Cold kickoff
Warhorses ‘ready to play football’ ahead of winter season opener
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 21, 2021
The Owen Warhorses will kick off the football season, Friday, Feb. 26, at home against West Henderson. Photo by Fred McCormick
A typical football season at Owen begins on the field under the hot summer sun, where players and coaches start the grueling task of preparing to compete by the end of August. Warhorse Stadium, however, was quiet this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic forced programs around the state to postpone the 2020 campaign, which sixth-year head coach Nathan Padgett and his team will open at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 26, at home against West Henderson.
Opening kickoff for the Warhorses will come in the final days of winter this year, and while this season has been anything but typical, some things haven’t changed at all.
“We’re ready to play football,” said returning senior offensive lineman and middle linebacker Sam Gray, a week before the team’s opener. “It’s going to be different, the stands will be emptier and we’re starting in the cold, but we’ve been waiting for this for a long time and a lot of us weren’t sure we’d have this chance.”
The 2019 season ended for the Warhorses on a cold, wet November night in Burnsville, where Western Highlands Conference Champion Mountain Heritage defeated them, 18-7, in the second round of the playoffs. It was the second loss to the Cougars in less than a month for Owen, which finished the season with its best record, 7-5, since 2014.
There were, however, plenty of accomplishments to celebrate for Padgett and his team, and much optimism about the future.
The Warhorses finished last season third in the WHC, with the second-best record among 2A teams in the split 1A/2A conference. The 2019 season was highlighted by a 20-14 homecoming victory over previously undefeated Polk and included a 54-32 win on the road against Avery, followed by a 62-8 performance against Madison to close out the regular season. Owen also picked up its first playoff victory since 2014, knocking off West Stanly in the opening round, 27-7.
While coaches and players began looking to build upon that success in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put the entire campaign in doubt.
Preparing for the unknown
The Warhorse offensive line, including Sam Gray (78), protect quarterback Caleb Scott, as the team prepares for its season opener against West Henderson. Photo by Fred McCormick
Eleven seniors from the 2019 Owen roster graduated, but the biggest impact was on the offensive and defensive lines. Saevion Gibbs, Jaylin Davidson and C.J. Gray played their final games for the program, and junior Eli Brasher transferred to Christ School. Brasher helped the Greenies win their first state championship in November. While those departures left a significant void up front, Gray, younger brother of C.J., calls the current unit “a bunch of Swiss Army knives.”
“We’re really versatile,” he said. “We don’t have nearly the size we had last year, but what we lack in size we make up for in football IQ and athleticism. We know our assignments and we can execute them.”
The senior is moving inside from tackle to guard this season, and joined on the line by fellow seniors Nick Roberts and Aidan Paige. Juniors Peyton Rickard, Brett Gaynor and Jarrett Tweed round out the unit.
Although the Warhorse line will look much different than it did a year ago, the vast majority of the skill position players are returning.
“I believe this is one of the most talented and athletic groups we’ve had since I’ve been at Owen,” Padgett said. “It’s also a deep group, and they’re all pretty knowledgeable of our system.”
The roster, around this time last year, looked capable of competing for a spot near the top of the WHC in 2020, but COVID-19 limited off-season workouts and ultimately caused the season to be moved from fall to spring.
The coaching staff created skill development calendars that allowed players to workout within the guidelines issued by the state, Padgett said, but navigating the pandemic has presented many challenges.
“We’ve been fortunate because, with the experience of this team, we’ve been able to be on the same page, so we’re prepared,” he said. “But, we’ve only been in helmets since January and not allowed to use pads until recently, and there is usually an adjustment period there.”
Owen football head coach Nathan Padgett meets with his team after a Saturday morning practice at Warhorse Stadium. Photo by Fred McCormick
Accountability has been key for the Warhorses throughout the pandemic, which caused schools to close and then return with reduced capacity.
“We’ve relied on these guys to keep themselves in shape and be ready when, and if, the season comes,” Padgett said. “They’ve been very resilient, and I’m really proud of how they’ve handled everything.”
Ready for some football
One of the players who never stopped preparing for the season was senior quarterback Caleb Scott.
“I’ve been working out on my own a lot,” said Scott, who committed to the Western Carolina University Catamounts three weeks ago. “I have a shed with weights, and I’ve been throwing a lot. I’ve been really focused on football.”
Owen senior quarterback Caleb Scott, who has committed to play football at WCU, throws a pass as the Warhorses prepare to open the season. Photo by Fred McCormick
That dedication has been apparent to the coaching staff, Padgett said.
“Every time we open the door Caleb is standing right there ready to get started,” he said.
A dual threat, Scott passed for 1,302 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2019 while rushing for 627 yards on 144 carries for 7 touchdowns. The only player to rush for more yards was Dequan Boyce, who transferred to Owen as a junior and promptly averaged 9.8 yards per carry on his way to 724 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
As he returns to the field as a senior, Boyce just days ago, wrapped a basketball season in which he led the Warhorses with 15.9 points per game.
“Usually I’m finishing football and getting ready for basketball, but this year it’s the other way around,” he said. “With all the running in basketball, my weight is down a little bit from what I’d like it to be for football, so I’m focused on getting back into football shape.”
Senior Dequan Boyce, who led the Warhorses in rushing with 724 yards in 2019, pulls away from a defender at practice. Photo by Fred McCormick
Boyce rushed for 100 yards or more in four games in 2019, and scored multiple touchdowns twice. He will be joined in the backfield by seniors Blake Roberts and Shavoy Harding, who combined for nine touchdowns as juniors.
“We have so many of our skill position players back, so all we need to focus on is playing up to the best of our abilities,” he said. “We know what this group is capable of.”
Defensively, the Warhorses will rely on that speed and athleticism to put pressure on opponents, according to Padgett.
“Last year, because of our size and talent, the defensive line drew a lot of double-teams, allowing our linebackers to run free,” he said. “This year we’re going to move our athletes around and create confusion. Sammy hit the nail on the head with the Swiss Army knife comparison, and that applies on this side, too. We have a lot of guys that can play a lot of different positions on that line.”
While Gray will battle on the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball, he’ll play linebacker next to Blake Roberts this season.
Caleb Scott tosses the ball outside to Owen senior Blake Roberts, one of several skill position players returning to the team as seniors. Photo by Fred McCormick
Scott will line up at defensive end for the Warhorses this year and is looking forward to it.
“I like to play defense,” he said. “A big part of Warhorse football is being able to play on both sides of the ball, and I like to hit.”
Boyce will return to his role as safety where he will be joined by a secondary unit that includes Harding, junior Eli Lanter and sophomore Hunter Inabinett.
“We’re going to be relying on some of the young guys coming over from our junior varsity team that went 9-1 last season,” Padgett said. “We feel like the leadership of this group of seniors will really help establish continuity with the younger players.”
Nothing is promised
Scott “can’t wait” for the opening kickoff against West Henderson this Friday, particularly because he was one of many seniors who weren’t sure they would play at all in their final year of high school.
Owen head coach Nathan Padgett and the Warhorses will recognize senior players on opening night, Feb. 26. Photo by Fred McCormick
Gray, who Padgett calls “the anchor” of the offensive line, has focused on encouraging his teammates through the challenges of the pandemic.
“I tell them we can’t get down over things we can’t control,” he said. “We just have to work on what we can control and be ready for whatever comes.”
Padgett told his players after a Feb. 20 practice that the school would hold senior night during the first game of the season to recognize the group of 10.
“The way things have been, nobody in any sport is promised an entire season,” he said. “This is a special group of seniors, and their leadership and commitment to this program has been extraordinary, so I wanted to get Senior Night taken care of immediately.”
Owen is scheduled to play seven games, hosting four of them in front of what is currently limited to a capacity of 100 spectators.
“It’s going to be weird, but I know these guys are just happy to be out there,” Padgett said.
Unfinished business
No matter how many games they play, one date is likely to have special significance for the Warhorses: Friday, March 26.
Owen will host defending conference champion Mountain Heritage nearly 17 months after falling to the Cougars in a heartbreaking regular season defeat in 2019. After leading for much of the contest, the Warhorses lost 22-15 when Mountain Heritage recovered a kickoff that died on the drenched field.
“It was terrible,” Sam said. “But, as bad as it felt to lose that game, that was a moment that really changed things for us. We knew we should’ve had that game, up there, and that meant we could play with anybody.”
This year’s game at home against the Cougars is an opportunity to settle unfinished business, according to Scott.
“I just want to beat them,” he said.
That game, like all of the conference match-ups in a shortened season, will have major implications for the WHC, according to Padgett.
“Every year it’s our goal to win the conference championship,” he said. “There’s no doubt that the road to a WHC title goes through Burnsville.”
Owen offensive coordinator and athletic director Anthony Lee works with players in a Feb. 20 practice at Warhorse Stadium. Photo by Fred McCormick
At this moment, however, Owen is focusing all of its attention on opening what is actually the 2020 season on a chilly February night against West Henderson.
“Normally we start playing when it’s hot outside and it cools down as the season goes on,” Sam said. “Everything hurts more when it’s cold, so we really have to prepare our bodies for this kind of weather.”
But, it’s worth it, he added.
“I’m not pursuing football beyond this level,” he said. “I was truly worried I would never step back on the field again. So, I know we all just want to make the most out of this opportunity.”
The unique circumstances surrounding the upcoming season make it difficult to predict how it will unfold, according to the coach, but his expectations for his team are simple.
“We have a longstanding tradition of good football here in the Valley, and we have something in our locker room that says: ‘This is a tradition that was built by young men before you to be carried on by you,’” Padgett said. “What I want this team to do is go out there and be a team that makes our school and community proud.”