Owen falls to Mountain Heritage on Youth Night

Warhorses share the spotlight with their biggest fans

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 29, 2022

Owen’s struggles on the football field continued, Sept. 29, when the team fell to 0-6 with a 43-25 loss to Mountain Heritage, but off the field, the Warhorses were winners in the hearts and minds of their biggest fans.

Scores of students representing Black Mountain Primary, Black Mountain Elementary, W.D. Williams Elementary and Owen Middle Schools took the field in Warhorse Stadium to introduce the home team, as the high school hosted Youth Night.

The festive event, which began hours before kickoff when groups of high school players visited local classrooms to read to young students, continued with an Open House Tailgate, hosted by the primary school and attended by the Owen High School Cheerleading team.

Dressed in their home jerseys, 10 Warhorses arrived at BMP around 11:30 a.m., when each player read a short book titled “Do Unto Otters” to the Swannanoa Valley’s youngest pupils. Hours before kick off, members of the football team fielded questions ranging from, “what position do you play?” to “how many touchdowns have you scored?”

Each player signed copies of the book that were dedicated to the classrooms they visited.

The trip was a homecoming of sorts for the juniors and seniors who volunteered their time. Wide receiver Ryland King read a book to the class of his former kindergarten teacher, Ashley Styles, while his teammate, Hudson Minks, marveled at how much smaller his old school now felt.

“When I was here, this place felt so big,” said Minks, who hauled in a touchdown reception hours later against the Cougars. “It feels different now, but I’m happy to be here for this.”

While the Warhorses returned to the high school to prepare for the game, the Warponies of BMP were treated to a tailgate party, which featured music and games like corn hole and ladder toss, while volunteers grilled hot dogs in the field on the east side of the campus. Many of the students were in Warhorse Stadium later that evening, clad in maroon and white, as they formed a tunnel through which the home team took the field.

The Owen cheerleaders were joined by the junior varsity and local youth cheerleading squads.

The Warhorses entered the Western Highlands Conference matchup looking for their first win of the season against a 1-4 Cougars team, which posted a 6-0 lead in its opening possession. Owen responded with a scoring drive of its own, as senior quarterback Alex Sanchez scored his first of two rushing touchdowns in the contest.

Mountain Heritage extended its lead to 22-6 in the second quarter, before Sanchez connected with a wide open King for a touchdown before halftime. The Owen offense stalled to open the second half, and the Cougars capitalized with a touchdown drive, increasing their lead to 28-12.

The Warhorses fell behind, 36-12, by the end of the third quarter, but a deep pass from Sanchez to Ben Austin on a fourth down play put them in position to once again the close the gap. Both teams added touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

The Warhorses will travel to Rosman, Friday, Oct. 7, as both teams will be looking for their first win of the season. Owen will return to the Swannanoa Valley on Friday, Oct. 14, when it will host West Henderson in its 2022 homecoming game.

Photos of Youth Night festivities and the game between Owen and Mountain Heritage can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.