Warhorses fall to Mountain Heritage, 49-37, in fierce finale

Owen celebrates Senior Night to close out the regular season

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 31, 2026

A celebratory mood shifted to an atmosphere of intense competition, Oct. 30, when the Warhorses hosted Western Highlands Conference rival Mountain Heritage to close out the regular season.

Owen began the night by honoring seven football players, four members of the marching band, three cheerleaders and one representative from the Warlassies golf program. The emotional Senior Night ceremony was followed by an offensive showdown, ending in a 49-37 victory for the Cougars.

Mountain Heritage, which entered the contest with a 6-3 record and sole possession of second place in the WHC, finished its opening drive with a touchdown, followed by an unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempt. Owen controlled the ball for the remainder of the quarter, before junior kicker Josue Chavez-Michua connected on a field goal attempt to begin the second.

The Cougars opened their ensuing possession with a run deep into Owen territory, setting up a touchdown and successful 2-point conversion to establish a 14-3 advantage.

Senior quarterback Emmett Minks led the Warhorses into Mountain Heritage territory on the subsequent drive, which ended with a leaping touchdown reception by junior receiver LaSalle Jones. The Cougars extended their lead to 27-9 before the half.

Sophomore Adam King-Watkins fielded a short kickoff to open the third quarter, returning the ball the opponent’s 17-yard line. A touchdown run by senior Stephen Anderson cut into the Mountain Heritage lead, before the visiting team responded with a pair of touchdown drives.

Jones, in the final two minutes of the third quarter, hauled in his second touchdown catch of the contest, cutting the Cougars advantage to 43-23. The Warhorses trailed by 26 points early in the fourth, before junior Parker Halford broke away for the sideline on his way to a 24-yard touchdown run.

Minks, who finished the night with 127 rushing yards on 13 carries and a pair of passing touchdowns, scrambled into the end zone in the final two minutes, setting the score at 49-37.

Owen fell to 5-5, overall, and 3-3 in the WHC with the loss, which came despite a strong offensive effort, according to head coach John Faircloth.

“I was really pleased with some of the stuff we did on offense. They are very good on offense and their line is incredible,” he said. “We knew it would be tough to stop them. Really, it was a game of possessions, and we didn’t do that really well in the first half. In the second half, we started doing a little better at holding onto the ball and creating extra possessions.”

The team’s performance in the fourth quarter demonstrated resilience, the coach added.

“We always talk about being tough, and that’s one of our core values. Part of that is not backing down from a challenge,” Faircloth said. “I’m very happy we were able to scratch and claw and give this game a respectable look. Both teams played really hard.”

The team’s seven seniors—Minks, Anderson, Emerson Autrey, Bear Dasher, Thomas Russell, Tanner Loftin and Dustin Hoglen—have played key roles in building the program, according to the third-year head coach.

“This is a core group of guys who, when I first got in here, said they wanted to help change things,” Faircloth said. “They’ve stuck around for three full years, they’re all great young men and I hope my sons grow up to be just like them. I’m proud of everything these guys have accomplished.”

Owen, which earned No. 13 seed in the NCHSAA 3A State Football Playoffs, will host a first-round postseason game for the second consecutive year. The Warhorses will face conference foe and No. 20 Polk at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 6.

Owen defeated the Wolverines in the previous two meetings of the programs, including a 46-27 victory at Warhorse Stadium last September.

“We’re going to come in on Monday and treat it like a normal game week,” Faircloth said. “We’ll start working on a good game plan and see if can go 1-0 next week. One of the goals we set for ourselves back at the start of the calendar year was making it to the second round, so we’ve put ourselves in position to hopefully achieve that.”

Photos of Owen Senior Night can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.