Could NorthWood's Owen Roeder lead Indiana in passing in 2023? He's off to a good start
NAPPANEE — Few players in the state of Indiana are playing better than NorthWood quarterback Owen Roeder right now.
The senior has stuffed the stat sheet the first two weeks of the 2023 season. He’s third in the state in passing yards with 616 and is tied for first in passing touchdowns with nine. He's also tops in passer rating (160) and completion percentage (79.2%).
Roeder has a rushing touchdown as well, meaning he’s accounted for the same number of touchdowns (10) as he’s had incomplete passes through two weeks.
More: NorthWood senior Owen Roeder is South Bend Tribune football Player of the Week for Week 2
Roeder is the driver of a high-octane offense that won 42-22 over Jimtown in week one and 49-7 over Portage last week. The Panthers get their first Northern Lakes Conference test Friday at Concord (2-0).
“I feel like I’m a humble person, and I know what it takes to win football games,” Roeder said of the key to his fast start. “I know it takes all 11 guys out there, starting up front. I need people that are able to catch the ball, so that definitely helps. It just comes down to the work I’ve put in.”
A simplified approach has helped Roeder excel in the first two games, according to head coach Nate Andrews.
“I think he understand what we’re trying to accomplish better,” Andrews noted. “We’ve tried to do some things to help him; maybe take some things out of his hands a little bit. We maybe had too much on his plate, and that has calmed him.”
This is the third season Roeder has played quarterback, but first as opening day starter.
As a sophomore, he split reps with Kaden Lone at the position, with the two putting up nearly identical stats. Lone finished with 13 more passing yards, while Roeder had one more passing touchdown as the Panthers finished 5-5.
Then, in 2022, Lone was named the starting quarterback after fall practice. After a strong first week performance against Jimtown, Lone struggled in a week two win against East Noble.
Looking for a spark, the Panthers named Roeder the starter in Week 3. The then-junior turned in one of the best performances of his career, throwing for a career-high 392 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-13 win over Concord.
“It’s just being confident through it all,” Roeder explained on how he handled splitting time with Lone. “The coaches know what needs to be done to win the games. I had to prove that to them, and I think I’ve been doing a good job.”
Roeder started the rest of the regular season, helping the Panthers claim the NLC title for the first time since 2018. Roeder finished the season with 1,827 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
More: High school football standings going into week 3
From 2022: NorthWood upends Mishawaka to keep perfect season going
Although highly successful, it was a season that ended in disappointment for NorthWood, losing in the Class 4A, Sectional 18 championship game to Northridge on its home field. An off-the-field incident involving some players led to the Panthers being shorthanded for the contest.
The way 2022 ended has fueled the current NorthWood team.
“We’re definitely hungry,” Roeder said. “We want it really bad.”
While improving his speed and strength, Roeder worked on his leadership skills in the offseason. Now he's a captain for the Panthers, alongside seniors Keith Miller, Keegin Stats and Seth Russell.
“He’s flat earned that,” Andrews said of Roeder being selected as a captain. “That takes time as well. It takes consistency. Trust is vital to captainship, and he has proven that consistency over the course of time. And that’s not something we as a program take lightly. It’s a high honor, and he has deserved that title.”
While Roeder has put up strong numbers as a starting quarterback throughout his high school career, he never planned on pursuing the game in college until recently. As he’s gotten better, the senior has opened the door to playing football at the next level.
“For a long time, I was just planning on going to school for business and not playing in college,” Roeder admitted. “But at this point, I don’t know how easy it’d be to leave football behind. I’m going to work through this year and see what comes my way, and we’ll make a decision from there.”
NorthWood’s strong start hasn’t gone unnoticed, with them being ranked No. 4 in the Class 4A Associated Press poll and seventh in the 4A rankings by the Indiana Football Coaches Association. With a talented roster in place, the Panthers expect to contend for postseason hardware come November.
More: High School polls for week of Aug. 27
“The sky’s the limit right now,” Roeder said. “We can be as good as we want to be. It’s going to take consistent work and people being consistent with their attitudes, their effort and their toughness. That’s really what it’s going to take.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: NorthWood football quarterback Owen Roeder off to a prolific start in 2023
