Tony Allen Jr.
School: Armstrong
Year: Junior
GPA: 3.82
Athletic accomplishments: The 6-foot-2, 180-pound quarterback threw for more than 800 yards and had 10 total touchdowns in October. For the season, Allen had 1,489 yards passing and 22 TDs, and 327 yards rushing and four TDs. He helped Armstrong to a 4-7 season, its most wins since going 6-5 in 2014 and its second-most wins in 15 seasons. In the first round of the Class 3 playoffs, Armstrong tied Caroline late before falling 16-8 in overtime.
Academic accomplishments: Allen is taking honors and advanced classes and will take AP classes next. He attends Richmond Community and plays sports at Armstrong.
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Recruiting interest: South Carolina State, William & Mary, West Liberty (West Virginia) and Waynesburg (Pennsylvania).
Potential major in college: Allen is interested in a wide range: real estate, business, economics, sports management or possibly becoming a doctor.
Back in love with football: Allen suffered a broken tibia and fibula in seventh grade playing football. He was in physical therapy for almost a year and told himself he wouldn’t play football again. His parents got him back into it, and he made the varsity team last season as a sophomore, although he didn’t get a lot of playing time. He was slow, he said, so he ran indoor and outdoor track after the season to help get his speed back. He’s running track again this year. “The greatest decision I ever made in my life — running track,” Allen said.
On Armstrong’s season: “Every game we would score. We could move the ball. Last year [2-8] we couldn’t really do that as much. Overall it was a good season for a lot of people, not only myself but for the coaches and the players, the seniors. It kind of showed that Armstrong is not the same. There’s always been a word for Armstrong: ‘Oh, it’s just Armstrong. It’s just Armstrong, blah, blah, blah.’ Then we’d go in there and score and they’re like, ‘Dang.’ We could always compete.”
Other sports: Along with football, Allen played basketball and baseball growing up. “I will say overall football is definitely my better [sport]. It’s what I’m way better at compared to all the others. But I always played everything as a kid. … I was always busy.”
Describes himself as: “I’ve always been a leader. I don’t want to be like everybody else. I’m like a really nice, open person, someone you can talk to about anything and trust. If you ever need help with something, I’ll be willing to help you. … I’m a big empath. I care a lot about how other people feel. … The way someone else feels affects me more than how I feel. I do that with football as well, taking how other people feel and using that as motivation and to strive.”
Best sports memory: On his first touchdown in youth league, “I remember I was running down the sideline, and so was my dad. He was screaming. I saw it, but I was too busy running.”
Important piece of advice for a teammate: “It kind of depends on the teammate. But I will say the best advice I can give a player or a teammate … it takes time. Things take time and things happen when it’s meant to be. Like me last year. Going into football, I was expecting to be the star and be the starting QB. I got humbled last year, and I’m very glad it happened. … I kind of used that as motivation. Not necessarily to always look at things like, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ But ‘What can I learn from it? What can I do moving forward?’” Allen said that advice came from his parents.
Whom he admires: His mom and dad.
Other talents: Plays alto saxophone and tenor sax and taught himself to play the piano. He’s also an artist who does drawings. Allen said he suffered from asthma as a youngster and sometimes spent time in the hospital, so he started drawing there to have something to do. He did a portrait of himself as a seventh-grader that earned an honorable mention in a high school competition.
Favorite class: “It is definitely English because even though it can be hard, English can teach you a lot of things. … I read a lot of books last year that taught me a lot.”
Favorite food: “A bacon cheeseburger and some fries.”
Among his top hobbies: “I really enjoy working out a lot. It doesn’t make sense how much I enjoy working out.”