A new season in a new era of Warhorse football
Owen prepares to kick off 2021 season under Brint Russell
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 25, 2021
The Owen Warhorses will open the 2021 football season, Aug. 27, under new head coach Brint Russell. Photo by Fred McCormick
In many ways, summer on the football field at Owen High School is similar to those Brint Russell experienced as a kid growing up in the Swannanoa Valley. Young athletes strap on their pads, tighten their helmets, pull on their maroon and white uniforms and get ready for the football season to come.
Yet, as the new head coach of the Warhorses and his team prepare to host Chase at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 27, in their season opener at Warhorse Stadium, the program is entering the dawn of a new era.
Russell is returning to the school he graduated from in 1998 as only the third coach to lead the program since 1985. He’s stepping into a position that was occupied for six seasons by his predecessor, Nathan Padgett, who stepped down in June to accept an assistant principal position at A.C. Reynolds. The longest-tenured Warhorse football coach, Kenny Ford, who coached both Russell and Padgett as players, retired in 2014.
While Russell’s roots in the Swannanoa Valley run deep, the former East Rutherford head coach stepped into a locker room at his alma mater that was filled with unfamiliar faces.
“I didn’t know any of the players when I came in,” said Russell, who introduced himself to many of them on the field near the end of June. “Now, I knew the parents of quite a few of them, but I really made it a priority to get to know each of the kids as people, not just as players.”
Building relationships with the student-athletes he would be leading on the field was just one of many high-priority tasks for the new head coach before the opening kickoff of the 2021 season.
Leading the Warhorses
Few figures played as significant a role in the recent history of Owen Athletics as Anthony Lee, who retired as the school’s athletic director before the summer. One of the many notable areas impacted by his retirement is on the offensive side of the field for Owen, where Lee was a mainstay for 25 years and through two head coaches.
Filling the void left by the offensive coordinator is the new head coach himself.
“I have a ton of respect for Coach Lee, and he’s not the kind of guy you can just replace easily,” Russell said. “For the past 25 years, Owen football fans have seen him run a great offense. It’s an eclectic scheme with tons of formations, motions and plays, and relies on the physicality of the line. It definitely worked.”
However, as Russell set out to assemble his staff, he was initially uncertain about who would fill the role of offensive coordinator.
“Early on, we had to evaluate our coaching staff just like we do our players,” he said. “We needed to see who we had in what positions, and I plugged myself in last.”
As the pieces of the coaching staff fell into place, it became clear to Russell that he would assume the offensive play calling duties.
“I’ve coached offense and defense in the past,” he said. “I felt comfortable going into that role, especially knowing the rest of the staff.”
The triple option scheme employed by Russell this season will rely heavily on reading defenses and “getting the right person the ball at the right time.”
The run-heavy offensive approach will allow the Warhorses to control the clock while setting up big play opportunities against favorable matchups.
On the defensive side of the ball, Nathan Arvey will return for his fifth season as coordinator, bringing stability and familiarity to the unit.
Nathan Arvey is entering his fifth season as the defensive coordinator of the Owen Warhorses. Photo by Fred McCormick
“There will be times our defense looks similar to what we’ve had in years past, but there will also be times when it looks different,” Russell said. “Coach Arvey and I have worked to align our defensive philosophies, and he’s doing a really good job with that unit. I expect really good things out of him and that defense this season.”
Coaching both the offensive and defensive lines for Owen is another program mainstay, Jack Slaughter, who held a position on the coaching staffs of Ford and Padgett.
“Jack really works his butt off, and he does so much more than just coach football,” Russell said. “But, he’s also a really good offensive and defensive line coach, and the players trust him.”
The staff is rounded out by Dwight Shelton, the head coach of the junior varsity program, assisted by Matt Cook and Kobe Bartlett.
“I’m looking forward to working with this coaching staff this season,” Russell said. “It’s a group that works well together, and I’ve been pleased with the progress we’ve made since we got going.”
Lining up the Warhorses
The new head coach studied film from Owen’s 2020 season, but quickly realized the staff would have to evaluate players in person. The program lost nearly a dozen seniors to graduation, but 13 returned for the 2021 campaign.
“We have a lot of seniors coming back this year, and that’s helped with the transition,” Russell said. “We’re fortunate to have some talented players returning, too, so it was important to understand where everyone would fit in with a new scheme. Really, it was a fresh start for me, and a fresh start for them.”
Before the team put on pads, Russell and his coaching staff sorted players into positions by skill and body type. As the team adjusted to the terminology and assignments of the new system, position groups emerged before the next round of evaluation.
“We had to look at toughness, effort, physicality and how they read and react in game situations,” he said. “That came with scrimmaging.”
Owen hosted East Rutherford in a joint practice, Aug. 11. Four days later, Russell and his team traveled to Smoky Mountain for a scrimmage. The competition allowed the coaching staff to observe how the players were responding to the system.
“After that first joint practice, we were able to move some guys around, and we did the same thing after the second,” Russell said. “Every week it was the same process, and we kept refining it until we got our best 11 in the 11 spots on the field.”
Junior Alex Sanchez emerged as the week one starting quarterback after battling for the position against senior Eli Lanter.
“Both knew they’d get the opportunity to get reps, coming into the season,” the coach said. “Alex pulled ahead early, but Eli took advantage of his reps and did a great job back there.”
Senior Eli Lanter, described by Owen Head Coach Brint Russell as a “Swiss Army knife of football players,” will start at wide receiver for the Warhorses. Photo by Fred McCormick
The athleticism of Sanchez and versatility of Lanter helped inform the decision to start the junior under center.
“(Sanchez) is very raw, but very athletic; he can run like a deer,” Russell said. “He has a big challenge in front of him as he continues to sharpen his decision-making and processing, but when you run a triple option you need to have your four toughest and most athletic runners in the backfield. He is definitely one of those.”
Lanter, who hauled in 10 receptions for 78 yards in seven games a season ago, will start at wide receiver, opposite fellow senior Will Shaw.
“Eli is like the Swiss Army Knife of football players,” Russell said. “He’s smart on the field, and he can do anything. He can catch, he’s a great route-runner and he’s got a little wiggle.”
The two starting receivers complement each other, according to the coach.
“Will catches everything, and he’s a really good blocker,” Russell said. “These guys represent two more weapons for this offense.”
Senior Briggs Barker, who carried the ball 12 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in 2020, will line up at running back, where his physical style of running will be a regular feature. Junior Hunter Inabinett and senior Cadyn Cook will find big-play opportunities with the unit.
The “tough” running style of Barker can consistently follow blockers for positive yards, while the athleticism of Inabinett and Cook fill a need in a “slash position,” the coach said. Leading the way in the backfield will be fullback Cameron Moore. The junior will share the load at the position with seniors Zeke Grabowski and sophomore Will Johnson.
While the skill positions are more than capable of getting the job done for Owen, according to Russell, the key to his offense’s success will be up front. The starting offensive line features five seniors: Peyton Rickard, Orion Angus, Brett Gaynor, Sidney Stone and Jarrett Tweed.
Alex Sanchez emerged as the starting quarterback for the Warhorses after competing for the job over the summer. The athleticism of the junior will play a key role in the triple option offense of head coach Brint Russell. Photo by Fred McCormick
“We put a lot of pressure on this unit to perform, because we won’t be successful without these five guys up front,” Russell said. “What we want them to do is get low, run their legs and push people off the ball, and this style of blocking is one that will allow us to be successful.”
The chemistry of the line was noted as a strength in the scrimmage at Smoky Mountain, where they faced a larger Mustang defensive line.
“They really started understanding what we were asking of them during that scrimmage,” the coach said.
Two of those offensive lineman - Rickard and Stone - will also line up as starters for the defensive unit.
Rickard, who recorded 21 tackles, two for losses, last season, will return to his defensive end position, lining up opposite senior Orion Angus. They will be joined by a cast of defensive tackles that includes juniors Jason Dash, Daniel Rueda and Grabowski. The unit will be tasked with controlling the offensive line, pressuring the opposing quarterback and taking on blockers to allow the linebacking corps to make plays.
“Sidney Stone is playing middle linebacker, and he will get us lined up on that side of the ball,” Russell said. “He’s a smart player and has no problem plugging the holes with his physical style of play.”
Johnson, who the coach calls “the hardest hitting player on the field,” also brings a physical presence to the defense from the strong side linebacker position.
“He has a nose for the football,” Russell said of the sophomore. “I love watching him play.”
Rounding out the unit from the weak side linebacker position is Cook, whose tenacity is unmatched, according to his coach.
“He’s tough as nails, and you can’t keep him off the field,” Russell said. “I’m excited to see what this group of guys will do this season.”
The Owen secondary will consist of cornerbacks Lanter and Sanchez, while Barker and Inabinett will provide additional support from their safety positions.
“We’re counting on them to not let the opposing team’s number one receivers get by, and not to allow any deep passes,” Russell said. “But, they’re both capable of helping against the pass and the run, so we’ll see a lot of downhill running from that position.”
New faces in the Western Highlands Conference
Changes weren’t exclusive to the Owen football program over the summer, as conferences were realigned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. While the Warhorses remain in the Western Highlands Conference with Mountain Heritage, Mitchell, Avery and Madison, two new programs will replace Polk.
Owen will travel to Valdese, Friday, Sept. 17, to take on Draughn, a former member of the Northwestern Foothills 2A Conference and new program in the WHC. The Warhorses will host the Rosman Tigers, another new addition to the conference, in October. With the addition of the two 1A programs, Owen and Madison are currently the only 2A teams in the WHC.
What to expect in 2021
Defining success as a first-year head coach can be challenging, but there are clear metrics that will allow Russell to do so.
“We’re breaking our season down into three separate seasons,” he said. “Our first four non-conference games; our conference schedule and the postseason.”
Hunter Inabinett runs to the end zone in a scrimmage against Smoky Mountain earlier this month. The junior running back will play safety on the Warhorse defense. Photo by Fred McCormick
Splitting the first four contests and finishing the regular season in the upper half of the seven-team WHC are realistic goals, according to the coach.
“Everybody wants to be 10-0, but as a new coach with a new system, you have to set realistic goals,” Russell said. “It is realistic for us to win a lot of ball games, but a lot of that has to do with how our kids respond.”
Player growth and development, on and off the field, will play another factor in evaluating his team.
“We will have been successful if, at the end of the year, all of these kids have learned and grown as players, as young men and had an enjoyable experience with our program,” Russell said. “And, hopefully we’ve won more ball games than we lost.”
As the Warhorses prepare to welcome Chase, which opened its season last week with a 54-21 win over West Henderson, the message Russell is sending to his team emphasizes unity and toughness.
“I want all of our guys to pull tight for each other, on and off the field, as a family,” he said. “We’ve been preaching toughness, physicality and togetherness. The kids understand those expectations, and we’ve shown we have the toughness. Once we become a little more physical, we’ll be where we need to be.”