Owens' return seals win for Tigers

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 8, 2013 1:52 AM

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rhanchett@newsargus.com

WARSAW -- Frustration turned into jubilation in an instant on the James Kenan sideline.

With less than three minutes to play in the game, Tiger running back Marcelias Sutton got hit from behind and fumbled the football. The pigskin bounced between players before fullback Al Owens scooped the ball into his arms and raced 35 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.

James Kenan defeated archrival Wallace-Rose Hill 28-14 and earned a trip to the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-AA state championship game next Saturday in Winston-Salem. The Tigers take on West Montgomery at Wake Forest University's BB&T Field. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

"I saw the ball pop loose and it almost hit me in the facemask," Owens said. "It bounced off a couple of guys and rolled right back to me. I wasn't really thinking anything other than pick it up and take it to the house."

The final touchdown of the game was a perfect punctuation to what was a wild night in Warsaw.

James Kenan (14-0) opened the scoring on the fourth play of the game when Daniel Montoya recovered a Wallace-Rose Hill fumble and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. After a failed drive by the Bulldogs, James Kenan increased its lead to 14-0 on a nine-yard touchdown run by Sutton.

"I could not have imagined the game starting any better for us than it did," James Kenan head coach Ken Avent Jr. said. "Getting that turnover was huge and then Marcelias' touchdown toward the end of the first quarter really gave us the momentum."

Sutton added his second touchdown of the game on the first possession of the second quarter and pushed the Tigers ahead 21-0. The home team maintained the advantage until the intermission.

The Bulldogs (12-3) regrouped and battled back in the second half.

Johnnie Glaspie got the visitors on the scoreboard with a 59-yard punt return for touchdown in the third quarter. The Bulldogs' ball-control offense played keep-away for most of the half and cut the James Kenan lead to 21-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter when Dijon Kenan plunged into the end zone from five yards out.

"(Wallace-Rose HIll) went to a little bit of a power game on us in the second half," Avent Jr. said. "We figured that they would do that at some point, but it still took us some time to adjust."

After each team failed to move the ball on its next possession, the Tigers took over at the Bulldogs' 42-yard line with four minutes on the game clock. The goal was to get a few first downs and simply let the time tick away. All of that changed when the ball came loose. Owens seized the moment and ignited the Tiger fans' celebration.

"I saw the ball come out and I immediately thought it would go against us," Avent Jr. said. "We could not catch a break in the second half, but I can't even describe the feeling I had as I watched Al take the ball across the goalline."

Owens led James Kenan with 44 yards rushing on six carries. Sutton added 42 yards and two touchdowns on 14 totes. Dominique Barnes completed five passes for 95 yards. Antonio Smith finished with two catches for 62 yards.

Kenan paced Wallace-Rose Hill with 58 yards on eight carries and one touchdown. Keyshawn Cannidy added 48 yards on 14 carries and Kiese Ashe tallied 45 yards on 12 runs. Emmitt Herring completed one pass for 20 yards.