Owen falls to Chase in season opener
Trojans race to 57-15 victory over Warhorses
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 27, 2022
A road trip to Forest City, Aug. 26, as the Warhorses opened the 2022 season against 1-0 Chase, offered a few glimpses into the potential of the visiting team, but another strong showing at home for the Trojans proved far too much to overcome.
While the offense of first-year Owen head coach Zach Gibson found ways to move the ball against a speedy Chase defense, the defense and special teams of the Warhorses struggled to contain the explosive combination of seniors Marqies McCombs and Taivon Derisma.
The Trojans entered their second game of the season on the heels of a 42-0 victory over Mountain Heritage, Aug. 19. They wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard against the Warhorses, as senior Jalen Rudisill returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Owen responded later in the first quarter, when senior quarterback Alex Sanchez connected with senior wide receiver Hunter Inabinett for a deep touchdown pass. The Warhorses tied the game, 8-8, with a successful 2-point conversion run by Inabinett.
The teams exchanged a pair of punts on subsequent possessions, but the first of two Derisma touchdown returns in the second quarter helped the Trojans take a 36-8 lead into halftime.
Led by Sanchez, the Warhorse offense opened the third quarter with an 80-yard drive that included receptions by junior Hudson Minks and Inabinett. But, it ended up being the legs of the quarterback, who broke multiple tackles on a long run to the Trojan’s 1-yard line before punching it in from there, that carried Owen back into the end zone.
McCombs responded by scoring all three of his rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, helping Chase cruise, 57-15, to its second win of the season.
Mistakes on punts and kick coverage were simply too costly for the Warhorses, Gibson said after the game.
“We have to get better on special teams,” he said. “We gave up three touchdowns on special teams, and that let the game get away from us. We were right there with them on offense and defense, up to that point, so that’s definitely an area we need to reevaluate and figure out ways to improve.”
The head coach was encouraged by his team’s tenacity throughout the contest.
“We never got down, and we never quit,” he said. “We know this one game won’t be indicative of how the rest of our season will go, and we did a lot of good things out there tonight. Most importantly the fight was there throughout the whole game, so there are things we know we can build on.”
Owen will host the 0-2 Albemarle Bulldogs in its home opener at Warhorse Stadium, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2.
“We want to play physical, and want to be consistent,” Gibson said of his team’s goals heading into their home opener. “We don’t want to put ourselves in a position where we’re playing from behind, but instead remain consistent and dictate how the game will go.”
Photos of the Owen Warhorses 2022 season opener can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.