Randy MitchellAt The Conclusion Of The Allen Mustangs’ 2020 Varsity Football Season, Assistant Coach Zach Sullivan Spoke Of The Adversity Faced By The Players During The Year.“our Kids Overcame A Lot Of Adversity This Season, We’re Very Proud Of

At the conclusion of the Allen Mustangs’ 2020 varsity football season, Assistant Coach Zach Sullivan spoke of the adversity faced by the players during the year.

“Our kids overcame a lot of adversity this season, we’re very proud of their effort and the strides they’ve made from last season to now,” Sullivan said. “We’re thankful for our seniors. They led by example and laid a good foundation for our young guys to follow.”

And that adversity came in the form of injuries and Covid-19 quarantine protocols, both of which also led to the Mustangs having three different players at the quarterback position.

Starting freshman quarterback Garrett Nix suffered a season-ending injury in week five. Nix was replaced by freshman Brayden Tatum who was later replaced by senior Chad Milne because of Covid-19 quarantine.

As the playoffs were approaching, on November 6 ^th , just before playing local and District A-7 rival Konawa, the Mustangs learned that nine of their players — including a number of starters — were facing quarantine after possible exposure to COVID-19.

Those nine players were eliminated from playing that night after contact tracing determined they were around another student who tested positive for the virus. Milne, who normally plays wide receiver on offense, took the reigns at QB that night for the first time.

However, there were a few bright spots during this, the 100 ^th season of Allen Mustangs football.

For one, the Mustangs (6-6 overall and 3-7 in district play) made the playoffs and won in the first round after a disappointing, injury plagued 2019 season where they went 3-7 overall last year, and 1-6 in district play.

Another bright spot was Allen junior Shawn Husband breaking several records. On October 30 ^th , against the Savannah Bulldogs, Husband broke two records — total yards and number of carries — when he rushed for 310 yards on 37 carries.

The previous rushing yardage 11-man school record was held by Allen standout Bryan Rockey, who turned in a 305-yard performance in 1991 against Weleetka.

Then two weeks later, against Porter in the first round of the playoffs, Husband smoked his new carries record by rushing the ball for an astounding 48 times, gaining 292 yards in the process.

The Homecoming game in week three proved to be a special night as Allen High School football alumni of all ages were in attendance. The Mustangs cruised to a 36-0 victory over Canadian before a packed house.

“I’ve never seen so many people at an Allen game,” Sullivan said.

Rushing proved to be the more potent attack in 2020 for the Mustangs who amassed 2,852 rushing yards for 31 touchdowns versus 753 passing for five touchdowns.

The Mustangs will lose 10 players to graduation. Seniors leaving will be Chad Milne, Clayton Shackelford, Trent Fronterhouse, Caden Howard, Rodey Arnold, Brayden Griffith, Josh Slater, Jose Garcia, Kylan Sanders and Gage Husband.

2020 Statistics

Offense

Passing

Garrett Nix played completed 28 of 44 passes for 347 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions for a QB rating of 67.1; Brayden Tatum completed 18 of 37 passes for 204 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions for a QB rating of 35; and Chad Milne completed 21 of 34 passes for 202 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for a QB rating of 83.2.

Receiving

Sophomore Quinton Walker led the Mustangs in receiving yards with 214 on 16 receptions, while Chad Milne was close behind with 202 yards on 15 receptions. Emmett Koonce caught eight passes for 96 yards; Shawn Husband caught seven passes for 63 yards; Coyt Bell had 61 yards on six receptions; Brayden Tatum caught seven passes for 58 yards; Quinn Corum had 41 yards on five receptions; Tagus Howard caught one pass for six yards; and Davyn Wilson caught one pass for three yards.

Rushing

Allen junior Shawn Husband led the team in rushing with 1,355 yards on 203 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per carry, while Brayden Tatum carried the ball 14 times for 879 yards for an average of 6.1 yards per carry.

Garrett Nix carried the ball 72 times for 405 yards for an average of 5.6 yards per carry; Chad Milne gained 160 yards on 38 rushes for an average of 4.2 yards per carry; Emmett Koonce rushed seven times for 34 yards for an average of 4.9 yards per carry; Brayden Griffith rushed nine times for 15 yards for an average of 1.7 yards per carry; and Quinton Walker rushed once for four yards with an average of four yards.

Defense

Tackles

Tagus Howard led the team in solo tackles with 68, along with 56 assisted tackles, while Caden Howard led the team in assisted tackles with 61, along with 62 solo tackles, both playing 12 games each.

Other players with solo and assisted tackles -- along with games played -- were Gage Husband, 36-42 (11GP); Quinton Walker, 27-19 (12GP); Coyt Bell, 23-12 (11GP); Brayden Griffith, 18-19 (10GP); Chad Milne, 17-7 (9GP); Rodey Arnold, 15- 39 (12GP); Davyn Wilson, 15-24 (9GP); Shawn Husband, 13-19 (10GP); Brayden Tatum, 10-13 (8GP); Jake Hisaw, 8-19 (10GP); Quinn Corum, 7-9 (7GP); Garrett Nix, 7-8 (5GP); Brody Wallis, 6-21 (9GP); Clayton Shackelford, 5-19 (10GP); Emmett Koonce, 5-7 (10GP); Ethan Roniss, 5-4 (6GP); Zak Matskvich, 2-4 (3GP); Kylan Sanders, 2-3 (4GP); Will Kaminski, 2-2 (4GP); Josh Slater, 2-1 (3GP); Lance Johnson, 2-1 (2GP); Riley Tomb, 0-1 (1GP); and Kevin Dorward, 0-1 (1GP).

Standout Plays

Sacks

Tagus Howard led the team by far in quarterback sacks with eight, followed by Davyn Wilson with four.

Other with QB sacks were Gage Husband, 2.5; Rodey Arnold, 2.5; Shawn Husband, 2; Jake Hisaw, 2; Clayton Shackelford, 2; Brayden Griffith, 1; Joshua Slater, 1; and Caden Howard, 1.

Interceptions

Brayden Tatum made two interceptions while Chad Milne and Caden Howard made one each.

Forced Fumbles

Quinton Walker, Gage Husband, Caden Howard and Tagus Howard each forced three fumbles, while Garrett Nix, Coyt Bell, Shawn Husband, Davyn Wilson and Jake Hisaw each forced one fumble.

Fumble Recoveries

Quinton Walker and Gage Husband each recovered two fumbles, while Shawn Husband, Caden Howard, Tagus Howard, Rodey Arnold and Jake Hisaw each recovered one fumble.

Blocks

Brayden Tatum blocked a field goal and Garrett Nix blocked a punt.