ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Hart’s Allen Shows Nothing New With Flair for Spectacular

Brian Allen was no stranger to Dave Carson when Carson became coach at Hart High this season.

Carson got a good look at Allen, Hart’s tight end, last year when he was coach at Foothill League rival Burbank.

So, while some might have been surprised by the 6-foot, 4-inch Allen’s leaping catches in Hart’s 33-28 win over Canyon on Friday night at College of the Canyons, Carson was not.

Impressed? Pleased? Fascinated?

Yes, yes and yes.

But surprised?

“It would surprise me if he didn’t make catches like that,” Carson said.

Allen’s catches also ring familiar with his teammates.

“Most of us, we’ve been playing with Brian since junior high,” flanker Cameron Smyth said. “So, it’s nothing new to us. We’ve seen it all before.

“But you have to be impressed.”

Said Canyon Coach Harry Welch: “He had the game of his life. He was tremendous.”

Allen downplays his role, making it seem as complicated as a play outlined in dirt with a stick.

“They were just simple pops and curls, quick dumps to the tight end,” Allen said. “I was just getting open.”

Allen hauled in 9 passes for 121 yards and 3 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Rob Westervelt, in his first varsity start, found himself under heavy pressure from the fierce Canyon rush for most of the game.

Repeatedly, Westervelt flicked the ball to Allen, who rambled downfield for additional yardage. Allen’s 30-yard gain on a short curl in the fourth quarter was Hart’s longest of the game. Allen’s touchdown receptions, which covered 7, 11 and 25 yards, all were amid heavy coverage.

When Allen wasn’t catching the ball, Smyth and tailback Howard Blackwell were.

“Our game plan was to move it around and throw to everybody, not just one person,” Carson said. “We threw to Allen in crucial situations, but we also used him as a decoy. They can’t just gang up on one person.”

Try it and make Allen’s day.

“In some games, teams are going to be looking for me, but they can’t cover me the whole game,” Allen said. “I can get open. I don’t know how, I just do.”

Allen might be the center of attention for defenses, but opposing offenses want no part of him. Allen also is a starting outside linebacker.

“They don’t throw on his side because they know what he can do,” Carson said. “People run away from him. He’s a very valuable commodity.”

Allen, in fact, is among the most highly recruited receivers in the state. Several Pacific-10 Conference schools, including USC and UCLA, are interested in Allen. The list also includes Syracuse, Notre Dame, Colorado and Nebraska.

As to which he will choose, “It’s a toss-up right now,” Allen said.

So far, Allen has had little trouble handling anything tossed his way.