SPORTS

Owen offense stalls in loss to Mitchell

Fred McCormick
Black Mountain News
Owen junior running back Shavoy Harding scores on a 43-yard run against Mitchell, Oct. 11. The Warhorses fell, 41-7, to the Mountaineers to open their Western Highlands Conference season.

The Owen Warhorses were riding high heading into their Oct. 11 Western Highlands Conference opener against Mitchell, but the undefeated Mountaineers proved to be too much to handle. 

Owen fell to 0-1 in the conference (3-3 overall) with a 41-7 loss to Mitchell, which improved to 6-0 on the season. 

The Warhorses came into the contest after scoring a season-high 44 points against Franklin, Sept. 27. The offense, however, failed to get going against the Mountaineer defense. 

Owen lineman Saevion Gibbs records one of his 7 tackles in a 41-7 loss to Mitchell.

Mitchell needed less than five minutes to get on the scoreboard against the Owen defense. The Warhorse offense failed to respond and the visiting Mountaineers took a 14-0 lead to close out the first quarter. They carried a commanding 21-0 lead into the half. 

The Warhorses would get on the board midway through the third quarter when junior Shavoy Harding, who led the team with 74 rushing yards, picked up 43 yards on a touchdown run. 

Owen junior quarterback Caleb Scott warms up before his team's Oct. 11 game against Mitchell. The Warhorses dropped their fifth straight game to the Mountaineers, who came out on top, 41-7.

The Mountaineers, however, refused to yield and took a 34-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Mitchell added another late touchdown to close out the contest. 

The victory was Mitchell's fifth straight over Owen, dating back to 2015. 

The Warhorses host the 7-0 Polk Wolverines for homecoming on Friday, Oct. 18. Polk opened its conference season with a 50-6 win, at home, over Madison on Oct. 11.