There are enough similarities between the programs that John Allen had to admit it’s tough to contain his excitement over the possibilities.
Allen, who was named head football coach at Central High School on Friday, recognizes there are parallels between his new program and his first head coaching job at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, where he turned a downtrodden team into a perennial playoff contender.
“Both schools have very supportive communities, administration and plenty of athletes to work with,” Allen said. “That’s exciting, considering what we were able to build at LFO and the success we had there. I see this being the same scenario, where we can build this program into a winner.
“To have those type numbers, 60-70 kids out, and the fact that the coaches who were here last year had it going in the right direction all add up to an exciting time here.”
Allen takes over a Purple Pounders program that experienced a resurgence last season under first-year head coach Sam Montgomery. But after guiding Central to a 6-5 season, its first winning record in seven years, Montgomery resigned last month to spend more time with his three sons.