By all accounts, 2012 was to be a rebuilding season for the
Allen Eagles football team.
With only two offensive and three defensive starters returning, there were holes to fill.
Tom Westerberg, Allen head coach
Photo by Neil Fonville
The graduation of quarterback Alec Morris (Alabama) and running back Jonathan Williams (Arkansas) meant Allen had to find a way to replace the loss of a 3,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher.
"This team really wasn't very good in the spring,'' said Allen coach Tom Westerberg.
But when fall came around, so did the Eagles. Against a Class 5A Division I playoff bracket loaded with landmines, it was Allen that ended up holding the state championship trophy.
For his masterful work in guiding Allen to its second state title in five years, Westerberg was selected as Dallas Area Coach of the Year presented by Comerica Bank.
"The thing about this group is they played as a team,'' said Westerberg, in his ninth season as Allen head man. "It was not a team of stars.''
The Eagles finished No. 5 in the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings.
Allen put a cap on its 15-1 season with a 35-21 victory over Lamar (Houston) in the state title game played Dec. 22 with 48,379 fans in attendance at Arlington's Cowboys Stadium.
Lamar was the third unbeaten team Allen faced in the playoffs.
"It wasn't our best game,'' Westerberg said afterward, "but Lamar had something to do with that.''
Allen defied logic by winning with a quarterback that was too young (15-year-old sophomore
Kyler Murray) and a running back that, on paper at least, was too small (5-8, 170-pound
Marcus Ward).
In the championship game, Murray was turnover free. He rushed for 143 yards and two scores and threw for 49 yards and another score. For the season, Murray, the son of former Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray, threw for 2,004 yards and rushed for 1,370 yards. He threw for 17 touchdowns and rushed for 25.
Ward's 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the clincher in the championship game. He rushed for 117 yards and two scores, giving him 1,537 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns for the season.
Allen's defense sacked Lamar quarterback Darrell Colbert four times for 55 yards in losses.
Westerberg (right) celebrates after the big semifinal
win against DeSoto.
Photo by Neil Fonville
All season, Allen's defense specialized in coming up with a key turnover. In the championship game, it was a hit by
Mayomi Olootu that caused a Lamar fumble.
Cameron Hartsfield picked up the loose ball and returned it 57 yards to the Lamar 7 to set up a touchdown.
In the previous week's state semifinal against DeSoto, linebacker
Tay Evans' 39-yard interception return of a screen pass was the defining play in a 51-36 Allen victory.
Comparisons can be drawn to this year's team and Allen's 2008 state champion. Each finished with a 15-1 record, the lone setback coming near midseason in a non-district game.
The Eagles jumped into the spotlight on opening night, blanking defending Class 5A Division I state champion Carroll (Southlake) 24-0 in
the debut of Allen's lavish $60 million Eagle Stadium.
Allen proved the opener was no fluke when it went on the road the following week to defeat eventual Class 5A Division II state finalist Cedar Hill, 37-20.
After losing at Coppell, 27-24, to fall to 4-1, Westerberg put quarterback duties in the hands of Murray full-time and returned
Oliver Pierce to his more familiar position of wide receiver. The Eagles didn't lose again.
Allen surged to the District 10-5A title with a 5-0 record that included only one close game, a 35-34 win over Plano in the regular season finale.
In the playoffs, Allen routed Richardson 63-14 in the bi-district round and followed it up with a 42-28 elimination of undefeated Mesquite in the second round.
Round Rock Westwood (Austin) was the next victim, 56-24, setting up a Region II final against Skyline (Dallas), a team that made it to the state semifinals the previous year. Allen prevailed, 37-17.
DeSoto was rated No. 1 in the nation going into the state semifinal. Allen jumped to a 21-0 lead on the way to a convincing victory.
Westerberg, a Texas A&M grad owns a 102-16 record at Allen. Seven of his nine seasons have produced at least 10 wins. With two state titles, the coach is now in the enviable position of being able to compare state championship teams.
"The 2008 team was the first one to get it done,'' said Westerberg, "but this year's team is special, too.''
