The varsity football Owls were hoping to do what they did in last-season's opener: defeat Bartlett to begin the year 1-0. Unfortunately, Bartlett jumped out to an early lead and never trailed, ultimately defeating the Owls, 37-27, before a great crowd on the toasty August evening.

The visiting Panthers grabbed an early advantage after having taken the opening kickoff as they needed only 4 plays to score. WR Pierce Washington took a short pass, broke multiple tackles, and bulled his way into the endzone for the 51-yard touchdown reception, capping off the 63-yard drive. Jackson Bell's PAT gave Bartlett the 7-0 lead just 1:07 into the 2026 season.

The Owls appeared to answer the Bartlett score on their first offensive play of the season, but an end-around 78-yard touchdown pass from receiver Palmer Albertine to John Painter was called back for a penalty, and the Owls ultimately had to punt.

The Panthers doubled their lead midway through the first quarter as backup QB Rod Lucas took a keeper into the endzone from five yards out to finish the 5-play drive. Bell's PAT increased the advantage to 14-0.

But on the next possession, the Owls rallied and started moving the ball to give their defense a rest on this warm evening. QB Dhilan Madasu completed three passes on the drive, including a possession-starting 17-yarder to Painter, and then on 4^th and 10 from the Panther 35, he found RB Gray Gowen for a 22-yard gain to get to the Bartlett 13-yard line. Then, after a defensive pass-interference penalty, sophomore RB Wallace Bradshaw raced into the endzone from 7 yards out for the score. Jacob Stalls's PAT was good as the hosts trailed, 14-7, with 2:52 left in quarter one. The drive covered 13 plays and 80 yards and took up 4:08.

However, the Owls' momentum was short-lived as Corry Bratcher took the Stalls's kickoff at the Panther 1, returned it to his 34 and fumbled, but his teammate Chris Freeman picked up the bounding ball at the 39 and rumbled into the endzone, a 61-yard return. Bell's PAT made the score 21-7 heading into the second quarter.

After a quick punt, the Owl defense needed to get a stop, and they ultimately did, ending a long drive as Marcus Harris brought down Washington after a 5-yard gain on 4^th and 10 from the MUS 32-yard line, ending the threat. But just 1:25 later, the defense was back on the field after a 3-and-out for the MUS offense. The visitors began driving again, picking up 2 first down to get to the MUS 29-yard line. But again, the defense stiffened, forcing a field-goal attempt. Bell connected on a 40-yard attempt to increase the advantage to 24-7 with 2:47 left in the half.

The offense needed to put together a drive now trailing by 17, and they did just that. After an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Bartlett, Madasu found Foster Flaherty for 11 yards, and then Gowen burst through the line for 16 yards. And then another unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty got the Owls to the Panther 13-yard line, and Madasu hit Flaherty, and a quick move by the senior tight end allowed him to get into the endzone for the score. The 7-play drive covered 69 yards and just 1:55.

On the ensuing kickoff, returner Ayden Munoz broke into the open field and appeared to be destined for the endzone, but Stalls brought him down at the MUS 36 with just 45 seconds left in the half. The visitors moved 10 yards with just enough time for a field-goal attempt before the half, but a mishandled snap caused a fumble, and Harris dived for the loose ball, ultimately gaining possession and rumbling 60 yards for a score as the half expired. Stalls's PAT made the score 24-21 at the break.

The third quarter saw no scoring. The Owls' best chance came in its second drive of the half as they reached Bartlett 15-yard line down 24-21 midway through the quarter, but a loss of 9 yards on 3^rd down and a missed 41-yard field goal ended the threat.

The Panthers scored on two straight possessions in the fourth quarter, building a 37-21 lead. First, QB River Holland rushed in from 8 yards out for a score on the first play of the final quarter. Then, after an MUS punt, Aidan Jackson finished a 6-play, 55-yard possession with a 22-yard run. The two-point pass was no good with 7:56 left in the game, making the score 37-21.

The Owls did score again as sophomore QB Cullen Hayden led an impressive drive. He completed 3 passes on the possession and rushed for 20 yards as the scoring play was a 15-yard pass to Flaherty, his second touchdown grab of the game. The Owls went for two, but Jaden Siggers was tackled before reaching the goal line, ending the threat.

Bartlett would go on to run out the clock on two possessions to take the win and close the gap in the series with the Owls to 18-8.

Next week, MUS stays at home to take on Northpoint Christian (MS). Kickoff at Stokes-Alston Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m.

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