Although Allen is holding steady in the 90 to 100-degree heat range, the fall season of football is here. After a season-ending defeat in the bi-district playoff game last year, the team has been practicing all summer to prepare for their opening game in Eagle Stadium against DeSoto High School tonight.
“The first game has been in the back of our minds since the beginning of the summer, and we fuel that towards our motivation,” senior defensive tackle Nathan Marsh said. “I feel that the new team has improved enough for me to have confidence going into the upcoming scrimmage.”
Last year in the Tom Landry Classic, Allen faced No. 1 ranked in the nation, St. John Bosco. The game ended in a 52-14 loss for Allen, breaking the home-field win streak.. However, according to senior captain Quinton Hammonds, that loss last year was “a fluke.”
“Our biggest challenge is that our team is super young, but all the underclassmen are adapting and holding their own,” Hammonds said. “We’ve prepared by just giving it our all at everything we do, even if we don’t feel like it or don’t want to do it. The coaches don’t need to say much to motivate us. When we lost 43-18 to Lewisville, that was enough to motivate us for the season.”
In addition to a young team, the coaching staff also has some new faces.
“From my standpoint, coming in as an outsider from professional, I want people to know that these kids really dedicate a lot of their time and effort,”new strength and conditioning coach Adam Potts said. “They spend a lot of time in the weight room, on the field, in meetings, they really dedicate a lot of time and put their heart and soul into it. We obviously want to win every game, but I think if the community knows these athletes are really working hard, putting their best effort in, I think it would go a long way.”
While the new coaching staff was not there during the season last year, senior wide receiver Messiah Washington said they are preparing the players for the new season very well.
“The new coaching staff has adjusted well and they’re keeping their eyes on the future of our team as we can’t do anything about the past,” Washington said. “The coaches coach us hard, and reward us when we make plays.”
With the season opener tonight, senior captain Samuel Solomon is eager to get on the field and prove this is not a rebuilding year for Allen football.
“We’ve been practicing every day trying to get better to be able to compete at a high level,” Solomon said. “We’re showing up every day and doing what the coaches tell us. I’m very excited to show off everything that we’ve been working on.”
DeSoto is coming off of a state championship title, after defeating Vandergrift 42-17 in the 6A-Division II playoffs. That was the second state title for DeSoto in six years.
“This is my first year, but from what I can tell we take every opponent very seriously, we respect all of our opponents,” Potts said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about DeSoto, but from what I can tell, we prepare for every team no matter their reputation. So we’re just doing everything we can to prepare. I’m doing my best from my side to take care of their bodies, train them hard, but we’re prepared for the best.”
The Allen Eagles will play DeSoto tonight at 7:30 at Eagle Stadium. The student section theme is white-out.
“The expectation of Allen is hard to reach, especially in this day and age,” Marsh said. “The coaching staff has been giving their all to make sure the team is successful in the upcoming season, this gives us our confidence.”
