Owens makes move from SHS to SA backfield
Much has changed for Ben Owens in a year.
Last season, Owens was competing for the starting quarterback spot on the defending Class 6A State champion Starkville High Yellowjackets. He was coming off a summer where he got the chance to work multiple times with the Mississippi State coaches at camp and that refined his skills.
A year later, Owens was back up the street working with MSU again and it was another great experience.
“It was great," Owens said of the MSU camp. "Coaches were teaching us some of the same things that we did last year and I just built up on what I did then. The instruction from all the coaches is unmatched. They're the best coaches in the nation.”
While it was nothing new for Owens to get those instructions and work on his craft, he's starting a new chapter in the fall.
Following a junior season where he threw for 389 yards and five touchdowns at SHS, Owens is moving across the street to Starkville Academy. It was a tough decision for Owens to make the move but one that he doesn't feel he'll regret.
“I already know all of those guys over there and they're great people and it's a great atmosphere," Owens said of his opportunity with the Volunteers. "I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a great year.”
One of the reasons that Owens is so excited about the future this season at Starkville Academy is third-year head coach Chase Nicholson. The Volunteer head man has produced for the program already and Owens sees why he's so successful.
“I can already tell with the small time I've been around (Nicholson), he's a great guy,” Owens said. “The vibe and the energy around him rubs off on all of my teammates. The practices are really energetic. He's a great guy.”
Though Owens is coming from a much higher level of football at SHS, the quarterback job will not be given to him.
Owens will be battling it out with last year‘s starter Noah Methvin, who impressed in year one. Both signal callers have had the right attitude going into the competition and there‘s no ill-will behind their challenge.
“Me and Noah are good friends,” Owens said. “He's a hard
worker and a great quarterback. I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing with him.”
Currently, the Vols are going through summer workouts but time is counting down for the first fall practices and then the opening game of the season. Whether Owens will be the starting quarterback for game one or not, he‘s ready to see what the season brings for him and his new teammates.
“I have high expectations for this senior year," Owens said. "We're going to put it out there and see how high we can get. It should be a great season.”