Football to play Allen in first round of playoffs Friday

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Photo by Harper Lee

The football players charge onto the field for the game against Southlake Carroll.

The football team will play Allen in a first round playoff match-up on Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Eagle Stadium.

After defeating Southlake Carroll Nov. 10, the team finished the regular season with an 8-2 record.. Although Allen is undefeated this season and ranked second in state, receiver coach Jeff Hill said the team is stronger than Allen skill-position wise.

“When you watch them on film, they’re not world-beaters,” Hill said. “Their front seven is pretty strong and pretty good, but we feel like we can hold them up long enough to get the ball off and throw it out to the skill players. We’ve got a good game plan up front to run the ball and find some holes within their defensive that we can expose.”

Last season, after a first-round playoff win against Plano East, the team lost starting quarterback Clayton Tune to a leg injury, ultimately falling to Duncanville in the second round. This season, Tune has started all 10 games, accounting for over 2000 passing yard, 500 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns. Hill said he’s excited for the opportunity to take down a tough team like Allen..

“I feel like we’ve got a really good game plan and I think we match up really well with them,” Hill said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to get to go make history and do something no one’s done: beat Allen in their new stadium.”

When the team last played against Allen during the 2015 season, the team was left with a 45-13 loss. Despite Allen’s reputation, senior wide receiver Jaren Mitchell said the team is confident.

“I’m pretty confident going into the game not only [because of] my own ability, but also the abilities my teammates have,” Mitchell said. “I know if we stay focused and prepare for the task at hand we will come out on top. We just can’t let the name “Allen” get to us.”