Owen season ends with playoff loss to Union Academy
Warhorses Beset by missed opportunities in 24-14 loss to Cardinals
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 8, 2025
A campaign that extended beyond the regular season for the first time since 2021, with Owen hosting its first home postseason contest in 11 years, ended, Nov. 7, in the opening round of the NCHSAA 3A State Football Playoffs.
The No. 14 seed Warhorses, who recorded their highest win total since 2019, fell, 24-14, to No. 19 Union Academy.
Owen entered the night with a 5-5 mark, splitting their six Western Highlands Conference games and four non-conference games to earn a postseason bid in the second season under head coach John Faircloth, whose inaugural campaign with the program was interrupted by Tropical Storm Helene. After graduating three seniors, the Warhorses’ 2025 record marked a 4-game improvement.
The Cardinals, a member of the 2A/3A Yadkin Valley Conference, brought a 4-6 regular season record and their pass-heavy offense to the Swannanoa Valley to face the triple-option scheme of Owen.
Union Academy opened the contest with a kickoff return to the opposing 46-yard line, where they initiated a 41-yard drive. A pass defended by Owen senior Haiden Small on fourth down gave the home team the ball deep in its own territory.
While the Warhorse offense struggled to move the ball on its first possession, junior quarterback Emmett Minks zipped a pass to open sophomore receiver Slade Gardner, who was unable to haul it in. Owen senior Hayden Burpeau punted the ball from inside his end zone, giving the Cardinals a second straight opportunity to being their drive just inside the 50-yard line.
Sophomore Union Academy quarterback Nico Mendoza delivered a quick pass on fourth down to senior wide receiver Kayden Crooke, who raced past defenders to the 7. The Cardinals grabbed the lead with a touchdown run by senior Michael Donato on the subsequent play, while Owen senior Tru Davis blocked the extra point attempt by senior kicker Stephen Gonzales.
The Cardinals established a 12-0 advantage in the last 28 seconds of the half, but the Warhorses responded quickly.
Gardner pulled down a 13-yard reception, followed immediately by another catch for 12, to move his team near midfield. A short pass in the final seconds of the quarter ended with Small sprinting 55 yards for the score.
An Owen fumble to open the second half set their opponents up for a 39-yard touchdown drive, which ended when sophomore lineman Cam McDonald recorded his first of two blocked extra point attempts in the contest.
The Cardinals extended their advantage with a 96-yard touchdown drive, controlling the clock through nearly half of the fourth quarter. Down, 24-7, Minks hit Gardner on the right sideline for a 51-yard completion, before the receiver, who finished the contest with 92 yards on 4 receptions, came down with a jump ball in the end zone to bring his team to within 10 points.
Faircloth gathered his team at midfield, following the loss, for an emotional post-game huddle.
“Honestly, there were a few missed opportunities and, in the playoffs, everybody has earned the right to be here,” he told his players. “Everybody is dangerous and anybody can get beat at any point in time. I wish I would’ve had a better answer on defense in certain situations, but hats off to them, they were ready to play.”
The coach steadied himself as he addressed the program’s seven senior players: Burpeau, Small, Davis, Rio Obispo, Houston Mashburn, Taylen Lynch and Kamden Dantone.
“I know you’re hurting, and I know this isn’t the ending you wanted,” Faircloth said. “You’re disappointed and might even be a little mad. That’s perfectly normal, and you have a right to feel that way, because it means you care and you are invested.
“I thank you for believing in me,” he continued. “I thank you for making this job fun. You have no idea how much I love you guys. There ain’t a better place in this world, and it’s because of you seniors we are trending in the right direction.”
If the coach had the ability to change anything, he added, he would ask for one more season with the group.
“In my opening press conference as coach, I asked the players to trust me,” he said, before entering the locker room. “This was the group that really helped start that. It’s hard, because these guys have seen the good, bad and ugly over these past four years. Hopefully, one day they will look back and smile about their senior year.”
Photos of Owen’s first-round playoff game against Union Academy can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.