By Grant Traylor, The Herald-Dispatch, for the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Toughness. Grit. Selflessness.
Those are all words that have been used to describe Spring Valley senior linebacker Owen Porter.
In a day where football has become more about athleticism and speed, Porter combines those new-age aspects with a throwback mentality of being the toughest guy on the football field.
Porter’s skill level and toughness earned him the Howley Award, given to the state’s top linebacker by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
“He’s the grittiest kid I’ve ever coached,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “You want to talk about a kid that’s blue-collar and clocks in to go to work every day. He was the hardest worker we had in the weight room, in practice and in games. That guy didn’t wear tape or braces or anything. He’s an old-school linebacker.”
Porter finished the 2017 season with 135 tackles, including 32 tackles for loss with 13.5 sacks and a forced fumble, but elevated his game to another level in the postseason to help the Timberwolves get back to Wheeling Island Stadium for a second-straight season.
“That guy can take over a game like no one I’ve had before,” Dingess said. “He knew what was going on for run plays and his closing speed to get to the ball carrier was faster than anyone I’ve seen. You hear about kids having a nose for the football. That guy had a magnet to it.”
Porter credited his Dad for giving him the mental tools to succeed in football at an early age.
“When I was younger, I was playing with the older guys and my Dad always told me that, along the way, those kids would be bigger and faster than me, so I had to be nastier and hit them harder,” Porter said. “That was the only way I could play with them.”
Through his blue-collar mentality, Porter also made sure that kids wouldn’t always be bigger than him. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Marshall commit was as much of a monster in the weight room as on the field, according to Dingess.
“He’s got that wrestling mentality and a work ethic about him that wrestlers possess and he took that to football each day, too,” Dingess said. “If you were in Owen’s group, you were guaranteed to work harder than any group in the weight room because he didn’t settle for less. He wouldn’t let anyone put forth less than max effort.”
In the quarterfinals against Cabell Midland, Porter registered eight tackles for loss, including six sacks, to help the Timberwolves earn a shutout over the Knights, who came in with one of the state’s top rushing offenses.
“That was one of the best games I ever played defensively in high school,” Porter said.
One week later, Porter’s presence and ability to stop Huntington High’s rushing attack forced the Highlanders to change things schematically in Spring Valley’s 10-7 win, which came despite the Timberwolves not having a first down in the second half.
However, the game that really personified Porter in all aspects — his toughness, grit and selflessness — came in the Class AAA Championship loss to Martinsburg.
Porter used his linebacker mentality to shed potential tackles as a running back, rushing for 155 yards in the first half to send Spring Valley to a 16-14 halftime lead over the Bulldogs, but an injury to his elbow forced him to the sidelines in the third quarter. At the time, it was an injury that was thought to end his game as Porter was unable to move his arm.
With Martinsburg leading 23-16 and the Timberwolves reeling on both sides of the ball, the senior linebacker did the only thing he knew to do.
“I ran out there when they weren’t paying attention and I made our outside linebacker get off the field, but two plays later, they sent me back in,” Porter said. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’d do anything for those guys. I just didn’t want to let everybody down. We were so close.”
Dingess recalled the act, saying that’s just the type of kid that Porter is.
“Once he got in, we couldn’t get him out,” Dingess said. “Hell, he couldn’t hold his arm up. We had to tell the officials that he was hurt to get him out. I thought I was going to have to call timeout to get him off the field. He might’ve punched me.”
Those qualities make Porter synonymous with Chuck Howley, whom the Howley Award is named for.
Chuck Howley was a former West Virginia University linebacker who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft.
Howley played for the Chicago Bears for two years before sustaining a knee injury that was thought to be career-ending at the time.
After playing in a West Virginia University alumni game, Howley returned to the Bears, who then traded his rights to the Dallas Cowboys.
Howley made the Bears regret the decision, ending up as a six-time Pro Bowl selection and playing in two Super Bowls with a victory in Super Bowl VI.
Howley’s performances in those two Super Bowls were noteworthy. To this date, Howley is the only player from the losing team to win the Super Bowl MVP Award for his performance in Super Bowl V, which he recorded a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery. The following season, he became a Super Bowl champion, recording an interception and fumble recovery in the Cowboys’ 24-3 win over Miami in Super Bowl VI.
Porter finished ahead of Wheeling Central’s Adam Murray and Martinsburg’s DeWayne Grantham for the Howley Award, which will be presented to Porter at the Victory Awards Dinner on May 6 in Charleston.