The Allen Eagles went into last year with high expectations (#5 preseason) and basically lived up to those expectations throughout the regular season.  The offense was expected to be outstanding and it was; the defense was expected to struggle and it did.  In the end, Allen emerged as undefeated, undisputed champs of one of the state's toughest districts.  Then came the playoff game against Rowlett.  Sophomore QB Matt Brown, who had played so well all season, threw 3 INT's in his first 8 passes leading to an early 30-0 deficit and, despite a valiant effort, the Eagles weren't able to recover.  The humbling defeat was a definite bracket-buster and helped pave the way for district rival Plano to win the region.

          Despite the way the season ended, Allen looks to have one of the top teams in the state yet again.  The Eagles return 12 starters (5 offense, 7 defense) and 47 lettermen from last year’s 10-1 team.  Allen is 41-9 in Tom Westerberg’s four years as head coach and is 89-24 since 1999, which puts them among the best in the state over that time span.

          Junior QB Matt Brown (6’1 175) was one of the surprise performers in the state as a sophomore.  Brown entered the year as the back-up, but took over the starting role.  Brown passed for 2,420 yards and 30 touchdowns in 11 games.  Brown was also the team’s leading rusher with 928 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Brown threw 14 interceptions in his first year as a varsity starter, and will certainly look to drop that number now that he’s gained experience.

          Seniors Jeremiah Williams (5’11 180) and Bradlee Waddell (5’8 180) add further stability to the backfield.  Williams ran for 834 yards (10 ypc) and 6 TDs as a junior and enters his third year as a starter this fall.  Waddell added 715 yards on the ground (7.4 ypc) and 7 TDs.

          Two of last year’s top receivers, Dan Buckner (Texas) and Tariekus Ellis, are gone but Allen returns some experience in seniors Uzomah Nwachukwu (5’11 180) and senoior Dakarai Pecikonis (5’9 150).

          The offensive line is led by senior Cody Milam (6’3 310).  Milam started last year.  Senior Justin Esparza (6’4 285), junior Luke Burleson (6’5 262), junior Taylor Pearson (6’4 261) and sophomore Brad McNulty (6’2 280) round out the starting five of what will be a big and talented line. 

          Seven starters and 4 All-District performers return from a defense that ranked 164^th in scoring defense last year.  If Allen is to make a run at a region or state title, it will obviously need to bring that number down considerably.  Last year, the Eagle D allowed opponents to perform slightly above their season scoring average.

          Senior DL Nate Bonsu (6’1 265) leads the Allen defensive line.  Bonsu earned all-district honors as a junior.  Seniors LaChristopher Anyiam (6’4 220) and Cory Jackson (6’0 223) are other projected starters in Allen’s 4-3 base alignment.

          All three starters at linebacker return.  Senior Matt McBride (5’11 215), senior Jason Butler (6’0 195) and junior Cheyenne Urban (5’11 216) add considerable experience to the defense overall.  Sophomore Melvin Spears (6’0 210) is expected to have an impact this fall. 

          The secondary is also very experienced with three returning starters.  Senior DB Steven Terrell (5’11 175) recorded 96 tackles last year.  Senior Jeremy Reeves (5’6 160) and junior Kenon Turner (5’9 160) are the other two returning starters. 

          The kicking game returns two experienced players in senior kicker Evan Dobbs (92% on PATs and FGs last year) and punter Alex Budihar. 

          Allen opens the schedule with Longview at home, Rockwall away and Euless Trinity at home before starting district play at Plano West.  Depending on how well the Eagles reload at receiver and how much improvement is made on the defensive end, the Eagles are more than capable of repeating as district champs and making an extended playoff run.

 

2008  Team  Outlook

Pre-Season State Top 25:  4th Pre-Season Rank (Region):  3rd (R1) Pre-Season Rank (District):  2nd (8) Returning Offensive Starters:  6 QB Matt Brown (Jr.) * '07 Dist. Off. MVP RB Jeremiah Williams (Sr.) RB Bradlee Waddell (Sr.) WR Uzoma Nwachukwu (Sr.) WR Dakarai Pecikonis (Sr.) OL Cody Milam (Sr.) Returning Defensive Starters:  7 DT Nate Bonsu (Sr.) ILB Matt McBride (Sr.) LB Cheyenne Urban (Jr.) * '07 Dist. Def. Soph. MVP OLB Jason Butler (Sr.) S Steven Terrell (Sr.) DB Jeremy Reeves (Sr.) DB Kenon Turner (Jr.) All-State Players (Team): QB Matt Brown (2nd) DL Nate Bonsu (3rd) Returning All-District Players:  8 QB Matt Brown (1st) RB Jeremiah Williams (1st) DT Nate Bonsu (1st) S Steven Terrell (1st) RB Bradlee Waddell (2nd) K Evan Dobbs (2nd) ILB Matt McBride (2nd) OLB Jason Butler (2nd) Other Players to Watch: OL Justin Esparza (Sr.) OL Luke Burleson (Jr.) OL Taylor Pearson (Jr.) OL Brad McNulty (So.) DL LaChris Anyiam (Sr.) DL Cory Jackson (Sr.) LB Melvin Spears (So.)   2008 Schedule (Stadium): 8/30     Longview (Eagle) 9/5       Monterey, MEX (Eagle) 9/12     @ Rockwall (Wilkerson-Sanders Mem.) 9/20     Euless Trinity (Eagle) 9/27     @ Plano West (Clark) 10/3     OPEN 10/10   McKinney Boyd (Eagle) 10/17   @ Plano (Clark) 10/24   Dallas Jesuit (Eagle) 10/31   @ Plano East (Clark) 11/7     Wylie (Eagle)  Opponents Combined Record: 68-30 Projected 2008 Record: 8-2 Key Games (Rank): vs. Longview vs. Euless Trinity @   Plano vs. Dallas Jesuit @   Plano East Strength of Schedule (Rank): 68.20 (18th) Unit Rankings: Total Offense (2nd) Offensive Backfield (2nd) Offensive Line (3rd)   The Bottom Line: Strengths: Prolific QB returning Well-Balanced Defensive Experience Program Consistency 8 All-District Performers Return Weaknesses: Defense Must Improve