MIDDLETOWN — There”s no mistaking Louise Owens on the Middletown High School campus. After all, how many of the Mustangs” coaches speak with an Aussie accent?
Owens, a native of Australia”s capital, Canberra, is the Record-Bee”s Coach of the Year for girls” sports for the recently completed 2007-08 sports season.
And you can take your pick as to which sport Owens did a better job leading the Mustangs in — soccer in the fall or track in the spring. That”s right, the Mustangs not only field a track team these days, but a darn good one. So good in fact that Middletown”s boys” and girls” squads dominated the Lake County scene and sent athletes all the way to the Meet of Champions, the Northern California qualifier for the state meet, in late May at U.C. Berkeley.
Owens not only was the driving force behind Middletown”s relatively new track program, which just completed its third year, but she also guided the Mustangs to their second straight playoff appearance in soccer and their first North Coast Section playoff victory, a 2-1 win over perennial Class A power Mendocino in the opening round.
It”s just all in a day”s work for Owens, who served as the school”s varsity volleyball coach until a vacancy in the girls” soccer program opened up.
Married to Thad Owens, the varsity football coach at Kelseyville High School, Louise Owens loves what she does and the results are there for all to see.
“Every time she touches something it turns to gold,” said Middletown athletic director Geri Giovanetti. “I really appreciate the kind of coach she is.”
Owens” soccer team overcame a slew of injuries to finish second in the North Central League I North standings. The Mustangs finished 2007 with a 10-8-2 mark.
Apart from her ability to coach and train athletes, Owens” administrative skills are top notch, according to Giovanetti.
“You just hope that they (coaches) can kind of run the program on their own,” Giovanetti said. “She”s very much like (football coach) Bill Foltmer in that you don”t have to worry about her. She”s very good about asking questions, taking care of things. She”s low maintenance … an athletic director”s dream.”
“The 2007 soccer season did have its ups and downs,” Owens said. “One highlight from the beginning of the season was beating Clear Lake for the first time in school history. That was very exciting for the whole team. We suffered some injuries to key players and hit a slump trying to replace them.”
But the Mustangs were able to rebound, according to Owens, though it didn”t happen all at once.
“A couple of games into league play things began to click and gradually we started to get some of those injured players back,” Owens said.
The Mustangs” season reached its zenith with the playoff victory over Mendocino. Although the Mustangs lost their next game to top-seeded Sonoma Academy, Owens said the support of the Middletown community was something to behold.
“I remember looking back in the stands and I couldn”t believe how many fans had come down to Santa Rosa to support the girls. There weren”t just parents in the stands, our whole community came down.”
Owens also credits the community for her success in bringing a successful track program to the school.
“I have been very fortunate to have very supportive administration, boosters and community members who have all helped put this program together,” Owens said.
Coaching some talented athletes doesn”t hurt either, according to Owens.
“At all the other schools I”ve coached track at I”ve always had kids who consider themselves a football player who runs track in the spring, or a soccer player who runs track to stay in shape. I am fortunate enough to coach athletes who consider themselves track athletes first.
“Being able to send athletes to the Meet of Champions so early in the program”s existence is also very exciting,” Owens said.
