Warhorses claim fifth straight Western Highlands Conference Championship

Owen outduels Avery County, 4-2, in regular season finale

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 2, 2024

A physical match between familiar foes, Nov. 2, in Avery County, ended with a fifth straight Western Highlands Conference Championship for the Owen soccer time.

The Warhorses came back from an early 1-goal deficit to hand the Vikings their first conference loss of the season.

Owen entered the contest having won 37 consecutive conference matches, dating back to 2020, while Avery County was in the midst of a four-game winning streak. The Vikings, who jumped out to a 1-0 lead over the Warhorses in the opening minutes, had not lost a contest since August.

A goal by senior Davis Kendall, who was assisted by sophomore Lyle Sulzman in the 24th minute, evened the score, before junior Spencer Woolley worked his way through a pair of Vikings defenders to drill the ball into the net from about 35 yards out to give his team a lead.

The Owen offensive attack picked up the pace in the final 2 minutes of the opening half, as Woolley connected on his second goal of the contest with 1:16 left in the opening half, followed by Kendall, who fired a penalty kick past the opposing goalkeeper 30 seconds later.

The match, which included three Avery County yellow cards and both a red and yellow for Owen, was contentious throughout. Warhorse head coach Trei Morrison emphasized the importance of mental toughness to his team at the half.

“Do not get wrapped up in emotions,” he said.

The opposing teams battled throughout the second half, with Avery scoring on a rebound from a free kick in the final 2 minutes.

With a victory in the regular season finale, the Warhorses improved to 6-1-2 in the campaign, which was shortened due to Tropical Storm Helene. The Vikings fell to 8-2-1.

Morrison, who has won three WHC championships in his tenure with the team, congratulated his players on the victory, following the match.

“I told them it was good that we were tested, because we want to see what we’re made of and how we will respond, mentally,” he said. “I thought going down early tested us, so I was glad to see us focus, and come back and fight together.”

Losing senior Hudson McGuire to a red card in the 11th minute of the second half was a challenge for the team, he added.

“He’s a leader in the back, so we had guys like Liam (Feste) and Diego (Galves) step up,” Morrison said. “We defended well and the guys were locked in. We had chances to put 5 or 6 up, being a man down.”

The Warhorses, who will host an opening round postseason match when NCHSAA 2A Playoff Brackets are released, Nov. 7, have outscored their opponents by a combined 39-4 through their current six-game winning streak.

“We have to hone our abilities in tight spaces, and keep working on that,” Morrison said. “We’re still coming back from a month layoff, and credit to Avery because they’re doing the exact same thing. But, we’re going to continue getting into our rhythm and keep going through the playoffs.”

Photos of Owen’s 2024 Western Highlands Conference Championship victory over Avery County can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.