After a great start as the Owls recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and got the early lead, Ensworth quickly settled down and took control to win, 42-3, on a rainy evening at Stokes-Alston Stadium.
On the opening kickoff, William Renovich popped the Ensworth returner, causing the fumble which Charlie Gerhart recovered to give the hosts possession at the Tiger 26-yard line. From there, the Owl offense picked up one first down but could not get closer than the Ensworth 9-yard line. Joshua Wittber connected from 26-yards out to give MUS the early 3-0 lead.
But from that point, Ensworth started to exert itself and show why they are one of the most talented teams in the state. The Tigers scored on their next three possessions, and during that time, MUS picked on only 2 first downs on offense and turned the ball over on an interception in its own territory. Micah Smith, EJ Gibson, and Jayden Pyant all scored rushing touchdowns as the big, athletic Ensworth offensive line opened holes for its backs.
The Owls did have a nice drive late in the first half as they got down to the Ensworth 23 following three Brady Hughes pass completions, including a 10-yarder to John Painter, a 10-yarder to Kyle Sneed, and an 8-yard pass to Jacob Wade. But facing 4th-and-2 from the Tiger 23, the Owls went for it, and Ensworth stuffed a run, ending the Owl threat.
The second half saw more domination by Ensworth. They forced a quick 3-and-out to start the half and then started driving again. EJ Gibson hauled in three straight passes to get to the Owl 20-yard line, and from there, quarterback Taylor Hasselbeck hit Justin Hopkins for the score to give the visitors the 28-3 lead.
And on the ensuing kickoff, the Owls fumbled, and Ensworth recovered at the MUS 5-yard line. 3 plays later, Ensworth scored, causing a running clock.
MUS gained one more first down in the game, but Ensworth just ran the ball and bled the clock. They scored their final touchdown after a 14-play, 93-yard drive that amassed 10:06. The Owls never quit, but Ensworth was too much on this night.
In avenging last-year’s 19-14 loss to the Owls, Ensworth held MUS to just 81 yards and gained 282 themselves. The Owls were just overmatched.
The Mercury players of the game awards went to Matthew Ray, sophomore offensive lineman, and William Renovich, senior outside linebacker. Ray continues to improve and played well against Ensworth, and Renovich had 7 tackles and a forced fumble in coming back from injury. And the Buzzard player of the week was Liam Curran.