BLACK MOUNTAIN—A great performance by a running back at Charles D. Owen High School has qualified for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Record Book.
Jager Gardner of Owen was credited with a whopping 459 yards in 32 carries and five touchdowns as he led the Warhorses to a come-from-behind 36-27 victory over Avery.
Gardner’s 459 yards rushing is the sixth-best single game rushing performance recorded in the NCHSAA Record Book. The single-game state record is 510, set by T.J. Logan of Northern Guilford in the NCHSAA state 3-AA championship game in December.
Gardner’s scoring runs came on tallies of 80, 43, 27, 6 and 80 yards as Owen rallied from a 27-15 halftime deficit.
Our thanks to coach Kenny Ford and the Owen statistics crew for providing appropriate documentation for this achievement.