Announcement
Reprinted from the Athens Banner-Herald November 14, 2006 edition
Madison County QB Jarrod Owens Passed the Red Raiders Into the State Playoffs for the Second Straight Season By Chris J. Starrs | Correspondent | Story updated at 11:18 PM on Monday, November 13, 2006 At the conclusion of every Thursday evening practice, the Madison County football team engages in a conditioning drill coach Randell Owens calls the "senior lap." As the Red Raiders made their final on-field adjustments for last Friday's do-or-die game against Salem, Owens realized he was face to face with what was potentially the season's final "senior lap." The drill took on more significance because Owens' son, quarterback Jarrod Owens, is one of Madison County's 20 seniors. "At the end of the lap, everybody's shaking hands and hugging - it's an emotional moment," Randell Owens said. "And I've got a huge frog in my throat; I can't even talk. When Jarrod comes over to shake my hand, he's got this mischievous grin on his face and he says, 'Dad, don't get weird on us. This isn't going to be our last game.' "On the day of what might have been our last 'senior lap,' I needed that cockiness that he displayed," he continued. "There was a confidence going into the game that we could do this, and he was determined to finish the drill. He and our other seniors have been great leaders in building what our 2005 team did." Jarrod Owens proved to be just as good a prognosticator as he is a quarterback, completing 23 of 35 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 40 yards and another score to lead the Red Raiders to a wild 47-44 win over Salem. The victory pushed Madison County into the Class AAAA state playoffs for the second consecutive season, a feat accomplished only one other time in school history. The Red Raiders (8-2) will travel to Dallas on Friday to face the East Paulding Raiders (9-1) in the first round. The younger Owens has posted some gaudy numbers in his three years as Madison County's quarterback, accounting for 21 touchdowns (11 passing, 10 rushing) and more than 2,000 total offensive yards in 2006, and more than 4,600 passing yards in his career. But father and son agreed that his performance against Salem surpassed all previous games. "I'd say it was the best game of his career," said Randell Owens, who coached former Georgia Bulldogs great David Greene at South Gwinnett in the late 1990s. "He's had some big games, including beating Jackson County in his first-ever region game and beating Clarke Central as a sophomore, and he's had some big games this season. The only thing that was missing from his resume was leading his team to victory with everything on the line. "Everyone looked to him to lead the offense (against Salem) in a pressure-filled game. He played well and we won the big game - I'm excited for him." The 6-foot-1, 185-pound quarterback added: "That probably was my best game. Being able to come away with a win in the last second with everything on the line was pretty intense." Father and son came to Madison County in 2004 from Heritage, which is probably Salem's biggest rival. Jarrod Owens said last Friday's win (which was the first time a team has scored 40 or more points against the Seminoles since Heritage did so on Sept. 6, 2002) was memorable for him on a personal level. "It was definitely sweet," said Jarrod Owens, who came to Madison County as a sophomore. "At Heritage, we hated Salem bad. When I was in ninth grade and on the JV team, we never beat them. And we lost to Salem here when I was a sophomore and a junior. In fact, since my ninth grade year, I've played at Evans Memorial Stadium four times and had never won there until last Friday night." The time is coming when the Red Raiders' father-and-son act will be dissolved, and earning at least one more week of on-field bonding seems to suit both Randell and Jarrod Owens. "I've enjoyed playing for him," Jarrod said. "He'll get on me good sometimes, but that's just because he wants the best for me and the team. It's going to be weird to play for somebody else next season." Honorable mention • JACK ORR, MADISON COUNTY: Orr kicked a 40-yard field goal with 54 seconds left and made all five of his extra-point attempts in the Red Raiders' 47-44 win over Salem. Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 111406
Madison County QB Jarrod Owens Passed the Red Raiders Into the State Playoffs for the Second Straight Season By Chris J. Starrs | Correspondent | Story updated at 11:18 PM on Monday, November 13, 2006 At the conclusion of every Thursday evening practice, the Madison County football team engages in a conditioning drill coach Randell Owens calls the "senior lap." As the Red Raiders made their final on-field adjustments for last Friday's do-or-die game against Salem, Owens realized he was face to face with what was potentially the season's final "senior lap." The drill took on more significance because Owens' son, quarterback Jarrod Owens, is one of Madison County's 20 seniors. "At the end of the lap, everybody's shaking hands and hugging - it's an emotional moment," Randell Owens said. "And I've got a huge frog in my throat; I can't even talk. When Jarrod comes over to shake my hand, he's got this mischievous grin on his face and he says, 'Dad, don't get weird on us. This isn't going to be our last game.' "On the day of what might have been our last 'senior lap,' I needed that cockiness that he displayed," he continued. "There was a confidence going into the game that we could do this, and he was determined to finish the drill. He and our other seniors have been great leaders in building what our 2005 team did." Jarrod Owens proved to be just as good a prognosticator as he is a quarterback, completing 23 of 35 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 40 yards and another score to lead the Red Raiders to a wild 47-44 win over Salem. The victory pushed Madison County into the Class AAAA state playoffs for the second consecutive season, a feat accomplished only one other time in school history. The Red Raiders (8-2) will travel to Dallas on Friday to face the East Paulding Raiders (9-1) in the first round. The younger Owens has posted some gaudy numbers in his three years as Madison County's quarterback, accounting for 21 touchdowns (11 passing, 10 rushing) and more than 2,000 total offensive yards in 2006, and more than 4,600 passing yards in his career. But father and son agreed that his performance against Salem surpassed all previous games. "I'd say it was the best game of his career," said Randell Owens, who coached former Georgia Bulldogs great David Greene at South Gwinnett in the late 1990s. "He's had some big games, including beating Jackson County in his first-ever region game and beating Clarke Central as a sophomore, and he's had some big games this season. The only thing that was missing from his resume was leading his team to victory with everything on the line. "Everyone looked to him to lead the offense (against Salem) in a pressure-filled game. He played well and we won the big game - I'm excited for him." The 6-foot-1, 185-pound quarterback added: "That probably was my best game. Being able to come away with a win in the last second with everything on the line was pretty intense." Father and son came to Madison County in 2004 from Heritage, which is probably Salem's biggest rival. Jarrod Owens said last Friday's win (which was the first time a team has scored 40 or more points against the Seminoles since Heritage did so on Sept. 6, 2002) was memorable for him on a personal level. "It was definitely sweet," said Jarrod Owens, who came to Madison County as a sophomore. "At Heritage, we hated Salem bad. When I was in ninth grade and on the JV team, we never beat them. And we lost to Salem here when I was a sophomore and a junior. In fact, since my ninth grade year, I've played at Evans Memorial Stadium four times and had never won there until last Friday night." The time is coming when the Red Raiders' father-and-son act will be dissolved, and earning at least one more week of on-field bonding seems to suit both Randell and Jarrod Owens. "I've enjoyed playing for him," Jarrod said. "He'll get on me good sometimes, but that's just because he wants the best for me and the team. It's going to be weird to play for somebody else next season." Honorable mention • JACK ORR, MADISON COUNTY: Orr kicked a 40-yard field goal with 54 seconds left and made all five of his extra-point attempts in the Red Raiders' 47-44 win over Salem. Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 111406
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