Warhorses put on a show in win over conference rival Madison

Owen offense scores eight touchdowns in 55-13 road victory over Patriots

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 17, 2026

As a warm afternoon transitioned to an evening of wind and rain, Oct. 16, a pair of Western Highlands Conference teams prepared to the take the field in Marshall. The wet field, chilly air and Madison defense, however, were unable to cool down the red hot offensive attack of Owen, which improved to 5-4 this season with a 55-13 victory.

Following a touchdown by junior LaSalle Jones on the first play from scrimmage, five Warhorses combined to find the end zone eight times, as Owen, cheered on by a packed visitors section, snapped a two-game skid heading into a late-season bye week.

Jones, who finished the contest with 105 rushing yards on 2 carries and 2 receptions for 33 yards, scored his first of three touchdowns in the opening quarter within the first 25 seconds of play, racing 46 yards down the Owen sideline. Senior running back Stephen Anderson, who led the team with 112 rushing yards on 9 carries, followed less than two minutes later, with a 16-yard run into the end zone.

Jones hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Emmett Minks later in the quarter, before breaking away for a 59-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes, as Owen established an early 27-10 lead. That advantage strengthened late in the half, after Nathaniel Rollins returned a kickoff to the Madison 48-yard line. As the Warhorses attempted to capitalize on the field position, the offense gave the ball to the junior slotback to finish the scoring drive with a touchdown run.

A fumble recovery on the opponent’s 37-yard line by Owen junior linebacker Adam King-Watkins ended the ensuing Patriots drive, before Minks connected with senior receiver Emerson Autrey with a 10-yard touchdown pass to give the visiting team a 41-13 advantage going into the half.

Anderson scored his second rushing touchdown of the night within the first three minutes of the third quarter, as the Warhorse defense held the Madison offense scoreless in the second half. Sophomore running back Bryce Reed barreled into the end zone, late in the fourth quarter, for his first career touchdown.

Kicker Josue Chavez-Michua connected on 7 of 7 extra point attempts in the win, as Owen recorded its second straight victory over its conference rival.

“The day this game isn’t important, we have problems,” head coach John Faircloth told his players after the game. “If winning this game isn’t important, we’ve lost the culture and fire. Every year, when we get the calendar, this game has to be highlighted, because for the next 365 days we have bragging rights.”

In a career night, Jones, who entered the contest with 4 receiving touchdowns this season, continued to emerge as a big play option for the Warhorses. The speedy receiver is embracing the opportunity to contribute to the offense attack.

“It feels amazing,” said Jones, whose first 100-yard rushing performance came two weeks after he recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game in a loss against Mitchell. “Last year, I didn’t get the chance to play offense that much. I’m blessed that the coaches are giving me that chance and trusting me enough to get me the ball.”

He credits his coaches with putting him in positions to make plays.

“Speed helps, but they do a great job of getting me the ball in places where, if I make the right cut and beat the defender, I can help move us down the field,” he said.

The junior has grown into his role as an offensive weapon this season, according to his coach.

“He was a guy we were waiting on to take the leap. There aren’t a lot of 6-foot-2-inch, 180-pound guys with 4.5 speed around, especially with all of the athletic tools LaSalle has,” Faircloth said. “He has really turned into a ‘ball guy,’ and I don’t really have another way to put it. It’s so cool and fascinating to watch people have to game plan for him.”

As a team, the Warhorses responded well to early adversity in the matchup against Madison, according to the coach.

“There are four or five plays I’d like to clean up to make me feel warm and fuzzy. They swung, and we took a couple on the chin,” he said. “But, it’s really hard to complain when you win a game this way, especially against a team you circle every year as a marquee game for your program.”

Eight players carried the ball, as the Owen offense amassed 303 yards on 33 rushing attempts, exemplifying the core of the team’s style of play, according to Faircloth.

“It’s unselfish football,” he said. “You can’t be selfish and play football at Owen High School; you can’t be selfish and coach at Owen. Every Friday night we have a disadvantage somewhere, whether it’s size, speed or numbers, so for us to have success, we have to be unselfish.”

The upcoming bye week will allow the Warhorses to rest injured players and prepare for the regular season finale at home, beginning at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, against Mountain Heritage.

“We have a lot of potential, as a team, and I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface on some things,” Faircloth said. “We have to continue to progress and clean some stuff up that will get us beat by Heritage, or even in the playoffs, so that will be the emphasis during the bye week.”

Photos of the Western Highlands Conference game between Owen and Madison can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.