophomores Anthony Batey and Cody Pack both made a big impact on defense with tackles for loss. But on Offense it was sophomore QB Andrew Bowers who made the big jump on to the varsity, Andrew did not complete a pass but had a few good runs outside the pocket.

The second storyline is once again, Corn Elder. Corn rushed for 146 yards on only 11 carries. He had 3 TDs one on a 73 yard run. Drew Parker also had a solid game at QB, Parker passed for a career high 289 yards on 9/16 attempts. Cory Batey led all receivers with 81 yards receiving on 4 catches. Rico Watson had 49 yards receiving on 2 catches, one went for 36 yards and a TD.

JPII scored on the last play of the game with a 16 yard TD pass from Tanner Hale as time expired.

Ensworth will travel to Father Ryan to take on the Fighting Irish next Friday.

UPSET HUNTERS! EHS 21 BA 14

For the second consecutive week Ensworth shocked middle Tennessee football with another stunning upset over one of the states best. The charge was lead by the sophomore sensation Corn Elder, with 70 yards rushing, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Corn sealed the victory with an interception with 13 seconds left and run out the clock with a 60 yard return.

The Tigers got off to a quick start after receiving the opening kick off, Drew Parker led the way 70 yard down field capped off by a 9 yard TD catch by Wirth Campbell.

After a muffed by recovered by the Eagles, Corn Elder picked of QB a Matt Hamby pass and returned it to the 3 yard line. Elder would finnish the sequence with a 3 yard TD Run.

BA responded at the end of the first half Radir Anoor rushed for a 3 yard TD followed by another short rushing TD by QB Matt Hamby. It was tied at halftime 14-14 and it remained that way until the 4th quarter when Corn Elder got his second TD of the game after a pick by Rico Watson. BA drove the ball to all the way to the 13 with 13 seconds left and that's where Corn sealed the deal.

Ensworth will take on the JPII Knights next week for homecoming.

Tigers Bite No.61 Bulldogs 30-14

On Friday the states best in 2010 met one of the states best in 2009. The Tigers had to claw their way back after finding themselves with a 2 score deficit with only 4 minutes remaining a year ago on a rainy night. This year the player excelled one of the greatest comebacks in school history is now playing on Saturdays along with many other seniors on last years squad nationally ranked squad. No Darkwa, no overtime, no problem.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and wasted no time getting in the red zone. Wirth Campbell caught a pass out of the backfield from Drew Parker and turned upfield for a 65 yard gain. The Tigers were stopped at the 3 yard line on 3rd down, Clayton McGlasson hit a 20 yard field goal to put the Tigers up 3-0. Then on the kickoff McGlasson hit a pooch kick high into the air, Ensworth's Cory Batey would settle under it and catch the live ball with no exception by the Smyrna special teams. Ensworth moved the ball well into Bulldog territory before Corn Elder capped the drive off with a 2 yard TD run.

McGlasson hit another pooch kick and this time the Bulldogs were well aware of it, but couldn't catch it. Ensworth recovered deep in Bulldog territory. Ensworth RB Nantambu Fentress busted through the line for a couplenice runs but was stripped of the ball before he could get in the end zone on a controversial play. The Bulldogs recovered for a touchback; however, that did not prevent Ensworth from scoring.

The Tiger's defense was strong all night. DB/WR Cory Batey lead the team in tackles with 6, DL Taylor Grant recorded 5 of his own. Top prospect Antonio Richardson led the way for the Tiger's run game all night and recorded 2 tackles on defense along with Senior prospect Keenan Crenshaw.

The Bulldogs failed to cleanly exchange the hand off on a reverse play and the ball was quickly scooped up by Corn Elder who took it 73 yards for 6. Clayton McGlasson's PAT was blocked. The score was 16-0 Ensworth going into halftime.

Despite the Bulldogs horrendous start they did not lay on their backs for long. Smyrna RB Jeremiah Bryson, who committed to Dave Wannstedt's Pittsburgh Panthers led the way to for Smyna's first TD of the night. Bryson scored on a 1 yard run making it a 16-7 game.

On Smyna's next offensive possession the Bulldogs opened up the passing game with QB Steve Wilson and WR EJ Majors who led the Bulldogs in receiveing with 5 rec for 46 yds. Wilson finished the night with 107 yards passing. The drive was capped off by another Bryson 1 yard run. Bryson led the Bulldogs with 87 rushing yards on 14 carries and 2 TDs. The Bulldogs had cut the Tiger lead to 2.

Corn Elder responded on the ensuing drive with a 56 yard TD run after having two long TD runs called back on holding penalties. The sophomore finished the game with 198 yards rushing on 22 carries and 2 rushing TDs with a defensive TD.

The Bulldogs looked to try to sustain one last drive but it was suddenly terminated with a interception by junior DB Rodney Edmiston. Ensworth went on one last drive that put the game away lead by Elder and Fentress that was capped off by a 1 yard QB sneak by Drew Parker. Fentress finished the game with 75 yards rushing on 12 carries. The Tigers would go on to win 30-14.

Ensworth will take on another Rivals Top 100 team, Brentwood Academy on the road on Thursday night.

Ward Goes HAM

Jimmy Ward was straight murking yesterday on the course. Beast. The kid flat out gets it done. Jimmy's success is mainly due to the fact that he is related to Cole Parrish and he really likes Cole in a not gay kind of way. Just kidding, but seriously J-WARD goes hard in the paint. Jimmy took one for the team yesterday in regionals, he said, "The tigers are a team of one." He said he woke up in the morning and his back hurt from carrying the team. The End.

-Nathan Watkins

Ensworth Runs Past McCallie 35-14

Starting 0- 2 is not easy after going undefeated in the regular season two years in a row. Nor is it losing to your crosstown rival and going into your second bye week. Ensworth knew this was a must win game and played like it.

The Tigers got off to a fast start, shutting down McCallie on their first possession and coming out strong offensively. The Tigers made the switch at QB this week swapping a senior for a senior. Drew Parker and company drove the ball to the MHS 46 where he would connect with Cory Batey on a 46 yard pass.

McCallie responded with a TD pass of their own on the very next drive as QB Trent Lusk connected with Syracuse commit Keenan Hale on a 28 yard pass. The Tigers responded with another drive but it was cut short do to a red zone mistake. McCallie recovered a fumble from Cory Batey but the Ensworth defense stood strong and the Tornado was forced to punt. JR Taylor Graham went back to receive a punt for the first time in his Varsity career. Graham caught the ball at the McCallie 40 and 60 yards later he was in the end zone.

McCallie's offense didn't slow down after being forced to punt. They sustained a drive of their own capped off by a 15 yard TD run by Daniel McClure. But yet again Ensworth had an answer, Nantambu Fentress and company marched all the way to the goal line. Drew Parker snuck into the end zone with a 1 yard run of his own before the half. The score going into halftime was 21-14 Ensworth.

The Tigers would begin to pull away after RB Corn Elder scored on a 50 yard run putting Ensworth up by 3 TDs after that it seemed like there was no more wind in the storm. The Tiger's defense was stellar in the 2nd half, Wirth Campbell and Shamari White helped lead the way by shutting down the always threatening McCallie option. But Nantambu Fentress was the real story of this game. He was the game's leader in rushing with 85 yards on 13 attempts. Fentress finished off the Tornadoe with a 4 yard TD off his own in the final minutes. The Tigers went on to win 35-14.

The Tigers will face one of 6A's best, Smyrna at home next Friday.

Week 4: McCallie

When: 7PM

Where: Ensworth High School

Media: 560 AM, Ensworth Live

Records: EHS 0-2 McCallie 2-1

Key Players:

EHS: QB Drew Parker, RB Corn Elder, OL/DL Antonio Richardson

McCallie: WR Kennan Hale, QB Trent Lusk

Prediction

Both teams are coming off tough losses but Ensworth has more to prove after getting off to an 0-2 start. Wirth Campbell will be moved to TE for this game, Drew Parker will get the start.

EHS 28 McCallie 14

Big Loss For Tigers MBA 21 EHS 14

Calling the atmosphere at Friday's game "electric" or "intense" would not do it justice. Tiger Stadium was an absolute mad house with an over capacity crowd all jacked up on mountain dew (or something a little harder) all painted orange or white. Ensworth came into this game trying to take momentum into their upcoming schedule featuring some of the best teams in the state. MBA was looking to start off 3-0, their first back to back wins against EHS and bragging rights. MBA achieved the trifecta.

Both team's first possessions ended in punts but MBA was the first to tally with a 5 yard touchdown run from senior RB Tyler Franks. Franks would score all of MBA's 3 TDs and lead the team in rushing with 81 yards.

Before the half Ensworth found themselves on a drive that reached the 10 yard line; unfortunately the play that got them there gave MBA possession as senior RB Quinn Hamilton fumbled but Ensworth still had a shot at scoring before halftime. The Ensworth defense forced an MBA from inside their own end zone. EHS got posession at the 50 yard line and marched all the way to the 15. When forced with a 4th and 3, coach Bowers sent on the field goal team. Clayton McGlasson's kick went wide and MBA took a 7-0 lead into the 2nd half.

Ensworth began the 2nd half with the ball at their own 20 but went backwards. QB Drew Parker lost the ball on a bad snap exchange, giving MBA great field possession. Tyler Franks would later get his 2nd Touchdown giving MBA a 14-0 lead.

Quinn Hamilton then redeemed himself from an earlier turnover by forcing one of his own. Hamilton stripped the ball from Franks and took it 60 yards to the house for Ensworth's first points of the game, cutting MBA's lead to 7. It was the first touchdown given up by the Big Red this season.

The momentum was back with Ensworth until Franks struck again with a 5 yard touch down run giving MBA a 14 point cushion. Until the Tigers struck back with the super sophomore Corn Elder with a 20 yard TD run; Corn rushed for 134 yards, the most in the game.

The Tigers forced a punt and got the ball at their own 17 yard line. QB Wirth Campell then completed a 50 yard bomb to WR Cory Batey, giving EHS 1st and 10 from the 20 yard line. The Tigers made it too the 9 yard line but got called for a procedure penalty after the coaches had asked the officials for a timeout. 1st and goal the turned into 4th and 11 to tie. On 4th down Drew Parker was forced out of the pocket and made a desperation throw that was bobbled by a MBA DB but found its way to the ground. MBA had beaten Ensworth for the 2nd time since November.

Ensworth will have another bye week before taking on McCallie at home.

Week 2: MBA

When: 7PM

Where: Ensworth

Media: 104.5 FM, 560 AM, Ensworth Live

Records: EHS 0-1 MBA 2-0

Last Opponent: EHS-@OAK L 20-7 MBA-Maplewood W 24-0

Key Players:

EHS: QB Wirth Campbell, OL Antonio Richardson, DT Keenen Crenshaw, RB Corn Elder

MBA: QB Aaron Simonis, DB/WR Joe Riegle, RB Tyler Franks , DE Connor Caldwell

Prediction

MBA has all the momentum coming into tonight. EHS lost their first regular season game since 2007 against a very tough Oakland team. So far MBA hasn't played the most impressive schedule but have taken care of business shutting out both Pearl Cohn and Maplewood. This game will be won through the air, who can ever can establish the better passing game will come away with this one. If that's the case it will be MBA.

MBA 21 EHS 14

Are Blackouts Racist?

No.

Orleans Scores 3 TDs In First Career Game At Tulane

Well that didn't take long. I wonder what all those SEC schools are thinking when they saw Thursday night's box score.

Ex- Tiger Orleans Darkwa, who holds school and state records in career rushing yards and touchdowns did not seem to miss a beat when taking his game to the next level. Darkwa carried the rock 19 times for 75 yards and 3, yes, T-H-R-E-E touchdowns against Southeastern Louisiana.

Darkwa's first ever TD came with 6:25 left in the 1st quarter on a 3 yard run, putting the green wave up 7-0. It was Tulane's first TD of the season.

The freshman then added 6 more with 2:49 gone in the 2nd quarter on an 8 yard run to regain the lead over the Lions 14-7.

Then in the 4th quarter Orleans put the nail in the coffin with another score from 6 yards out. Tulane went on to win 27-21. Orleans also returned 2 kickoffs for 27 yards. The Green Wave's next game will be at home against Ole Miss.

Patriots Prevail 20-7

You couldn't ask for a more electric atmosphere on a Friday night in middle Tennessee. Bleachers filled, fans tailgating since noon and radio stations lining the walkways, it was certainly the game of the week. Unfortunately for Ensworth, the power went out in the first quarter.

The tigers got off to a lackluster start, beginning the opening drive from inside their own 20, the tigers were backed up by a bad snap over QB Wirth Campbell's head. After the ensuing punt, Oakland RB Tee Mayberry led the Patriots to their first TD, putting the Patriots up 6-0 (PAT missed).

After another failed drive by the tigers Oakland then drove the ball down to the EHS 4 yard line, Tee Mayberry capped of the drive with another TD on a toss sweep. Oakland, before the half added another score to make it 20-0 at halftime.

Oakland began the 3rd quarter with the ball but the drive was short lived after DT Keenen Crenshaw came up with a big fumble recovery. Ensworth, with newly found confidence went on the drive on the game that was capped of by a 4 yard touchdown by sophomore RB Corn Elder.

The Ensworth defense then forced Oakland to punt on the ensuing drive. On 3rd down Ensworth ran what could of been the play of the game. Wirth Campbell completed a pass to Rico Watson who the found an uncovered Corn Elder deep down field, with only green in front of him, Elder could not keep his balance at the Oakland 30. Ensworth failed to convert on 4th down later that drive, keeping the final score at 20-7.

Ensworth will have a bye next week but will take on arch rival MBA the following week at home. MBA is 1-0 with their first win coming Friday against Pearl Cohn, 17-0.

Week 0 Preview

When: 7:30 PM

Where: Oakland High School, Murfreesboro, TN

Both teams are 0-0

Media: 560 AM/ensworthlive.com

Key Players

OAK:

RB Tee Mayberry

DB Darius McAdoo

EHS:

QB Wirth Campbell

OL/DL Antonio Richardson

Last Game: EHS 22- OAK 20 OT Recap

Prediction: Last season's game was a absolute slug fest. Both teams lose size but Oakland has the depth. This year Ensworth may be lucky to get to overtime this time around with the injuries sustained in the off season to key players.

OAK 28 EHS 14

Limping Out Of Columbia

Last Friday Ensworth traveled to Columbia to scrimmage the Columbia Central Lions. It was a hot Tennessee afternoon at Columbia Central's practice field with the heat index well into triple digits.

The Tigers got off to a rough start as it seemed as though the OL was confused on the first couple of series as the CCHS DL had no trouble getting in the backfield to take down Quinn Hamilton.

The Tigers responded with several great defensive series of their own and set the tone offensively. Wirth Campbell and Drew Parker both seemed to be on their game. Both moved the pocket well and were able to find receivers wide open in the flat. Cory Batey had a couple of great catches followed by some ankle breaking moves. Nantambu Fentress showed a great burst of speed and took on a CCHS DB twice his size and got the best of him, driving forward and extra 3 yards on a massive hit. Rico Watson and Justin Lloyd also impressed at WR, catching numerous balls at the line of scrimmage for substantial games.

Wirth Campbell later connected on a long touchdown pass to David Dingess. Campbell later threw an interception in the back of the end zone. CCHS answered with a touchdown of their own, from that point on the remainder of the game would be scoreless.

Despite the solid performance the Tigers came away with more injuries than touchdowns. Conor McDermott suffered a dislocated shoulder and Myles Pasley also had to come out of the game. While the scrimmage was coming to the end, Sophomore Rajiv Patel took a shot to the head and had to be taken to the hospital by the ambulance on hand. Rajiv suffered a concussion but is now feeling better. Antonio Richardson did not play due to a shoulder injury sustained in practice.

I'm Back!!!!!

Sup, I've decided to write more now that I have finally accepted that super prodigy Miles Karro is no longer with the Ensworth football team. He's gone now and all I can do is sit and think of what could of been. I have spent many sleepless nights thinking of "The Play", for those of you trolls out there that don't know what the play is maybe it wouldn't hurt to give the ole macbook a rest and walk outside and talk to some people other than the family that you secretly loathe deep down and socialize with some people that live more than 100 feet away from your computer or if you're a female lurker, the oven.

The whole thing began when the Tigers inserted the Junior DT after taking an insurmountable lead against the woeful JPII Knights late in the fourth quarter. The play began to look like you're average end of the game, get the scrubs in, this one's over, type of play until the ball was snapped. A hole opened up in the middle, the running back thought he saw daylight, and was going to take off like a Junior in the back of a pickup truck. Then Miles closed the gap with his lighting speed, thunderous power and precise footwork, thus launching the back airborne, no shorter that 10 feet up into the atmosphere. Everyone was in awe. Karro called the kid's parents the following Saturday demanding they pay air fare and they did. Karro then began to receive the interest of college coaches from all over the county. Former USC coach Pete Carrol called Miles later that week offering him a full ride scholarship to USC. Urban Meyer claimed he saw shades of Carlos Dunlap in the 17 year old. Lane Kiffin, then the coach of Tennessee said that he was also interested but wanted Karro nowhere near his wife because if he were to take liking to Layla there would be no way he could get her back; he may too be launched 10 feet into the atmosphere.

It all seemed to be going great for Miles Karro, diet drinks lost their after taste, the flowers in his green house began to smell fresher and his girlfriend became slightly more visible to the naked eye. That was until local delinquent Will Ferrelli took exception to Miles when caught trying to hack his laptop in the 2nd floor commons. The two began to exchange "pleasantries" and a violent altercation ensued. Ferrelli was found two months later at the bottom of the Ensworth pond near the front entrance. Karro, realizing his true calling, then signed an endorsement with Russell Athletics to pursue a MMA career. Naturally, he quit football so he would not risk an unlikely injury that could damage his promising career as a professional MMA fighter.

Anyway...

I'll be blogging and maybe even vlogging as the season goes on. Expect a recap of the Columbia scrimmage soon. Peace.

Check Out Our Ustream Show!

I will be doing a weekly show on Sunday nights for those that have questions about anything sports related. I will be going live at 9:30, this episode will be more a like a experiment. If you have a question feel free to ask via the chat box or twitter.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hdcastle

Orleans To Be On 560AM

Tune in Tonight at 8:20 on sports extra. Listen Live: http://www.wnsr.com/index.php?id=2.