Madison County Red Raiders

Reprinted from the Athens Banner-Herald November 18, 2006 edition
East Paulding 51, Madison County 6 By Jon Page | jon.page@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 1:36 AM on Saturday, November 18, 2006 DALLAS - Last week, it was a hug of joy Friday night, Jarrod and Randell Owens shared a hug of consolation after the quarterback played his final game for his father and coach. Jarrod Owens threw an interception on the second play, which led to a touchdown, and Madison County never recovered as East Paulding advanced with 51-6 victory in the Class AAAA playoffs. "They came out hungry," Jarrod Owens said. "They were on a mission and they were determined. We came off slow and it got us." One week after Owens threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns to lead Madison County (8-3) to the playoffs for the second straight season, the senior quarterback rarely had time to set his feet on the mushy turf at the Bone Yard. He started 0-for-6 and finished 8-for-18 with three interceptions. Lunden Rainer picked off Owens' first pass of the game, and East Paulding quarterback Chas Henry threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Josh Collier on the next play. "I thought I could get it over his head," Owens said. "It was cover 2, and I've never seen cover 2 in a game run that good. It really swung momentum on their side and after that it went downhill from there. "Heck, that was the second play of the game." Henry gave East Paulding (10-1) a 14-point lead on its next possession, finding Collier again for a 36-yard touchdown, and East Paulding rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead. Henry, who has committed to Florida as a punter, was 6 of 11 with one interception. East Paulding, which was victorious in its first playoff game in school history, racked up 319 yards rushing. Derek Holloway (119 yards) and Steve Delzince (100) each rushed for at least 100 yards, and Delzince added three touchdown runs. After the loss, Randell Owens wrapped his arms around his oldest son, whispering words of encouragement to him. Jarrod Owens finished his career with 4,775 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. But he said when he looks back on his career that his greatest memory will be what he accomplished with his teammates. "We never gave up," Owens said. "Everybody was like, 'Man, they lost too many seniors. They aren't going to be what they were last year.' I just kind of laughed and was like, 'OK.' "We did better than we did last year. We're 8-3 and we're trying to build a tradition over here. I just hope next year they can get farther than we did." GAME REPORT • Turning Point: East Paulding took control on Madison County's second play, when Lunden Rainer intercepted Jarrod Owens. On the next play, Chas Henry found Justin Collier for a 26-yard touchdown. • Key Stat: Madison County did not pick up a first down until its sixth drive. • Impact: Madison County's season ends after advancing to the state playoffs in consecutive seasons the second time in school history. Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 111806

MCHS back in playoffs for second straight year BY BEN MUNRO It took Madison County 23 years to finally find its way back to the playoffs last fall. It took only 12 months to get back there again. The Raiders have replaced what was once a postseason drought with a postseason streak, earning a second-straight trip to the Class AAAA playoffs with a chaotic 47-44 win over Salem. They’ll take on postseason newcomer East Paulding (9-1) on the road Friday at 7:30 p.m. “Second in a row here, I don’t know if it’s ever happened,” safety Hunter Adams said Friday night of getting back to state. It actually has, but only once (1982-1983) as these Raiders have pulled off a rare feat. Adams hopes this is something that becomes not-so-rare. “We want to make (the state playoffs) a tradition around here every year,” added Adams, who had 18 tackles this past Friday night. The Red Raiders’ foes might feel just as giddy about playing beyond the regular season as Madison County was last year. This is East Paulding’s first trip to the playoffs in 16 seasons of football. MCHS head coach Randell Owens said last year’s coach Tim Glanton laid a good foundation for first-year coach John Reid’s and his staff who have turned a veteran-laden East Paulding team into a winner. East Paulding has 33 seniors. “You had a group that was coming together anyway … It’s going to be a challenge,” Owens said. Madison County has a more business-like approach to the sate playoffs this year according to Owens after earning a the three seed this year out of 8-AAAA with a 5-2 finish. The Raiders won their last four region games, including surviving its shootout against two-time defending region champ Salem in the 8-AAAA playoff round Friday. A 40-yard field goal from Jack Orr lifted the team to the win and the postseason on Friday as the team celebrated the moment in Conyers. “Our team is great,” Orr said after the game. “We wouldn’t have gotten here without all these people, the fans and the crowd and the parents. They’re just great. We love them.” Now the question is can they win a postseason game for the first time in 24 years. Not since Madison County beat Norcoss in 1982 have the Raiders made it to the second week of the playoffs. Owens said he’s let the team know the opportunity that’s in front of it. “We told them that you have a chance to go deeper in the playoffs than anybody else has,” coach Owens said. For the rest of this story see this week's edition of The Madison County Journal.

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