McCallie
Ensworth
9/15/2026 9:41:00 AM | Football, General
McCallie Football battled to the final seconds Friday night at Spears Stadium, but a fourth-quarter comeback came up just short as the Blue Tornado fell to Ensworth, 28-25, in its Division II-AAA region opener.
McCallie started strong and took a 12-7 advantage into halftime. Ensworth answered after the break, scoring 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 28-12 lead into the final period.
The Blue Tornado refused to go away.
Quarterback Louis Fortier connected with Levi Scott for a 15-yard touchdown with 8:54 remaining, cutting the Ensworth lead to 28-18. McCallie continued to battle, and Fortier found the end zone again on a one-yard quarterback run with 3:47 left to make it a three-point game.
The McCallie defense then came up with a stop to give the offense one final opportunity. Taking over at its own eight-yard line with 1:11 remaining and no timeouts, the Blue Tornado moved the ball toward midfield before a late turnover ended the comeback attempt.
Fortier led the McCallie offense with 353 passing yards and three touchdown passes while also adding a rushing touchdown. Pat Meyers III finished with 148 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Scott recorded 130 receiving yards and a score. Mikey Bartlett also hauled in a touchdown for the Blue Tornado.
McCallie finished the night with 410 yards of total offense and 22 first downs, outgaining Ensworth, which totaled 323 yards and 20 first downs. Christian Wright led the Blue Tornado defense with six tackles, while Alex Duhart and Fisher Kyriakidis each added five.
Penalties and turnovers proved costly in the closely contested matchup, but McCallie's late response showed plenty of fight as the Blue Tornado nearly erased a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit.
The loss moves McCallie to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in region play.
The Blue Tornado will look to bounce back when it returns to Spears Stadium on Friday, Sept. 18, to take on Mallard Creek (N.C.).
