Allen rolls past rival Plano in second half

As expected last week, it was standing-room only for the showdown of Allen and Plano. And as expected, neither undefeated team could be knocked down easily.

But then came the run by Allen running back Jonathan Williams. With Plano leading 13-10, Williams bounced through a hole in the line and then weaved between defenders before breaking free for an 80-yard touchdown.

That's when Allen (4-0), ranked No. 4 in the state 5A rankings, finally broke free of its suburban rival in front of 14,000 fans. After trailing 13-7 at the half, the Eagles rolled to a 30-13 over visiting Plano (3-1).

"That really turned the momentum," Allen coach Tom Westerberg said of Williams' run. "And once the momentum swung, it just kind of opened things up."



Allen, which struggled to move the ball in the first half, followed up with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Alec Morris to Jonathan Lee, who is committed to Baylor. That was more than enough for the Allen defense, which allowed a pair of long touchdown passes in the first half but held Plano to only 64 yards after halftime.

"We totally knew we could take this team," said Allen linebacker Melvin Spears, who has scholarship offers from schools such as Iowa and Minnesota. "We just needed to come out with more fire in the second half."

The added fire, and offense, helped Allen win its District 8-5A opener. Allen now has 31 consecutive district wins dating back to 2005, when it lost to Plano.

More top stories of the last week from around the Dallas area:

2. Lancaster tops West Mesquite in battle of unbeatens: Lancaster quarterback Davon Hodge missed the game with a broken wrist, but freshman backup Nick Harvey rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-21 victory over West Mesquite. Harvey, who moved over from defensive back when Hodge was injured, also threw a touchdown pass for Lancaster (5-0, 3-0 in District 15-4A). West Mesquite dropped to 3-1, 1-1.

3. Good first for Bishop Lynch, bad one for Carter: Bishop Lynch (Dallas) won private-school football titles in 1988, ’94, ’95 and ’97, but its 48-year history had never included a 5-0 start. That changed Friday with a 7-0 win over Trinity Christian-Addison. In another part of Dallas, however, a former powerhouse program is struggling. Carter, the school where NFL players such as Jessie Armstead and Michael Crabtree played, is 0-4 for the first time ever.



4. Top-ranked Pearce volleyball team rallies for win: Pearce (Richardson) is No. 1 in the 4A state rankings, but the Mustangs got a scare from No. 11 Highland Park last week. Trailing two sets to one, Pearce came from behind in the fourth set and then won the deciding fifth set.

5. Home runners sweep races at Marcus II Invitational: Craig Lutz won the boys 5-kilometer race and Sydney Brown won the girls two-mile race to give Marcus (Flower Mound) a sweep at the Marcus II Invitational over the weekend. Lutz is one of the favorites to win the 5A boys state cross country title in November.

TOP PERFORMERS
Among the outstanding efforts last week:

* Tony White, Hillcrest (Dallas) football: The safety had three interceptions, including one he returned 34 yards for a touchdown, in a 28-22 win over Woodrow Wilson. White also played receiver in the game and had a 59-yard touchdown reception.

* David Harris, Cedar Hill football: The defensive end had six tackles and forced two fumbles, one of which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown, in a 49-14 victory over Mansfield Legacy.

* Jay Ajayi, Liberty (Frisco) football: The running back, who is orally committed to Boise State, ran for 265 yards and three touchdowns as Liberty rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Carrollton Newman Smith, 28-19.



LOOKING AHEAD
* Guyer (Denton) travels to Coppell on Friday for a game that could determine the District 7-5A champion. Coppell (4-0, 1-0) is led by workhorse running back Cam McDaniel, who has scholarship offers from schools such as Colorado, Stanford and Iowa. Guyer (3-1, 1-0) is led by quarterback J.W. Walsh, who is orally committed to Oklahoma State.

* Marcus (Flower Mound), No. 6 in the 5A state volleyball rankings, plays at No. 8 Hebron (Carrollton) on Friday in a showdown of District 8-5A’s two best teams.

NEWS AND VIEWS
Parish Episcopal (Dallas), a private school that features Arizona commitment Rob Hankins at linebacker, held Gateway Charter to 16 total yards in a 45-0 win last week. Gateway Charter's rushing total was a net loss of 93 yards. … Lakeview Centennial (Garland) shooting guard Toddrick Gotcher has orally committed to Texas Tech, according to TexasHoops.com. The 6-4 senior helped Lakeview advance to the 5A title game in March. … Plano East, which is hoping to grab a playoff spot in what is arguably the state's toughest football district (8-5A), continues to be plagued by injuries. Coach Johnny Ringo said that four players have been lost for the season to knee injuries and another is out for good with a shoulder injury. East has still managed a 2-2 start, but it lost its district opener Friday to Flower Mound Marcus.

Matt Wixon is the high school sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News. He can be reached at mwixon@dallasnews.com or on Twitter @mattwixon.