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Ensworth pulls away in fourth to rout Baylor

What started as a defensive struggle quickly turned into a one-sided rout as Ensworth used a huge fourth quarter performance to put away the visiting Baylor Red Raiders, 31-7.

The Tigers, who held a 10-point advantage early in the third quarter, smothered a fake punt attempt by Baylor early in the fourth quarter, and that play proved to be the turning point for both teams.

“We kind of had a feeling they were going to fake it because of the situation, so we were ready for it,” Ensworth’s P.J. Settles said. “We just made a play, and that gave us the momentum for the rest of the game.”

Moments after the special teams stop, Settles found teammate Brycen Hopkins in the end zone from 25 yards out, spotting the Tigers a 17-0 advantage with 11:44 remaining.

“In hindsight now, we probably should have kicked it,” Baylor coach Phil Massey said. “It was 10-0 at that time, and we should have made them try to drive it 80 yards because our defense had been doing a really good job. That gave them a short field and sort of changed the momentum. It snowballed after that.”

Settles, who also fired a 30-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass to Rico McGraw, finished with 155 yards through the air with a pair of touchdown passes. The 6-foot, 176-pound junior also carried six times for 43 yards and snagged an interception defensively.


Ensworth linebacker Brycen Hopkins (9) pulls down Baylor quarterback Nick Tiano (7) during the first half of the game at Ensworth High School Friday Oct. 24, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn.

Running back Darius Morehead tallied 103 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers (7-1, 4-1 DII-AA East/Middle), but, for the most part, it was Settles doing the damage offensively.

“They stopped Darius pretty well, so we just took what they gave us, and the passing game was it,” Settles said.”

“P.J. is a very talented kid that most people — thus far — have overlooked,” Ensworth coach Ricky Bowers said. “He won’t be (overlooked) for much longer.”

The Tigers totaled 339 yards and 18 first downs in the win, but their defense was just as impressive, limiting the Red Raiders to 201 yards.

“We’re making some progress defensively,” said Bowers, whose team surrendered 106 points in a two-game span against McCallie and Montgomery Bell Academy this season. “I was encouraged by our defense.”

Reach Michael Murphy at 259-8018 and on twitter at @Murph_TNsports.

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