A win for Coach Lee
Owen outduels Avery, 50-43, to improve to 3-3
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 2, 2021
There would be plenty of emotion in the center of the maroon horseshoe at midfield in Warhorse Stadium, April 2, when Owen head coach Nathan Padgett handed the game ball to offensive coordinator Anthony Lee.
“Coach Lee,” as he’s been known to countless Swannanoa Valley students since he returned to the school in 1996 after a brief stint at a Warhorse coach in 1989-90, had just called his final regular season home game for Owen.
“All I’ve ever asked of you is give me your best. We may not have played our best, but you gave me your best, and that’s all I’ve asked for,” Lee said, as he held the game ball. “I’ll bring a marker to school, and I want every one of your signatures on this ball. I’ve got many, many memories, but as I get older, you’re going to be the freshest ones.”
The Warhorse players erupted in cheers for Lee, who helped lead the team to a 50-43 victory over visiting Avery. The season-high scoring effort gave Owen the edge in a hotly contested game.
The Vikings entered the night with a 2-1 record and a 1-1 mark in the Western Highlands Conference, while the Warhorses were looking to earn their first WHC victory and snap a three-game skid.
The visiting team took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter before Owen senior quarterback Caleb Scott found junior Jacob Price for a touchdown. The Warhorses missed the extra point, and the Avery offense took the field with a 7-6 lead before adding another touchdown in the final seconds of the quarter.
Scott would find junior Orion Angus for a touchdown in the second quarter, but the 2-point conversion attempt by the Warhorses failed. Scott would lead Owen into field goal range before the half, as senior Logan Melton gave the home team a 15-14 halftime lead.
Another Scott touchdown pass would extend the Owen lead to begin the second half, but Avery tied the game minutes later. The Vikings took a 29-22 lead later in the third quarter, but a rushing touchdown by Scott evened the score. Owen would regain the lead, 36-29, with another rushing touchdown from Scott.
Price hauled in two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to give Owen a 50-36 advantage before the Warhorse defense held off a late push from the passing attack of the Vikings offense.
As time expired, players were immediately looking for Lee.
An emotional Scott was one of many players who hugged the offensive coordinator following the victory.
“Any win is great to celebrate,” Lee said after the game. “Fortunately for me, we ended up getting a win in my last home game. It’s great.”
Lee hadn’t announced his plans to retire at the end of the school year before the game, “but somehow it got out,” he said.
As he took the field for pre-game warmups, he saw a sign on the hill next to the home stands that read “thank you Coach Lee.”
“I told the guys this wasn’t about me,” he said. “It’s abut you guys and me doing what I can do to help you be successful.”
Lee is the athletic director at Owen and the head coach of the baseball team, which will begin its season after spring break. He joined the coaching staff of then-head coach Kenny Ford in 1996.
“We won the conference championship in 1996 and 1997, had a little break there, and then won it again in 2002, 2003, 2004, and a few through the years,” Lee said. “It’s amazing that I’ve been here for 25 years and in education for more than 30, and it’s like blinking—where did 30 years go?”
Lee will coach his final regular season game for Owen, Friday, April 9, when the Warhorses travel to Madison County for the 2020-21 finale.
