Warhorses fall to Enka in season opener

Owen looks to regroup after 37-14 loss to Jets

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 19, 2023

The 2023 football season got off to a rocky start, Aug. 18, as Owen fell, 37-14, on the road against Enka, in a contest beset by penalties and a key injury.

The Warhorses fell behind early, before a pair of defensive touchdowns gave them a first half lead, but the loss of senior running back and middle linebacker Will Johnson proved too much for his teammates to overcome.

“We have so much to clean up right now,” head coach Zach Gibson said. “We cannot worry about opponents right now; we need to focus on ourselves.”

Warhorse fans were treated to glimpses of the capabilities of Johnson and senior quarterback Jakob Knighton, who successfully connected with receivers Hudson Minks, Ben Austin, Asante Martin and tight end Ryland King in what the coach called an “impressive performance,” but it was the defense of coordinator Matt Owenby that gave Owen its only lead of the night.

The Jets, led by senior running back Dalton Sims and quarterback Cam Wait, scored on the first play of their opening possession and the subsequent offensive drive, establishing a 13-0 lead. As Enka again began moving the ball, Johnson put the Warhorses on the scoreboard with a an interception return for a touchdown, as senior defensive lineman Elba Njee applied pressure in the backfield.

The teams battled for field position through the early second quarter before Njee forced a fumble that was recovered by two-way player and outside linebacker King, who scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown, as sophomore kicker, wide receiver and cornerback Hayden Burpeau connected with the extra point to give Owen a 14-13 lead.

The Jets established a 19-14 advantage later in the half, before Johnson appeared to break free of tacklers, reverse field and race into the open field. A whistle from the far side of the field sounded, as the officials halted the play and reset the down and distance.

"I never really got clarification on why there was a whistle,” Gibson said. “We went back and looked at it, and clearly there was no forward progress stopped, the play was still ongoing.”

On the strength of smart reads and sharp passes from Knighton, Owen responded by driving deep into Enka territory in the waning seconds of the half, leading to a goal line play in which Johnson was tackled awkwardly on the far sideline. Johnson left the game with a pulled hamstring, according to the coach, who anticipates the senior will return to action next week.

“It was unfortunate, because we were right there ready to score, at the goal line, and that one play changed the outlook of the game,” Gibson said. “(Johnson) wanted to get back in the game last night, and he acted like a coach. If he’s on the field or off the field, Will is basically an assistant coach for us.”

As a team, however, the Warhorses struggled to reestablish momentum when they returned to the field, as the Enka defense kept them out of the end zone, while the offense scored 18 unanswered points.

“Adversity hit us and we didn’t handle it the right way,” Gibson said. “But, there wasn’t deflation or pointing fingers on the sideline.”

Penalties were an issue on both sides of the ball for Owen throughout the contest.

"It doesn’t matter what system you’re playing in or who you’re competing with, and you take one step forward and two steps back, you’ll never get anywhere,” Gibson said. “We need to clean those things up, and that’s where our edge was lost last night. We need to sharpen our discipline.”

The timing of the mistakes was also costly, he added.

“We would get something going, offensively, and then a penalty would hit,” Gibson said. “Or, we would pin them down on a punt, and a penalty would hit. Field position was nightmare, and it’s hard to win ball games like that.”

The Warhorses have to “look in the mirror and clean ourselves up,” he continued.

“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing this week, or next, we have to worry about Owen,” Gibson said. “We need to focus on ourselves, and if we did that, last night would’ve looked a lot different.”

The loss illuminated some potential building blocks, according to the coach.

“Our tackling has gotten a lot better and our communication has gotten a lot better,” Gibson said. “I also thought, in Matt Owenby’s first game as a defensive coordinator, he did a lot of great things. He put our kids in positions to make plays, and when I look at that, there are a lot of positives.”

The coaching staff now has a clear understanding of areas that need to be addressed before Owen hosts its home season opener at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25, against North Buncombe, which is coming to Warhorse Stadium following a 46-37 win over East Henderson.

“We’re going to be focused on being able to run the football effectively, which is something we need to clean up,” Gibson said. “We also need to open up a little bit more, because I thought Jakob Knighton was a huge positive for us and threw the ball exceptionally well. If we can run the ball more effectively, it will open him up even more.”

Owen will address discipline and intensity first thing on Monday, according to the coach, but the mood in the locker room is not one of defeat.

“It was a rough night,” Gibson said. “But, we needed to figure out where we were at, so now that we know, we can fix what we need to fix. If we do that, I think we can turn this into a positive.”

Photos of week 1 matchup between Owen and Enka can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.