Owen Angell’s first varsity season with the Rochelle Township High School football team was cut short due to a devastating foot injury. It was one of Angell’s toughest experiences to recover from, but the 5-foot-10, 180-pound tailback and outside linebacker has been working hard to return to form for when the Hubs eventually take the field this coming season.
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ROCHELLE — Owen Angell’s first varsity season with the Rochelle Township High School football team was cut short due to a devastating foot injury. It was one of Angell’s toughest experiences to recover from, but the 5-foot-10, 180-pound tailback and outside linebacker has been working hard to return to form for when the Hubs eventually take the field this coming season.
Angell began the 2019 season as one of only two sophomores to earn starting roles on offense. Now an upperclassman, Angell said he’s progressed through physical therapy and offseason workouts to rehab his foot to 100 percent health. Angell also said he’s been staying active however he can while team activities remain limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My foot injury and losing the majority of my sophomore season were some of the hardest experiences I’ve been through, both physically and mentally,” Angell said. “I thought I did well overall during the games I played and I thought I got along well with my teammates. I want to work on everything I can to improve both myself and my team for next season.”
Angell showed promise early in his sophomore season, catching a 29-yard pass and running for a 9-yard touchdown against the Morris Redskins. Angell averaged over 6 yards per carry in Rochelle’s season-opener at Pekin, where the tailback ran for 51 yards on eight carries. Angell impacted special teams as well, returning five kickoffs for a combined 100 yards. Angell finished his sophomore campaign with two catches for 41 yards and 69 rushing yards on 19 carries.
“I played a lot of tailback last season and I see myself playing the same position this season,” said Angell, who has played football since third grade. “I expect us to be successful during the regular season and I think everybody would agree that our goal is to make a run in the postseason and hopefully make the state finals… The reason I enjoy football so much is because it’s an outlet for me to release my stress. I’ve made a lot of really good friends throughout the years and I’ve met a lot of new people. We’ve definitely become like a family.”
