Sweat rolled down the face of Allen High football coach Mel Thomas as he emerged from his office in the J. Birney Crum Stadium fieldhouse on Wednesday.
It was far from the hottest day of the preseason practice period for the Canaries, but trying to rebuild a program that has been down for decades is hard work and Thomas is putting in the time and effort to try to lift Allen football to a level of respectability.
The Canaries were 1-9 in 2021, Thomas’ first season as head coach. They did score plenty of points, 183 of them, which was a lot more than the 33 registered in six games in 2020 when Allen went 0-6 against an all-Lehigh County schedule due to COVID-19.
But the struggles remained on defense where the Canaries allowed 43.2 points per game.
Thomas and his staff are more entrenched this year and the kids participating know better what to expect. His roster isn’t as large as most other programs in the EPC and there’s not a lot of experience either.
However, Thomas, who played Division I college football and had a taste of the NFL, isn’t making excuses.
“We’re practicing hard,” he said. “The team is still young. They’re still evolving, learning the culture. I’m looking forward to the kids being more disciplined this year and picking up the offense and defense better.”
Thomas said Allen has between 40 and 45 players for the varsity and JV teams combined. They’re still trying to put together a freshman team. Allen and Dieruff now have one combined middle school program.
“We just hope kids will continue to come out and enjoy the game of football,” Thomas said. “The kids are amazing. They understand the culture we need and want. We’re moving right along and I’m happy with the direction the program is going. I am happy with the support we get from the community. I wish we had more. In time, hopefully, it will come.”
Allen will rely heavily on Clarence Watkins, who ran for 953 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. In a loss to Pocono Mountain West last season, Watkins had one of the best nights in Canaries football history when he ran for 273 yards and three touchdowns.
He will be a key playmaker this season but will need help.
Thomas is looking for a boost from returning linemen Nasir Cuadrado and Deshawn Shaw and has seen a lot of improvement from senior two-way lineman Victor Mora. Austin Snyder, Odyssey Rivera and Jharon Johnson are other key experienced returnees.
Thomas is also encouraged by what he sees from wide receivers Lawson Vazquez and Zyier Palmer.
“I can’t wait to see those kids play,” Thomas said.
Overall, he said he sees a group of kids working hard and striving to get better. Perhaps the improvement shouldn’t be measured by the numbers on a scoreboard, but rather by how much the kids learn and grow from the experience of coming together as a team and trying to overcome obstacles.
Thomas said the goal is always to win games, but there are more important things.
“The vast majority of these kids aren’t going to play football at the next level,” he said. “We are happy that kids from last year’s team like Otha Smallwood is going to Keystone College and Stephen Guy is at Moravian. They’re great success stories.
“But not every kid gets an opportunity to play in college. So we are committed to making them a better version of themselves by way of school and instilling in them integrity and helping them become upstanding citizens in the community. That’s my overall goal. While they are here with me, I want to groom them to become better men.”
1. Key injury early. Declan Schleder was poised to have a big junior season at quarterback for the Canaries but suffered a significant arm injury on the first day of official practice on Monday. “The kid worked his butt off in the offseason and he got bigger, stronger, faster, and was more tenacious than ever before,” Thomas said. “He had the best camp of any player here. He was going to get reps at quarterback and linebacker. We don’t know if we’ll get him back and he may need surgery. We’re just praying for him that he’ll be OK.”
2. Tough opener. In recent seasons, Allen has had tough opening-night assignments. Last year, for example, the Week 1 opponent was Freedom. This year, the EPC decided to eliminate most cross-division games in the first week. Still, the Canaries don’t get a break as they’ll face defending District 11 5A champ East Stroudsburg South. The Cavaliers beat the Canaries 47-12 last season. “We’re not going to sugarcoat it,” Thomas said. “That’s a tough opener and we have a tough schedule. But we’re not shying away from it. We’re going to do the best we can to prepare for these teams and put our best foot forward.”
Allen’s scrimmage is against Saucon Valley on Saturday and Thomas would like to see fans come out and support the team in that one.
3. A task for Trask. Nick Trask, a former lineman who played for Parkland and Bethlehem Catholic in the 2000s and later at Juniata College, has joined the Allen staff. He will work with the JV team and help out on the offensive and defensive lines. “He’s a great addition to the staff,” Thomas said.
All games are 7 p.m. starts except where noted.
Scrimmage
Saturday: Saucon Valley, 10 a.m.
Regular season
Aug. 26: at East Stroudsburg South
Sept. 2: at Pleasant Valley
Sept. 9: Pocono Mountain East
Sept. 16: at Northampton
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Sept. 23: Easton
Sept. 30: Freedom
Oct. 7: at Pocono Mountain West
Oct. 14: Stroudsburg
Oct. 21: at East Stroudsburg North
Oct. 29: Dieruff, 1:30 p.m.
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