Top ranked Warhorses serve up Senior Night shutout

Owen closes out regular season with 9-0 victory over Mitchell

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 26, 2023

The top ranked 2A soccer team in the region celebrated its seniors, Oct. 25, as seven Owen players took the field for the final regular season game of their high school careers.

As the reigning state champions closed out the 2023 campaign with a 9-0 victory over Mitchell, finishing undefeated in the Western Highlands Conference for the third consecutive year, the occasion marked another memorable night for the Warhorses.

James Centers, AJ Logan, Elijah Caro, Daniel Garcia, Josh Hollowell, Abraham McTeague-Pospishil and Josiah Wilder were escorted by family to midfield, before 15-1-3 Owen faced 0-13 Mitchell. The seniors were greeted by teammates, head coach Trei Morrison, principal Dawn Rookey and athletic director Chris Collins.

While Caro remained on the sideline serving a one-game yellow card suspension, Hollowell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the season, handled the kickoff. The remaining Warhorse seniors put on a show for the home fans.

Owen needed a little over two minutes to get on the scoreboard, as Spencer Woolley broke through on the right side to establish an early lead. The sophomore followed by scoring his 14th goal of the season in the 29th minute, putting the home team ahead, 2-0.

Wilder became the first senior to notch a goal in the 33rd minute of the match, as he calmly slipped the ball past a charging goalkeeper for his 11th of the season. The Warhorses entered the break with a 3-0 advantage, before the senior duo of Garcia and Logan turned it on in the second half.

Garcia, who finished the night with 3 goals and 3 assists, scored his first of the contest with a penalty kick in the 40th minute, tying Caro for the team lead with 17 this season. A shot off the right foot of Logan two minutes later gave him his first of 2 goals against the Mountaineers.

Garcia put his team ahead, 6-0, less than a minute later, before setting up Logan in front of the net to extend the lead. The final Owen goal of the night came off the foot of sophomore Luke Florence.

Suiting up for the final regular season game of his four-year Owen soccer career was “bittersweet,” Garcia said after the match.

“Since middle school, playing for this school was always the dream,” he said. “I’ve worked to progress every season, and we accomplished so much last year, so this is emotional for me. But, at the same time, I feel like I’ve had an impact on the school and where this program is now.”

Owen soccer, which is ranked No. 1 in the NCHSAA 2A West Region, according to MaxPreps, hasn’t lost a conference match since the 2020-21 season. The team’s victory over Mitchell marked its 33rd consecutive WHC win.

“I’m really happy with our performance,” Garcia said. “It’s something we work so hard on, every single day. People don’t realize the hours we put in, and how committed this entire team is to this game.”

Logan, whose 13 goals in 2023 places him among the team’s top three scorers, felt the emotional impact of the evening before stepping on the field.

“It hadn’t really hit me earlier today, but coming to the game tonight I had these butterflies I hadn’t felt in a minute,” he said. “During the ceremony, the emotions started to hit me. I can’t believe it came and went so quickly, but I couldn’t have wanted it to be any better. It was almost poetic.”

Sharing the moment with his teammates and coaches, Logan added, was special.

“We’re a family, and this is a group of guys I can genuinely call my brothers,” he said. “We have this chemistry that just builds, and the more we build it, the more we reap success. I look forward to working so hard in practice because I love my surroundings every time I’m on this field.”

All seven seniors have played key roles in building upon the program’s success, according to the head coach.

“They took everything we did last year and really focused everyone else, starting back in June,” Morrison said. “All of the work these guys started doing back in June and July is going to really pay off over the next month.”

The Warhorses, who have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 103-4 this season, will return to the postseason, Monday, Oct. 30, when they open the NCHSAA 2A Playoffs at home. Their only loss in 2023 came in August, as they lost 1-0 against top ranked 4A opponent, T.C. Roberson.

“Back in the spring, when were doing the schedule, I set out to make it as hard as I could,” Morrison said. “That forced us to focus on what we wanted to do, and it got easier for us as the season went on. That scheduled really kept these guys locked in, and it gave them the confidence that if we can play with these bigger programs, we can play with anybody.”

Owen is prepared for another deep playoff run, according to the head coach.

“We don’t really take any days off,” Morrison said. “We do relax, and we incorporate some yoga into our recovery, but when we go out on the field and we’re trying to get better every day. As a coach, you can’t ask for more, and that goes back to senior leadership.”

The Warhorses will learn who the face in the opening round of the postseason later this week, but preparation will begin before the NCHSAA releases the brackets, according to Logan.

“I’m going to enjoy this win tonight with my family and friends, but when I wake up tomorrow I’m ready for Monday,” he said. “I don’t know what more this sport can give me, but it has already given me an amazing 13 years, and I want to keep that going for as long as possible.”

Photos of Owen Soccer Senior Night can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.