By Michael Moroney ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Brophy wide receiver Devon Allen ’13 was last year’s leading receiver and he returns for the 2011 season regarded as one of the best in the state.
AZCentral.com ranks Allen as the No. 4 receiver in Arizona and Scout.com ranks him at No. 7. Both websites have him ranked as the best junior receiver.
“I try not to pay attention to those kinds of things. I didn’t even know about it until my teammate told me they saw me on the Internet as a ranked receiver,” said Allen.
Allen comes off a season in which he had 60 catches for 915 yards along with 6 touchdowns, all of which led the team. Despite the successful 2010 season, Allen remains humble.
“I don’t really care about the statistics, as long as the team wins games it doesn’t matter if I am catching touchdowns or passing out water to teammates,” Allen said.
Allen will be a large part of Brophy’s passing attack for next season, alongside last year’s second leading receiver, Fred Gammage ’12.
“Me and Fred definitely feed off each other’s success, each time we make a good play we get excited and that transfers to the whole team,” Allen said.
Gammage finished the season at quarterback after starter Tyler Bruggman ’13 suffered a broken leg midway through the year. This year, the Broncos will be back in full force with Bruggman returning to pass to Allen and Gammage.
In last year’s first round playoff game against Mountain Ridge on Nov. 12, Allen showed he was a big game threat by racking up 157 yards off of 13 catches.
His third quarter touchdown reception gave Brophy the lead and helped them advance to the second round.
At 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, Allen’s size is nothing special, but his speed is what sets him apart from everybody else.
“Devon’s speed gives him the ability to get open easily on deep routes,” said Alex Rosner ’13, Brophy’s center. “He can pass the defensive backs on every play.”
His track experience represents his sprinting ability, especially after leading the Brophy track team to a state championship this past season from placing second in the 110-meter hurdles and the 200-meter sprint.