NH Bay County offensive player of the year: Andre Allen

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Andre Allen is a great running back. He will even tell you so. But he also knows how to back that up.

The Arnold senior eclipsed the 2000-yard rushing mark for the second straight season. He became the first and only player to accomplish that feat while producing just the third overall 2,000-yard season in Bay County history.

Allen had competition for the most successful offensive season in 2011. Bozeman quarterback Jacob Martinez rushed for more than 1,400 yards and passed for nearly 800 more. Mosley wingback Ryan Rogers surpassed 1,000 yards rushing as a sophomore, and Bay wideout Deonte Dunklin led the area with 759 yards on 31 receptions.

But it was Allen and his 2,012 yards and 25 touchdowns that stood above the rest to earn him The News Herald’s Bay County Offensive Player of the Year nod for the second straight season.

“It was a big accomplishment for me and I wanted to do well coming from Miami,” said Allen, who relocated back here after spending his freshmen and sophomore years in Dade County. “It was about hard work and dedication. I put my mind to it, to get yards and score, and accomplished it.”

While the 5-foot-9, 178-pounder benefited from a large and experienced offensive line as the Marlins forged an 8-2 record his junior season, Arnold often was reduced to a makeshift front due to injuries in 2011.

Allen still produced in the biggest games, including single-handedly leading the Marlins to a 41-20 upset over District 1-5A champion Pensacola West Florida Tech. Allen rushed for 327 yards and scored three third-quarter touchdowns to help erase a 17-7 halftime deficit.

Arnold went on to force a three-way tie for the district’s two playoff spots behind Allen’s 202-yard, four-TD performance in a rout of Bay. The Marlins fell short in the tiebreaker and finished the season 5-5, again missing the playoffs despite Allen’s contribution.

“It was very disappointing, all that work, all those plays put in by everyone, the players and the coaches,” Allen said. “To not make it was real heartbreaking.”

Arnold’s final game of the season came against Fort Walton Beach. Allen had 2,000 yards within reach, but the quest seemed more daunting as the game melted into the fourth quarter.

Allen needed to total 145 yards for 2,000. He made it with a few to spare after bolting 82 years on his next-to-last carry.

Allen now is focusing on National Signing Day. He said he has decommitted from a verbal promise with Mississippi and is seeking a new college destination. Allen said he’s had offers from FAU and Troy University, with the Trojans high on his list.

“I’m looking at smaller schools and most definitely Troy,” Allen said. “They said I could start as a freshman and that’s big. I have my first visit there Jan. 13 and I’m excited.”