by USA TODAY High School Sports
USA TODAY High School Sports is a partner of High School Football America
Allen (Texas) football doesn’t have a coach following Tom Westerberg’s departure, but whomever is on the sidelines likely will be faced with some tests early in his tenure.
Allen and Hoover (Ala.) had signed a contract two years ago to play in the 2016 Tom Landry Classic. That game is scheduled for Aug. 26 in Allen’s massive stadium.
Last week, The Dallas Morning News reported that Super 25 champion Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) was looking to play its second game of the season against Allen.
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Meanwhile, Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.) has announced it will open its season at Allen. Teams in Louisiana are not allowed to play their first game until the weekend of Sept. 3-5. How that would impact a potential matchup with Gorman is unclear.
“Nobody wanted to play them and no one wanted to play us, so it was a perfect marriage,” coach Byron Dawson told Gannett partner The Shreveport Times. “They reached out to us and we agreed to play. We have the utmost respect in their tradition and prestige.”
A loss to Westlake in the 6A semifinals last December snapped Allen’s 57-game win streak that included three straight state titles in the state’s largest classification. Allen spent the majority of last season toward the top of the Super 25 rankings before finishing No. 20.
Evangel won 13 state championships from 1993 to 2010, including four in 5A. It voluntarily moved back up from 2A to 5A last season under Louisiana’s new rules and shared the 1-5A district title before letting a 21-0 lead slip away in the semifinals to eventual Division I select champion Catholic High School.
“We strongly believe as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another,” Dawson said. “Playing great competition like Allen only makes you better and builds a strong team character.”
