Regardless, the highly recruited running back managed 155 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 28 carries in a 36-28 win.
"We knew all week this would be a good football team," Owens said. "We knew we just needed to work hard in order to get this win."
The most impressive aspect of the Eagles running game might be that Owens is just one of three dangerous backs.
Call it a thunder-and-lightning-and-more-thunder combo.
Seniors Josh Cornelius, another hard-nosed runner who sealed the game with a 4-yard score with 22 seconds left, and Connor Smith, a burner also prone to running over defenders, each played a key role in the win, particularly after Haddon Heights (2-1) clawed back into the game.
The Garnets' Alex Thompson blocked West Deptford's first punt this season, and Brandon Smith fell on it in the end zone to make the score 30-22 with a little more than six minutes left in the game.
But it set the stage for a 13-play, 90-yard drive, highlighted by runs of 29 and 19 yards by Owens and key efforts by Smith and Cornelius.
"Being able to execute that against a 10-man front is a credit to our kids," West Deptford coach Clyde Folsom said.
West Deptford (3-0) attempted just four passes, completing one. But thanks to its running game, even as the home team put together solid efforts on both sides of the ball, the Eagles earned a convincing win.
West Deptford 7 17 6 6 – 36
Haddon Heights 7 7 8 6 – 28
HH: Brandon Joyner 5 pass from Dante Pinckney (Lynch kick)
WD: Gerald Owens 9 run (Luke Cornelius kick)
WD: Owens 4 run (Cornelius kick)
HH: Kashif Miller 28 pass from Pinckney (Lynch kick)
WD: Owens 3 run (Cornelius kick)
WD: FG Cornelius 31
WD: Shai Mumford 76 kickoff return (kick failed)
HH: Joyner 9 pass from Pinckney (Connor McCoy pass from Pinckney)
HH: Brandon Smith fumble recovery in end zone (run failed)
WD: Josh Cornelius 4 run (pass failed)
Contact Chris Melchiorre at rallysports@phillynews.com.
