Ensworth football gets back on track, gives MBA first loss

Tanner Antonutti and the Ensworth football program were brimming with confidence this preseason, and for good reason.

In fact, Antonutti, a Tennessee commitment and 2016 All-Midstate first-teamer, was so optimistic he had no problem letting the rest of the world know.

“Get your umbrella out, the drought is over,” he posted from his Twitter account, referring to the three-plus years it has been since the Tigers had last hoisted a TSSAA state championship trophy.

It was a bold, but with a roster consisting of two Dandy Dozen selections — Antonutti and fellow senior Jaylon King — along with several additional FBS-caliber athletes, you couldn’t quite label it outlandish.

It’s a little over three months — and two losses — later, and the 6-foot-5, 260-pound interior lineman isn’t backing off his preseason prediction, especially not after Friday’s 10-7 triumph over previously unbeaten Division II-AAA East/Middle Region rival Montgomery Bell Academy.

“We’ve definitely got to keep it up and it’s not going to be easy, but hey, we’re on the right track,” Antonutti said. “We’ve put the losses behind us, and we’re going to remember what we did wrong to get better.”

Added King, a Georgia Tech commitment, “I don’t think we came out strong in either of those losses. We underestimated both (CPA and McCallie), and that’s why we knew preparation would be key tonight. I know we made mistakes on both sides of the ball, but I’m just proud of my team for overcoming those.”

In addition to helping pave the way offensively for Ensworth (6-2, 2-1 DII-AAA E/M), Antonutti, who rarely came off the field Friday, also anchored perhaps the Tigers’ most impressive defensive performance to date, posting five tackles — two for loss — and two sacks.

“It was a defensive struggle, but a win is a win,” said Antonutti, who registered a crucial e sack on the final possession for MBA (7-1, 2-1). “We’ll take it.”

King added five stops for Ensworth, which held MBA to 207 yards and its lowest point total of the season, and he also helped seal the win by batting down Big Red quarterback Ty Allen’s fourth-down pass with less than a minute to play.

“We played hard, we just made a lot of mistakes today,” said Allen, who was 12-of-21 passing for 120 yards and scored MBA’s only touchdown on a second-quarter sneak from 2 yards out. “But we’ve got a team that fights through adversity, and I know we’re going to bounce back.”

Reach Michael Murphy at mfmurphy@tennessean.com, 615-259-8026 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.