By Christopher Hunt
Just before the season started Eddie Owens sent an email to his coach outlining his goals for the season. The email explained that Packer Collegiate junior wanted to go undefeated until the state federation meet this season. He wanted to win the AIS championship. He even wants to take a shot at Foot Locker nationals even. Never mind the fact that he has exactly zero varsity races on his resume.
Owens had been a soccer player since age 4 before this fall when he gave up soccer to focus on running.
“I definitely had to give up school soccer this year,” Owens said. “I had to give up travel soccer too. It’s disappointing, but when you find something that can replace it -- and I’m so much better at cross country than I ever was at soccer -- I guess it’s easier to replace.”
It’s not that Owens woke up one morning this summer and decided that he could run with the top distance runners in the state. Owens ran spring track as a freshman year and ever since Owens took to some road racing while he continued playing soccer. But as his times and his fitness improved his passion started to transfer over as well. It was when Owens ran 16:44 in the Coogans’s Salsa Blues & Sharmocks 5K that he knew that he was officially committed to running.
It wasn’t long before started to prove himself. At the Boathouse Big Red Invitational last Saturday at Somers, Owens won the boys Varsity II race in 16:17.76 for the 3-mile course. What made that race all the more impressive was that he finished ahead of Pawling’s Brandon Freyer, who caught many people’s attention when he clocked a 14:49.62 in the 5,000 meters on the track at a Boston Twilight Meet in May. Owens admitted to being nervous just t know that Freyer was in the race but he never backed off.
“He’s been significantly getting better over the past year,” Packer coach Robert Martin said. “I knew he’d be breaking 17 (minutes) but to win the race, I was a little surprised. He was really surprised that he beat (Freyer).
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the beginning. I was wondering if he would go out with the leaders. He’s speed isn’t that great. But he went out with the leaders. I thought, ‘OK, he’s staying right up with these guys.’ There was about three-quarters of a mile left and he was in the lead and the Pawling guy was on his back and I was just hoping he would hold him off.”
“It’s not just that I beat him,” Owens said. “It’s the time I ran on such a tough course. It’s tougher than Van Cortlandt. I’m definitely reconsidering my goals. I had some time goals but I’m already reaching those.”
Packer Collegiate, as with most schools in the AIS league, don’t have an extensive race schedule. Don’t expect to see Owens at the top invitationals each weekend. But he’ll have his chances, like at the Mayor’s Cup Oct. 3.
“Now the word’s out,” Martin said. “I’m not sure how many people he’s going to surprise. After Mayor’s Cup, if he runs well, it’s going to be hard to keep it a secret.”
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
