To get an idea of just how valuable Keenan Allen is to the Northern Guilford attack, just rewind the tape from the Nighthawks’ 42-27 win over Northwest Guilford on Sept. 12.
With Northern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) nursing a one-point lead, Allen threw a pair of passes late in the fourth quarter, including a 28-yard touchdown to Daniel Downing that gave the Nighthawks some breathing room. On the night, Allen finished with three rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown and a passing touchdown.
"He could also be a punter in college," said Northern Guilford coach Johnny Roscoe. "Our placekicker moved away and Keenan immediately started placekicking and was making field goals from over 40 yards out."
Nothing should be too surprising about Allen’s performance anymore. Regarded as one of the top safeties in the country by Tom Lemming, Allen ranks No. 77 on the Lemming Top 100 list of the nation’s best players.
"He leads by example and stays after practice always working on extras, which will make him a better football player," Roscoe said. "He constantly makes plays at practice where players stop and they can’t believe he made a particular catch or run."
Allen has 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash and also bench-presses 275 pounds and squats 405. He was first-team all-area as a junior and was the defensive MVP on a team that went 10-1 but did not participate in the North Carolina state playoffs.
Northern Guilford was recently implicated in a recruiting scandal that resulted in the school losing its state basketball championship and other school teams forfeiting games due to ineligible players. The principal and athletic director both resigned their positions and the basketball coach was not rehired.
While the football team was also investigated, no wrongdoing was found on the part of the team or coach Roscoe, who was rehired for the 2009 season. For Allen, he would rather focus on a possible state championship.
"I predict our team can go undefeated this year because we have so many threats on offense," Allen said in early September. "Our defense just has a knack for the ball, and it’s hard to score on us."
Allen’s hopes for an undefeated season were dashed by Dudley in the third game of the season. The Nighthawks fell to the Panthers 12-7, but have won twice since that defeat and have a 4-1 record on the year. The most recent outing was a 57-14 win over Williams of Burlington in the 3A Conference 8 opener.
A four-year starter for Northern Guilford, Allen first had an idea he might be able to play at the next level during his sophomore season.
"I had an outstanding game my first game as a sophomore," he said. "I was chosen play of the week and for the rest of the year I began to dominate."
Allen says that he has yet to make a decision on which college he will attend next year, but he is considering Oregon, Alabama and Clemson.
"The process has gone well, but it can be overwhelming at times," he said. "I try to overcome it."
Allen knows a little bit about the recruiting process. His brother plays quarterback for the University of Buffalo.
"It’s been a dream since I’ve started playing football to play at the college level," he said. "I’m so ready to play in front of the big crowd. Hopefully I can put on a show."
