Owen Twose commits to York

Looking back to the end of his Grade 11 season, no one would have expected to see A.N. Myer’s Owen Twose committing this week to play football for the York Lions.

“Throughout most of my high school career, I wasn’t a big contributor on the team. I was a pretty average player and for most of my career I was under weight,” the 19-year-old Niagara Falls resident said. “I was never the fastest guy and I didn’t have the best hands.”

Myer head coach Dave Buchanan agrees with that historical assessment.

“Owen Twose is the classic example of how persistence and hard work can pay off. He came into our program with average skills and just kept grinding until he got an opportunity to show what he could do,” he said. “Not only did he work hard at improving as a player, but he took school seriously and made sure his marks would allow him the opportunity to get to the next level. I was as hard on him as any player that has come through our program, but he persevered and now is able to take the next step in his football journey.”

Twose credits Buchanan for his tough love approach.

“There were times where I actually hated him but looking back now I can see that it was coming from a good place,” the 12B student said. “If it wasn’t for him pushing me like he did, I don’t think I would be where I am today. I am grateful for him pushing me that hard.”

Buchanan didn’t put up with any nonsense from Twose.

“I was sick of being the guy always running laps and getting yelled at all the time,” Twose said. “I smartened up and tried to be more of a leader this year. I tried to be more mature.”

The turning point for Twose came at the end of Grade 11 when Buchanan suggested he put on a bunch of weight and switch to left tackle because he didn’t think he would be able to play as a receiver.

“That really motivated me to be a better athlete, a better player and a contributor on the team,” Twose said. “I didn’t want to be a joke. I wanted to be taken seriously and be seen as someone who could be a viable asset.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound receiver, who began playing football in Grade 7 in house league with the Niagara Falls Argos, decided to take his training to a whole new level.

He went to the practice field every day with teammates and friends, Drake Somerville and Quinton Douglas.

“The three of us worked relentlessly on the field to get better and we were in the weight room five times a week as well.”

Twose added plenty of skill and 25 pounds of muscle to his frame and, in the process, earned the respect of Buchanan.

“The (Niagara) championship didn’t go the way that we wanted it to but I will never forget him telling me at the end of the game that I had proved so many people wrong.”

Twose also took things in the classroom to the next level, bumping his average to 85 from 80.

“I really buckled down and the last two years I took everything a lot more seriously,” he said. “I dedicated more time to my studies.”

The culmination of all his hard work was Tuesday’s signing ceremony at Myer.

“It was such a surreal feeling. I talked about committing to York with my two friends, Drake and Quin, for years and yesterday (Tuesday) everything came to fruition. It was unbelievable.”

The future York kinesiology major believes the school is a perfect fit.

“Talking with coach (Tommy) Dennison, I feel it is a really good program, it is going to be on the rise in the next few years and I think I am going to fit into their offence pretty well,” Twose said. “I am a gritty receiver and I think that switching to H back will end up being a good move for me. I will definitely be able to be a good blocker for them and I think that I will be able to make an impact.”

He is planning to do everything he can to earn playing time in the 2022 Ontario University Athletics season.

“I am actually work on my long snapping right now and I am perfecting that and hoping to get a roster spot my first year. That would be awesome.”

Dennison is happy to have signed Twose.

“Owen has great length and physicality. We would like him to play H back for us and we think that his combination of good hands and physicality will serve him well as he develops into a university athlete,” he said. “Owen will need to spend time developing his frame to compete in the box. We love how difficult he was to tackle when we watched him play and know his work ethic will allow him to prepare for a new positional challenge.”

Denison feels Twose’s most important challenge will be to increase his size and strength.

“If he can combine size and strength with his ability to break tackles and catch the ball he has the ability to be a dynamic university player.”

Twose is committed to meeting that challenge.

“I love the grind and I love facing the adversity,” he said. “I love it when the doubters tell me I can’t do something. It fuels me.”