Warhorses fly high in win over Eagles
Will Johnson scores 4 touchdowns in Owen’s first 2023 victory
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 9, 2023
The Warhorses were chomping at the bit, Sept. 8, as they made the trip to Flat Rock to face East Henderson in a matchup of winless teams.
As Owen emerged with a 26-6 victory over the Eagles, it was clear that nobody could rein in senior Will Johnson, who scored three rushing touchdowns and a pick six from his middle linebacker position.
Johnson finished with two interceptions in the contest, one of five in the game for the Warhorse defense. Fellow senior Hudson Minks accounted for two more, while junior Taj Burgin-Edgerton hauled in another in the second quarter.
“I’m so proud of this team’s performance,” Johnson said on the E.L. Justus Field after the game. “We all worked hard for this, and after you’ve faced some adversity and had long practices where emotions are up and down, I’m really happy for these guys. Especially Coach (Zach) Gibson, he’s worked incredibly hard..”
The season has also presented specific challenges for Johnson, who missed a game-and-a-half with an injury and saw limited time on the field in last week’s loss to North Henderson.
“I tried to stay really locked in the whole time, watching film and everything,” he said. “But, coming into this game, I think we felt the most confident we have so far this season. It really feels like things are coming together for us.”
The teams were scoreless through the first quarter, before a Burgin-Edgerton interception gave Owen the ball near midfield. A big run by sophomore Hayden Burpeau set up a short touchdown run by Johnson, as the Warhorses took a 6-0 lead into the half.
The opposing offenses traded a pair of short possessions to open the third quarter, before a costly pass interference call against East Henderson put the Warhorses in scoring position. Johnson finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run to the right side, giving his team a 12-0 lead.
The Eagles responded later in the quarter, returning a Jakob Knighton interception for a touchdown, but the Warhorses rebounded with their longest drive of the night in the fourth. Johnson ended the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the game, and later returned an interception for a touchdown. He capped his performance with an interception on the goal line in the final minutes of the contest.
“He’s the man,” Gibson said of Johnson. “His football IQ puts him ahead of plays, and he’s a strong and fast kid. You just have to get the ball in his hands, because you see what he can do with it.”
The coach praised the rest of his team for its ability to control the game.
“Playing the way we played, and setting the tone from the very start, it means the world to us right now,” Gibson said. “As hard as we’ve worked, and as much time as we’ve put in, we needed to get this win tonight.”
The victory comes as Owen prepares to enter Western Highlands Conference play in Valdese at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 15, against 3-1 Draughn.
“I told the kids tonight to enjoy this weekend, but when we come in to work on Monday, we’ve got work to do,” Gibson said. “Draughn is a good football team, so we have to take what we did tonight and build on it.”
Photos of Owen’s 26-6 victory over East Henderson can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.