Brentwood Academy, Ensworth minus star power after injuries hit both TSSAA football teams

The rivalry between Brentwood Academy and Ensworth is notable for many reasons, but one of the most notable about the Sept. 25 game was the injury report that grew slightly by the end of the Eagles' 24-0 win at Ensworth.

>South Carolina football commit Judah Lancaster suffered a left knee injury midway through the third quarter and needed help walking off the field. Lancaster stayed in his uniform but had ice wrapped around his knee and left the field on crutches after the game.

>"He tweaked his knee a little bit and we decided to hold him (out). We were up 24-0 so we made that decision," Eagles coach Paul Wade said. "

>Brentwood Academy (4-2) was already without four-star Tennessee football commit Kesean Bowman who was held out of an abundance of caution, according to Wade. The state's No. 2-ranked prospect is recovering from a knee injury.

>"Kesean will be back this (next) week," Wade said. "If this was a playoff game, Kesean would have played. We just wanted to hold him another week"

>Leading rusher Larry Sanders II played sparingly in the first quarter but didn't return after suffering a minor shoulder injury, Wade said. Sanders ran four times for a net minus-7 yards.

Ensworth football's star running back outThe Tigers played without its offensive leader in EJ Gibson who watched the game from the sidelines in his jersey and shorts. Gibson said he was out after suffering a concussion but would be ready for Ensworth's Oct. 2 matchup at Knoxville Catholic. Gibson is among the Nashville area leaders in rushing yards this season with 799 yards and eight touchdowns. He's averaging 159.8 yards a game.

>The Tigers (3-3) struggled to run the ball without Gibson as Ensworth failed to score for the first time since 2020.

>Reach The Tennessean's high school sports editor, George Robinson, at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.

>This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brentwood Academy, Ensworth minus star power after injuries hit both TSSAA football teams