Warhorses win thriller at Avery

Walk-off touchdown gives Owen 32-26 victory

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 23, 2021

A Western Highlands Conference matchup in Avery County, Oct. 22, finished as a thrilling victory for the visiting Owen Warhorses, who improved to 3-6 with the win.

The game ended with a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Alex Sanchez to senior wide receiver Eli Lanter with no time remaining on the clock.

Owen jumped out to an early lead over Avery, which fell to 1-8 in the loss. The Warhorses, led by the triple option attack of Sanchez, sophomore running back Will Johnson and senior Briggs Barker, were up, 14-0, by the end of the first quarter.

Head Coach Brint Russell and his team took a 14-3 lead into the half, and Sanchez added to the advantage by returning the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown. A failed extra point gave the Warhorses a 20-3 lead.

The Vikings stormed back in the third quarter, however, as sophomore quarterback Will Stanford led his team down the field on a pair of successful touchdown drives. Avery cut Owen’s advantage to 7 points by the time the teams entered the fourth quarter.

A 50-yard touchdown pass by Stanford tied the game in the fourth, and the Warhorses responded with a sustained final drive. Owen converted on a fourth down play in Avery territory late in the game, as Sanchez kept the ball and took a solid hit along the sideline to keep the drive going.

A long run by Barker was negated by a holding penalty, but a horse collar tackle call against the Vikings later in the drive would give the Warhorses another crucial first down.

In a 26-26 game, the head coach called a timeout with one second remaining and the ball on the Avery 19.

“We basically drew it up in the dirt,” Russell said after Sanchez rolled to his right and hit Lanter shy of the goal line. The wide receiver turned up the middle of the field and broke a couple of tackles for the score, clinching a 32-26 victory.

“We’d been going trips and overloading all night,” Russell said. “They had been offsetting their guys, and leaving the single coverage on the backside, and I knew the middle of the field would be open.”

The play was successful due to the execution of his junior quarterback and savvy senior receiver.

“Alex stepped in there made a heck of a throw," Russell said. “And, Eli makes the catch about seven yards short of the goal line, weaves in and out of traffic and dives in. Good guys win.”

Players celebrated in the end zone after the game winning play, and gathered on the field minutes later.

“This was for the seniors,” Sanchez told his teammates.

“It doesn’t get any better than a walk-off touchdown,” Russell said to his players. “You know what would make it a little better? One more win next week, and we get to the playoffs.”

The Warhorses will play their final regular season home game, and celebrate Senior Night, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 29, when they host 4-4 Madison. The winner of the matchup between the conference’s only 2A teams will determine a playoff spot.

“Really, the playoffs start next week for us,” Russell said. “We beat Madison, we’re in. If we don’t, we stay home.”

A photo gallery from Owen’s 32-26 win over Avery can viewed at the top of the page.