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'05 GA TE Stephen Gowland (Auburn walk-on)

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Nice article on Stephen

Growing stock

By Will Hammock
[email protected]

It started out as a normal lunch in the Parkview cafeteria.
Stephen Gowland and his friends were eating at school in late May when a trip from Parkview head football coach livened the mood. In Flowe’s hand was a letter.
Not just any letter.
This one was sent overnight from the Ohio State coaching staff, offering the rising senior a football scholarship. It wasn’t his first offer — Troy State got that distinction — but it was the biggest by far.
“It was kind of a shock,” Gowland said. “I expected to play somewhere in college but I hadn’t heard much of anything from them before then. It was awesome. It was pretty exciting.
“Everyone at my lunch table was congratulating me. I was just ecstatic.”
Almost three months later, the Ohio State offer remains Gowland’s premier one, although he expects more to come. Wake Forest also has offered a scholarship, and a long list of SEC and ACC schools have expressed serious interest.
The tight end, who also will start at defensive end this season, also lists Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Ole Miss among his favorites, although those schools haven’t extended an official offer.
Gowland file
Who: Parkview’s Stephen Gowland
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220
College choices: Ohio State, Wake Forest, Troy State, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss
Gowland’s take: “Weight is probably the biggest thing I need from what (Auburn assistant Greg) Coach Knox told me. He said, ‘I know you can play in the SEC. You have the skills.’ They’re just concerned about my weight.”
Coach Cecil Flowe’s take: “He’s a three-year starter and he’s being recruited by a lot of people. He’s got a couple of offers already, and I mean they are big offers.”

The recruiters’ main concern appears to be Gowland’s weight. At 6-foot-4, he weighs 220 pounds and will need to bulk up before college football. He’s already 20 pounds heavier than his junior playing weight and hopes to get up to 235 before he reports to college.
“I’ve always been a pretty skinny kid with low body fat,” Gowland said. “I’ve been doing workouts like crazy and eating every time I get the chance. I eat a lunch third period. I eat a lunch fifth period. I eat after school.”
Gowland sparked the interest from colleges with an exceptional junior season, one where he proved to be a tremendous receiver from the tight end position. He caught 20 passes for 456 yards (a 22.8 yard per catch average) and three touchdowns. He impressed the Parkview staff with his agility and speed, quickly becoming one of the team’s top targets.
A longtime baseball player who didn’t play organized football until seventh grade, Gowland has run as fast as 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a vertical jump of 31 inches. But Parkview head coach Cecil Flowe also praises the blocking and strength of Gowland, who bench presses 330 pounds and holds his school’s weight-class record of 370 pounds in the hang clean.
“He can catch the ball,” Flowe said of Gowland. “He’s developed his feet and he’s a real tenacious blocker, which are the things we work on every day.”
This year the Parkview coaches have worked on getting Gowland more involved on the defense, where he played sparingly last season. This year he will start at defensive end, a taxing duty for someone so involved on offense and special teams.
But he wouldn’t have it any other way. He can’t wait to get back on the field, particularly after Parkview’s painful loss to Newnan in last year’s quarterfinals, only the fourth loss ever for one of Gowland’s football teams.
“At our scrimmage, they brought in my backup and I was mad, I didn’t want to come out,” Gowland said. “It will be a little different going both ways. The stamina is the main thing because our defense is known for its relentlessness, getting 11 hats to the ball. It’s tough because as soon as you’re finished on defense, you’re on offense running pass routes. And I’m on all but one special team.”
The extra time on the field will be more plays in front of recruiters, and possibly more Division I offers. While some players are annoyed by the recruiting process, Gowland said it’s been fun and in a way unexpected.
He didn’t even realize the recruiters’ serious interest until spring practice, when Vanderbilt coaches stopped by to watch him practice.
“It’s really exciting,” Gowland said of recruiting. “A lot of guys are talking with me at school about it and Coach Flowe always has a huge stack of letters for me. It’s real fun. I’ve been working real hard for this for a long time, so it’s nice to see it come into something positive.”

Stephen (or dad)- maybe when you get a chance you can give us an update? Good luck in the upcoming season.
 
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Stephen's first game this weekend

If Stephen Gowland was a ticket buyer instead of Parkview’s tight end, Saturday’s game between the Panthers and Camden County might be a sellout at the Georgia Dome.
Gowland, like his teammates, is more than a little pumped up at the prospect of a game between teams that have won the past four Class AAAAA state football titles. And you can understand why.

Gowland was recently in our offices for a photo shoot, and his excitement for Saturday’s game was infectious. He said he can’t remember the coaching staff ever being so pumped up so early in the season and the players have responded to it.

Good luck Stephen!!
 
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Atlanta Journal Constitution Article

GWINNETT FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Parkview: Renewed dedication<!-- AAAD TITLE END -->
Panthers aim to return to state contention

[font=geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=-2]<!-- AAAD AUTHOR START -->Carroll Rogers<!-- AAAD AUTHOR END --> - <!-- AAAD SOURCE START -->Staff<!-- AAAD SOURCE END -->[/size][/font]
[font=geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=-2]Wednesday, August 18, 2004[/size][/font]


<!-- AAAD TEXT START -->[font=arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif][size=-1]Parkview senior tight end Stephen Gowland watched video of the Panthers' 20-14 AAAAA quarterfinal loss to Newnan over and over during the summer. Maybe 30 times over.

Packing the most motivational punch, and taking the most abuse from his VCR, was the play that ended with 7.3 seconds left. Gowland had been downfield running a route when Parkview quarterback Todd Faulkner got hit, fumbled and Newnan returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. That snapped the Panthers' streak of three consecutive state championships.

"We don't want to go out like that," said Gowland, one of Parkview's 23 seniors.

Gowland has lost only four times in his entire football life, and half of them were during last year's 11-2 season. He will play both ways this season --- also at defensive end --- to do his part to help get Parkview back into Region 8-AAAAA and state contention.

"I think we have a lot better team attitude this year," Gowland said. "Last year, the seniors were riding the coattails of the team that went 45-0. They didn't know what it took to win."

If the Newnan loss wasn't motivation enough, also fresh in Panther minds is having Brookwood snap their 46-game winning streak, 35-21. Those were the only two losses, but for a team that had gone undefeated for three seasons, it was different.

"I was mad, and I wasn't even playing," said defensive lineman Jarvis Hines.

Hines hasn't played football since ninth grade because he was academically ineligible, but he attended summer school to get his grades up and is now part of the team.

The Panthers, ranked No. 3 by the AJC, welcome senior quarterback Jeff Witt, a transfer from Chattahoochee. Witt will add a vertical dimension to a traditionally run-oriented offense. He also brings the experience of starting for Chattahoochee for two years, he's a quick study with a 4.0 GPA and somebody coach Cecil Flowe characterizes as a good leader.

"He's a very poised individual, very smart," Flowe said. "When you say stuff, he understands."

Faulkner passed for 113 yards a game last year. Look for that number to spike. Among Witt's go-to receivers will be Gowland, who caught 20 passes for 456 yards and three touchdowns, and wideouts Steve Esmonde and Darryl Miller.

"Guys I didn't expect to be great athletes have really showed up, especially in the receiver corps," Witt said. "Our offensive linemen are really strong. Coming from a school where they are really big boys, these guys are animals. Stephen Gowland is an absolute beast."

Witt will get his first test Saturday in the Georgia Dome against the defending state champion Camden County, which went 15-0 last year with arguably the top defense in the state. The Wildcats allowed only 16 points last season and posted nine shutouts.

Camden County only returns four starters from that unit but opens the season ranked No. 1 in AAAAA.

"We'll see what kind of mettle we're made of early," Flowe said. "That's OK."

Parkview returns five starters from a defense that allowed only 11.7 points per game last year. Without the Brookwood blip --- the Broncos were the only team to score more than 20 points on Parkview --- that average would be down to 9.3. Anchoring the group is senior linebacker Kyle Giella, who had 87 tackles last year.

The Panthers limited Collins Hill to three points in a scrimmage on Friday night (winning 7-3), then turned their attention toward Camden County.
[/size][/font]<TT>PANTHER FACTS
> Location: 998 Cole Drive, Lilburn
> Phone number: 770-921-2874
> Principal: Charles "Buck" Buchanan
> Enrollment: 2,568
> Web site: www.parkview.net
> Colors: Orange and royal blue
> Did you know? Quarterback Jeff Witt wore No. 12 at Chattahoochee but when he transferred to Parkview, he agreed to wear No. 11, given the tradition of No. 12 at Parkview. Steve Esmonde is the latest in a line of standout wide receiver/defensive backs assigned No. 12. "I had no problem with it," Witt said.
> Directions: From Killian Hill Road, take Arcado Road south to Cole Drive. Turn left on Cole. School is on the left.

NICKEL COVERAGE
Five things to look for in 2004 from the Parkview football team:
> Frying pan/fire: The Panthers will know what they've got early. They face two AAAAA playoff teams in the first three weeks, starting with defending champion Camden County in the Corky Kell Classic on Saturday.
> Strength in numbers: Running back Brad Lester may be gone, taking his 2,057 yards and 20 touchdowns with him to Auburn, but coach Cecil Flowe says Parkview will have a solid group of running backs, including Daniel Bollinger (who got 12 to 15 carries a game last year), Caleb King and Jason Fisher.
> Circle Oct. 1: The Panthers will have revenge on the brain when they meet rival Brookwood in six weeks, given their 35-21 loss to Brookwood last year, which snapped Parkview's state-record 46-game winning streak and a five-game winning streak in this series.
> Double duty: Tight end Stephen Gowland, who has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, will be trying his hand at defensive end in addition to his offensive duties. He played only three games that way last year.
> QB on the run: As strong an arm as Jeff Witt has, he can also scramble, as the Panthers saw firsthand in the playoffs last year against Chattahoochee when he rolled up yardage on option runs. For the season, he rushed for 300 yards.

QUICK HIT
Former University of Georgia defensive lineman David Jacobs is in his first year as an assistant coach at Parkview. Jacobs had his college playing career cut short when he suffered a stroke during a Georgia practice in 2001. Now he's teaching defensive line skills to Panther players eager to soak up his experience.
"He's like my mentor," said senior defensive tackle Jarvis Hines. "He tells us every time you hit the field, make it like the last time you'll ever play, because you never know what's going to happen. We take it to heart."

BY THE NUMBERS
35: The most points ever allowed to Brookwood in 22 games of the rivalry. Brookwood won 35-21 last year.
6-1: The Panthers' record in the Corky Kell Classic, where they'll face defending AAAAA champion Camden County.

2004 SCHEDULE
Date........ Opponent 2003............ Result
Aug. 21......vs. Camden Co.* 2 p.m.....DNP
Aug. 27......at Norcross.............. W 29-14
Sept. 3......vs. Colquitt County...... DNP
Sept. 17.... at Shiloh................ W 38-16
Sept. 24.... vs. Berkmar.............. W 28-0
Oct. 1...... at Brookwood..............L 35-21
Oct. 8...... vs. South Gwinnett........DNP
Oct. 15......vs. Meadowcreek.......... W 70-7
Oct. 22......at Central Gwinnett...... W 35-13
Oct. 29......vs. Grayson DNP
*Georgia Dome, Corky Kell Classic

SCOUTING REPORT
> Coach: Cecil Flowe (10th year)
> Region: 8-AAAAA
> 2003: 11-2
> Returning starters: Offense, 5; defense, 5.
> Key players: TE/DE Stephen Gowland (6-4, 220, Sr.); QB Jeff Witt (6-0, 190, Sr.); RB Daniel Bollinger (5-10, 190); DB Darryl Miller (6-3, 200, Sr.); LB/TE Kyle Giella (6-0, 190, Sr.); DE/OL Gator Parker (6-0, 200, Jr.).
> Panthers struggle if: Witt gets a rude awakening from Gwinnett County and the Panthers have a tough time against their South Georgia opponents.
> Panthers improve if: They make better use of scoring chances in key games, something Witt will have a say in.

HE SAID IT
"You can tell it's game week. The intensity is there."
--- Cecil Flowe, coach

</TT><!-- AAAD TEXT END --><!-- AAAD ARTICLE END--></FONT>
 
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Thanks for the article Georgia Terp...here's hoping that Stephen and his teammates take the first step towards a return to the state title game. Sounds like Saturday is going to be a heck of a ballgame!
 
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Georgia TE Gowland to visit OSU

http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/photos/highschool/2004/super11/gwinnett/image1.html

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Stephen Gowland, Parkview

Position: Tight end, defensive end

Class: Senior

Vital statistics: 6-4, 220

Just the facts: Caught 20 passes for 456 yards (22.8-yard average) and three TDs in 2003. Benches 330 pounds, squats 565; runs 40 in 4.59 seconds.

Super fact: Spoke at the IDEALS leadership seminar banquet last year in front of 39 peers and parents. "I talked about how the first week everybody walked in crossing their arms. By the next week or two, when you got to know everybody, it's like they were your lifelong friends."

Colleges: Offered scholarships by Ohio State, Wake Forest and Troy State.

Interest from Auburn, Ole Miss and Florida.

Interests: Hanging out with friends, playing board games like "Cranium," sitting by the pool, playing basketball for his church team.

What people don't know about me: "I used to play piano."

Favorite athlete: Longtime Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe, now a CBS analyst. "His work ethic is incredible. He has like zero percent body fat."
If I weren't an athlete I'd be: A pilot. "(Teammate Jeff Witt's) parents are both pilots. I think that would be an exciting profession, getting to see the country."

General comment on the season: "We're ready to surprise some people."

free BSB

STEPHENGOWLAND200_1.JPG


Bill Kurelic
BuckeyeSports.com Recruiting Analyst

"I went to quite a few camps," Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview tight end Stephen Gowland said. "I went to Wake Forest, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida."

Gowland plans to make an official visit to OSU.
"I tried to get up to Ohio State to visit, but I didn't have a good weekend to do it. Ohio State is probably up there pretty high on my list."

"Auburn and Georgia are two more. And Wake Forest, they offered a scholarship. Ohio State and Troy State offered."

"Ohio State sent a letter to offer. It was from coach Tressel. I like everything about Ohio State. The tradition. The national championships. I've heard a lot about the atmosphere there on game day."

"I don't have any of my official visits set. But I'll definitely take one to Ohio State. Other than that I don't know."

The 6-foot-4 and 220 pound Gowland caught 20 passes, averaged over 22 yards per catch, and scored three times during his junior season. Gowland was an all-county selection.
 
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SG:

Hope you have a great season, stay healthy and schedule that visit to Columbus as soon as you're ready. You'll see that there is nothing anywhere else in the United States that can compare with being an Ohio State Buckeye; playing in front of 106,000 in the Horseshoe; with teammates who are the best athletes in America; with a record number of NFL draftees; for a class-act coach, with more National Championship rings than anyone in the game.

You won't find a better environment anywhere else, no matter how hard you look. Promise.
 
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good luck with your game... enjoy the recruiting experiance, take your time and your visits... Hope to hear about your OSU official visit when that day comes in the not too distant future (one week and one day until the season starts :) )

Good Luck
 
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Gowland looks like an exellent fit for the Scarlet and Gray! Hope the deal is sealed when he visits the "SHOE"! Incredible stats. Speed, size, work ethic, strength. What more can you want out of a recruit.....

Moose
 
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