Owens Anniversary

A year ago today a 16-year-old henderson county football player collapsed after practicing in the summer heat. Ryan Owens died a short time later in the lockeroom. While the cause of his death was ruled natural due to a pre-existing heart condition, a lot has changed on the practice field since. Fox 7s Jaimie Weiss explains even with new faces and new policies Ryans memory remains strong one year later. The noon humidity has Coach Clay Clevenger running drills inside, but players have memories of what happened a year ago outside, running through their minds. "We did a little team thing today, just for a few minutes," says Clevenger. A lot has changed on the colonels field. Former head coach duffer duffy resigned. Theres a new coach. There are tents, fans, a lot more water breaks and each players weight is checked daily for dehydration. After a player had an asthma attack this week, an ambulance is now standing by. Though you wont find an ambulance at most high school practice fields, Coach Clevenger says it brings peace of mind. "Im not trained in that stuff, so if a situation occurs then theres somebody to help you take care of that." With the intensity of practice picking up these players are working hard to match last years winning season. And, even with that on their minds, theyre still thinking of Ryan, especially today the one year anniversary." "Theyre a very together team. They understand whats going on. I think theyre very mature young men for all theyve been through." Last year the colonels dedicated their season to Ryan. This year Coach Clevenger hopes the team can build on the maturity its gained through loss, by continuing to honor owens memory with wins on the field. A lawsuit filed by owens parents that blames the school and old coaching staff for not keeping their son hydrated is still pending. Today we contacted the Owens family, but did not receive any comment.