It’s a wrap for the 2021-22 Owen Athletics season...
…but the work deosn’t stop in the summer
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 8, 2022
Three-sport athlete Briggs Barker is one of at least eight soon-to-be Owen graduates who will continue their playing careers in college. Barker will play baseball for Southeastern Community College. Photo by Fred McCormick
When I packed up my notepad, pen and camera last week to cover the college signing of soon-to-be Owen graduate Brett Gaynor, a student-athlete who greeted me with a smile and quick joke every time I saw him these past few years, I started reflecting on the end of another athletic season at the Swannanoa Valley’s only public high school.
As a community news reporter, the fall, winter and spring seasons of the Warhorses and Warlassies factor heavily into my planning and scheduling. One of the primary reasons The Valley Echo is committed to covering these teams is simple: These young athletes work hardest when nobody is watching.
With the class of 2022 set to walk on the field for the final time in the upcoming graduation, their younger classmates are already sweating in the summer sun, preparing for next season. Many of them will step into the senior leadership roles once held by the alumni who preceded them.
As the smallest public school in Buncombe County, the athletic tradition at Owen is nothing short of amazing. Shiny trophies from bygone eras line the cases in the cafeteria, alongside the retired jerseys of athletes like Brad Johnson and Brad Daugherty. Woven into the Warhorse heritage are names like college basketball coaching legend Roy Williams, while current Warlassies look up at a banner in the gym recognizing the 1960s-era team that won more than 90 straight games.
That heritage is almost palpable for the athletes who wear maroon and white today, and every year a new generation leaves their own mark on the courts and fields of Owen.
At least eight Warhorses and Warlassies are continuing their athletic careers in college, several right here at Montreat or Warren Wilson College, and many more will share their knowledge with young athletes in communities as coaches and volunteers. Some of them may even come back to the Swannanoa Valley to work with our kids, as so many former Owen athletes lovingly do right now.
While I tend to report on the games, the pictures and stories do little to fully capture the dedication and camaraderie behind the scenes.
The Owen student section broke out cowboy hats and boots last fall, as they cheered on the Warhorse football team. Photo by Fred McCormick
From my perspective, these things make it special when I’m there to see athletes like Brett, or Sidney Stone, making a key tackle late in the game, or Briggs Barker pointing at the camera after a big play on the football field, baseball diamond or basketball court.
Through the lens, I watched Jason Gun — an all-state soccer player who will continue his playing career at East Tennessee State University — make plays that looked effortless. But his coach, David Fiest, was always quick to point out his player’s incredible work ethic.
Jason Gun was a force on the soccer field for the 17-4 Warhorses last fall. The all-state player will continue his playing career at East Tennessee State University. Photo by Fred McCormick
During the cold winter months, the Owen Seahorses were blazing through pools around WNC, on their way to an appearance in the state championship meet. Senior Chloe Little, who has been swimming in the Black Mountain Pool since she was a child, emerged as one of N.C.’s top athletes in the sport. She will take her aquatic skills to Campbellsville University in the fall.
Witnessing the Warlassies volleyball team, powered by senior leaders like Bailee Worley, Ava Allen, Emily Stone and McKenna Mumpower, celebrate a decisive home playoff victory was the culmination of their collective dedication to the sport. Many of those seniors would go on to play significant roles on other Warlassies teams, including basketball, softball and track and field.
From left to right, McKenna Mumpower, Bailee Worley, head coach Kirsty Kamer, Emily Stone and Ava Allen celebrated Owen volleyball’s Senior Night in October with a win over Madison. The Warlassies opened the playoffs with a victory at home to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Photo by Fred McCormick
Nobody who has ever attended Owen has thrown a discus like Charlie Hurt. The senior two-sport athlete broke the school record with a 165-foot-8-inch throw in 2022. In the net for the Warhorse soccer team last fall, the goalkeeper was a key figure on a team that finished the campaign, 17-4, while advancing to the second round of the state playoffs.
Lifelong buddies, Zeke Grabowski and Aidan Noonan, will compete in the sport they love while attending college just up the road at Montreat. The gritty Grabowski, capped his Warhorse career with a fourth-place finish in the 120-pound weight class in the state championship meet.
Mattie Lehman, who was named Owen’s Overall Athlete of the Year recently, displayed the same steely determination on the tennis and basketball courts as she did on the soccer field. Her name is forever etched below many of the greatest athletes to put on a uniform for the school.
Mattie Lehman was named overall Owen Athlete of the Year, May 27, at the Owen Athletic Awards Banquet. The three-sport star was a standout for the Warlassies on the tennis and basketball courts and soccer field. Photo by Fred McCormick
While these seniors, and many more, shared special moments in the athletic arena this year, the Owen Athletics Department itself is looking forward to improvements. The school will add a new scoreboard to Warhorse Stadium before the fall, and a new ticket booth is set to be installed at the entrance. The new era of Warhorse football, under head coach Zach Gibson, will pay homage to its proud history, as the team will white helmets with a maroon horseshoe for the first time since the 1970s.
I have been fortunate to cover Owen Athletics for eight years, and I’m already looking forward to my ninth. While taking notes and pictures at games requires effort, it rarely feels like work.
To many, sports are just a thing we do to have fun, but for these student-athletes, putting on those uniforms is an opportunity to represent the Swannanoa Valley alongside the kids they grew up with.
This summer, while many of us take advantage of longer days with backyard barbecues and family get-togethers, the next generation of Warhorses and Warlassies will be in the weight room, on the field or in the gym, encouraging their teammates and honing their skills in sports they have played around this valley most of their lives.
As a community, all that is asked of us is to support those programs whenever possible. If it’s financial backing or in-kind services you can offer, get involved with the Owen Booster Club, which works year-round to properly equip these student-athletes.
One thing we can all do for the Warhorses and Warlassies is show up and cheer loudly.
I have spoken to these coaches and athletes enough over the years to know that representing this community means something to them. It pushes them to close out that last lap with effort, finish that final rep in the weight room with emphasis and pick each other up in their toughest moments.
The only thing we need to do is be there when the lights come on.