Tuning up the Warhorses

Owen hosts East Rutherford in joint football practice

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 11, 2021

If the hot summer sun beaming down on the bright green field in Warhorse Stadium, Aug. 11, didn’t make Owen High School coaches and players long for fall, then the cracking of pads surely did. 

Head coach Brint Russell and his new team hosted his former team, East Rutherford, in a joint practice as the squads prepare for the upcoming 2021 football season. 

Owen will kick off the campaign in front of a home crowd at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 27, when they welcome the Chase Trojans. Russell, who is entering his first season at the helm for the Warhorses, brought in some familiar faces to help him evaluate his team. 

Russell was on the coaching staff at East Rutherford for five seasons before taking over the program in late 2019. He was hired as the head coach at Owen in June, after Nathan Padgett stepped down to accept an assistant principal position at A.C. Reynolds High School. Russell, a Black Mountain native and Owen graduate, is only the third head coach to lead the Warhorses since 1985. 

The Wednesday morning practice with the Cavaliers, which included offensive and defensive line drills, skills position match-ups and inside running drills, allowed the Warhorse coaching staff to see how players perform in game situations. The Warhorses will travel to Smoky Mountain this Friday for a scrimmage against the Mustangs. 

Multiple seniors are returning to Owen roster this season, including quarterback Eli Lanter and running back Briggs Barker. Brett Gaynor, Jarrett Tweed, Peyton Rickard, Zach Rogers and Ethan Tremble are all entering their senior season on the offensive and defensive lines. 

Photos of the joint practice between Owen and East Rutherford can be found in the gallery below.