Published: November 04, 2009 10:28 pm      

The runner

Allen is Player of the Week

PRINCETON — Earlier this season, the offensive line of the Princeton Tigers earned one of the area's top individual awards. A few weeks later and the primary beneficiary of that work has also been honored.

Princeton junior Tevin Allen has been selected as the Pocahontas Coal Association / Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week.

“I feel relieved knowing that I finally won one,” Allen said. “It’s been one of my goals since I first started knowing about the award, but I feel relieved now.”

Allen has been instrumental in Princeton's five-game win streak, including 241 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns in last Friday's 19-0 shutout of Mountain State Athletic Conference foe Huntington.

“I’m real happy for him because he would like to go to college after next year and play,” Princeton coach Ted Spadaro said. “He’s trying to do the best he can to make our team a winner and go from there.”

Allen, who had 197 yards at halftime, is also a safety, the last line of defense for a unit that has recorded two straight shutouts and allowed just 27 points in their last five games.

“The first key has been the line, they have stepped it up major and everything has been rolling for us,” said Allen, who scored a pair of first half touchdowns against the Highlanders from 46 and 3 yards. “We’ve been playing as a team, our defense is pretty solid, and we’re just playing.”

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Allen set two goals before the season began. With 1,309 yards in nine games, one is done. The other could happen on Friday when the Tigers conclude the regular season against Woodrow Wilson.

‘I wanted to rush for over 1,000 and I’ve accomplished that goal,” Allen said. “I wanted a winning season too.”

Starting the season with an 0-4 mark, Princeton (5-4) has roared back with five straight wins, and could earn a playoff spot with a win over the Flying Eagles and a little bit of help from other clubs above them.

“These playoffs are coming up and this game Friday is critical,” Allen said. “We’re going to go out there and play for these seniors, it could be their last game that they ever play so we’re just going to have to go out there and do it for the seniors.”

While Allen is averaging 145.4 yards per game, he’s done most of that with a case of turf toe. It might not sound that bad, but to hear Spadaro describe it, there is little doubt it’s painful.

“The turf toe is where he had the front end of that toe jammed back into the joint,” Spadaro said. “He’s not one to complain, he’ll play with injuries and he’ll do what he has to do to win that game.”

The injury hasn’t stopped Allen from playing, and producing every time he takes the field on both sides of the ball.

“It’s been bothering me for a while. During practice one day I tweaked it up a little bit and it gave me a lot of pain,” Allen said. “I went to a little bit of therapy and got it worked on. I was able to play, but just a couple of tackles here and there if I hit it wrong and it hurts.

“It’s fine now, it seems like I’m getting back to where I was early in the season as far as speed. I believe I had turf toe in one of the (early) games, but it didn’t really bother me until one day at practice.”

Despite that injury, all Allen has done is reach the century mark in the last eight games, including 841 yards in the current win streak. His previous high prior to last Friday was 182 against Nitro.

Allen is quick to credit his efforts to an offensive line, which has apparently been spurred on by the player of the week award that unit won after the season’s first win over Graham.

“They’ve been doing a great job, they’ve changed everything around, they’ve been doing what they’re supposed to do, reading their adjustments and just working on it,” Allen said. “I believe after they got their player of the week as a team, it changed their whole momentum around and they call themselves warriors now so they’ve been getting the job done.”

Spadaro said having a talent with the playmaking ability of Allen in the backfield also makes the job of a lineman a little easier.

“When you have the type of athlete like Tevin on both sides of the ball, that inspires the other kids because they know in their hearts that it’s only going to take one big play and he’s in that end zone,” Spadaro said. “That’s why we impress to our linemen, lock on, stay on until you hear that whistle blow because at any time he’s a threat to break it and that’s what we believe and that’s what we work on.

“They believe in him and he believes in them and that’s the most important thing is that chemistry we have.”

Up next for the Tigers is rival Woodrow Wilson. The Flying Eagles are just 2-6, while Princeton must win to have any hope at a postseason berth. Allen would love to have one of those early games back which included losses by 3 and 10 points.

“I’d say they’ll be down here fired up and ready to end our playoff hopes,” Allen said. “I believe if we had won a few of those (early), we would be in the playoffs now and not really worrying about playoffs or a playoff spot.

“Everybody is focused about this game now. That’s all you hear is Woodrow, we’ve just got to be ready to play.”



Honorable Mention

Big Creek: Joel Thomas, 15-109, 1 td rush (5), ran for three 2-point conversions; Cody Underwood, 1 td rushing, 1 td passing; John Bailey, 10-65 rushing.

Bluefield: Jake Lilly, 141 yards rushing, 2 td; Brad Fox, 106 yards rushing, 2 td.

Giles: Justin Gautier, 15-101, 2 td rushing; Travis Robertson, 78 yards rushing, 1 td; Andrew Eppling, 15-77, 2 td rushing; Zach Keaton, field goal (34), 5 extra points.

Graham: Torren Byrd, 8-135, 3 td receiving; David Marrs, 13-21, 186 yards, 3 td passing, 15-54 1 td rushing; Tanner Howell, 12-92 rushing, 2-23 receiving; Zack Mickel, 12-64 rushing.

Grundy: Cody Justus, 162 all-purpose yards, 1 td receiving, 1 td interception return; Jon Kelly, 1 td passing, 1 td rushing, 1 interception.

Haysi: Chris Fleming, 10-12, 345 yards, 5 td passing, 1 td rushing; Hobert Newberry, 3 td receptions; Dakota Stanley, 2 td receptions.

James Monroe: Jackson Mohler, 12-57 rushing, 1 td.

Iaeger: Bradley Kelly, 12-66 rushing; Landon Hurley, 48 yards rushing.

Montcalm: Jabe Meadows, 2 td passing, 1 td run; Jacob Shrewsbury, 1 td rushing, 1 td receiving.

PikeView: David Keen, 12 tackles (7 for loss), 4 sacks, 4 pass breakups, blocked punt, safety / 1 rushing td; Ben Nester, 57 yards, 2 td passing; Corey Clark, 1 td reception, 1 td fumble recovery in end zone; Joel Calfee, 1 td reception, 1 interception.

Princeton: Defense, 2nd straight shutout, allowed 27 points in last five games; Travis Tabor, 2 field goals (26, 22).

Richlands: Devon Johnson, 17-123, 1 td rushing; Cody Johnson, 68 yards passing, 58 yards, 1 td rushing; Cody Thomas, 10 tackles, 2 assists; Will Lowe, 7 tackles, 3 assist; Nick Wolfe, 7 tackles, 2 assists; Jack Vance, 5 tackles, 2 assists, 1 interception.

Tazewell: Aaron McReynolds, 10-58, 2 td rush; Mikal Moore, 11-89 rushing; Lathel Mountain, 10-68 rushing.