Ensworth Hangs Tough, Knocks Off CPA (Game Recap/Top Performers)

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Tigers played outside their home turf but felt comfortable on the road in their seven point victory over Christ Presbyterian Academy. They had to fight off a late comeback but Ensworth held tight and moved to 3-0 within their region. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two Mid-Tennessee powerhouses squared off against each other Friday evening in West Nashville where the road Ensworth Tigers had to hold off on a scrappy CPA football team to defeat the Lions, 28-21. It was a game controlled early by the Tigers but CPA found some life in the second half to make things interesting and pull to within one score before Ensworth closed it out.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on in the first half, the road Tigers leaned on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1940925' first='E.J.' last='Gibson'] </strong>and their run game to set the tone. Ensworth maneuvered their way down the field to score first after a short yard screen pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1153810' first='Taylor' last='Hasselbeck'] </strong>to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1305812' first='Bishop' last='Starling']</strong> to go ahead 7-0.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a quick three and out from the CPA offense, the Tigers marched the ball down field again, placing themselves into the Lions red zone. They called on Gibson to get them back on the board and he obliged, producing his first rushing score of the night to push the Tigers lead out to 14-0.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That score would remain the same going into halftime and everything looked like Ensworth would walk away with the win as CPA hadn't shown any signs of life up to that point. That would change in the second half where the Lions found a recipe on offense while their defense made adjustments.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers would score again before CPA woke up to make things 21-0 after Gibson's second rushing touchdown of the night. From that point forward, the Lions stood tall and began to make things interesting. Their backs were against the wall on 4th down and needed something to happen. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1652877' first='Jack' last='Van Orman'] </strong>tossed a semi-fade pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='824736' first='Owen' last='Cabell'] </strong>and the future Alabama receiver brought it down in tight coverage then raced to the end zone to put the first points on the board for the home team.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1944751,"width":"260px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/jvorman.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1944751" style="width:260px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions got a quick three and out from their defense to get the ball back and find paydirt again. Senior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1335216' first='Rawls' last='Patterson'] </strong>took the ball from the four yard line then ran past defenders into the end zone to bring the score to within seven at 21-14.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game all of sudden got interesting with all the momentum on the side of the Lions. Ensworth didn't panic, they got the ball back and kept their cool as they marched down the field and answered. The Tigers yet again leaned on Gibson to get them down field where he finished the drive for his 3rd rushing score of the game to push the road team's lead out to 28-14.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CPA wasn't done just yet. Less than four minutes to go, the Lions quickly moved the ball down field but got stuck on 4th down until Van Orman ran away from pressure to find an open Patterson to keep the drive alive. The Lions running back ended it by scoring his 2nd rushing touchdown of the night to make things 28-21.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everything depended on the on-side kick from CPA to keep their hopes alive, however it didn't work as Ensworth recovered and basically ran the clock out. It was a great effort to come back from the Lions but their deficit in the first half was too much to overcome.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a big win for Ensworth as they moved to 6-2 overall and more importantly, 3-0 within their region. The Tigers are in position to compete for the region title but they must get past Baylor, who they face in two weeks. CPA goes into a much needed break before they get back into region play against Knox. Catholic then finishes out the regular season at McCallie.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1944760,"width":"246px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/bsurratt.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-1944760" style="width:246px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player of the Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1940925"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68e9f92213d60"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gibson has been on a tear this season and it continued in this game where the Tigers junior ran 25 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-21 victory. The Lions defense had a hard time dealing with Gibson as he consistently found open holes and got into the open field due to his speed and powerful running style. His vision was excellent but his contact balance was even better. Gibson bounced off tacklers all night and couldn't be denied in the red zone. This was a top tier performance from Gibson, where he proved to be the difference maker in this region contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Three Stars …….</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1153810"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68e9f92213db9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">His stat sheet may not stand out from this performance but Hasselbeck was solid, he was steady all night long and was a calm force behind the road region win. The future Wyoming signal caller did throw for a little less than 200 yards on the night and one score, so he did his part but the biggest thing Hasselbeck did was lead his team and not turn the ball over. His leadership and calm presence behind center was a key part in the Tigers seven point win over CPA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1305812"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68e9f92213e03"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Starling did a little bit of everything in the Tigers win over CPA where he caught passes, took some handoffs and made several pass deflections on defense. The Tigers senior athlete produced the first touchdown of the game, early in the 1st quarter on a screen pass. Starling was tasked with guarding the Lions top wideout and he did pretty well. His athleticism on both sides of the ball were definitely key components towards earning a road victory on Friday evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1673214"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68e9f92213e4b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Tigers ran the ball with Gibson at an efficient rate with Baker being a key cog up front, opening holes on a consistent basis. I specifically watched how this junior big man would perform in this game and he was absolutely dominant. Baker was a beast that locked on to his opponents and wouldn't give an inch until the play was over. He showed his ability to anchor and drive his man off the ball along with nice athleticism in his pass sets. The Tigers junior is one of the best O-linemen coming out of the #TN2027 and this performance against CPA proved that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- - - - - </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Top Performers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(RB) [player_tooltip player_id='1335216' first='Rawls' last='Patterson'] - CPA: </strong>Patterson did everything he could to help lead his team to victory by producing two rushing scores and several other plays that resulted in first downs, including some that kept drives alive. The Lions running back is a gamer with an outstanding feel for the football and the knack for making the right plays.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(WR) [player_tooltip player_id='824736' first='Owen' last='Cabell'] - CPA: </strong>The Lions needed Cabell in this contest to stand out and he did, producing a 2nd half touchdown that brought his team closer while also bringing in several clutch catches along the way. His size/speed combination was tough to handle for the Tigers secondary. You can see in this game why several P4 schools were in pursuit and why he is headed to Alabama for his college career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(LB) [player_tooltip player_id='1132842' first='Blake' last='Surratt'] - Ensworth: </strong>Whether it was from his linebacker position on defense or on special teams, Surratt was highly active in this ball game where he made plays on the ball from start to finish. A physical tackler with a nose for the ball, Surratt flashed several times against the Lions, making plays consistently versus the run while displaying improving skills in pass coverage.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>‘27 (S) [player_tooltip player_id='1585715' first='Quinn' last='Taylor'] - Ensworth: </strong>Out of all the defensive players on the field in this game, I thought Taylor stood out the most. He made several tackles against the run but I thought his coverage on the back end was superb. The Tigers junior safety did a good job of closing up shop on any deep passes then made a key interception in the red zone to halt a would-be Lions drive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1944777,"width":"261px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/qtaylor.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1944777" style="width:261px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->