HP to Honor Allen, Host Colorado Power
Friday will be a special night for longtime Highland Park head coach Randy Allen, even more so if his team secures yet another home win.
A halftime ceremony during the nondistrict matchup with Colorado powerhouse Cherry Creek will formally christen Randy Allen Field, as the playing surface inside Highlander Stadium was renamed earlier this year.
Plus, if HP defeats the Bruins, Allen will reach 450 victories in his legendary career spanning 44 years — the past 26 of which have been with the Scots. Allen’s win total ranks second all-time among Texas high school football coaches behind the retired Phil Danaher (490).
Allen should reach 300 wins at HP before the end of the regular season, as long as the Scots (3-0) continue their early-season momentum.
The honor is richly deserved, of course for a coach that has won four state championships and is renowned for his leadership. He was named the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2017 and earlier this year was given the Tom Landry Award by the Texas High School Coaches Association.
His current HP squad put together its most complete game of the season during a 43-20 dismantling of rival Jesuit Dallas last week. Sophomore quarterback Buck Randall threw for 221 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for two of the Scots’ five scores on the ground.
The Scots surged to 278 rushing yards as a team — paced by 111 and a touchdown from Matthew White — while controlling the line of scrimmage. While HP scored on six consecutive possessions to take control, the defense led by linebackers Jack Morse and Anders Corn shut down the Rangers after an early scoring drive.
Looking to spoil the party is Cherry Creek, located in suburban Denver, which has been the most dominant program in Colorado for the past decade.
The Bruins (2-1) have won 13 championships in Colorado’s highest classification, five of which have come since 2014. Their streak of four consecutive crowns was snapped with a runner-up finish last season.
Cherry Creek’s multifaceted offensive attack is led by quarterback Brady Vodicka, receiver Jeremiah Hoffman, and running back Jayden Fox. Defensive standouts include safety Aiden Knapke plus linemen Tufanua Ionatana and Keegan Perea.
The Bruins, coached by former NFL receiver and current Denver Broncos radio broadcaster Dave Logan, are already familiar with long road trips. They opened the season with a 24-14 defeat at Lehi (Utah) Skyridge.
Their matchup with HP was a late addition to HP’s schedule after some shuffling to District 7-5A Div. I. Several weeks after UIL realignment in February, Lufkin was granted an appeal and moved out of the district, leaving just seven teams — all of which had a hole to fill in the schedule.
Options were extremely limited, forcing HP officials to look outside the state for a game, with HPISD helping to offset travel costs for the Bruins. The Scots will not make a return trip to Colorado in 2025, but rather will look to schedule a one-off home game against a different opponent.
The last time HP played an out-of-state foe was in 2015, when Pulaski Academy (Ark.) ended the Scots’ 84-game home winning streak. The current string stands at 29 straight home victories.
Also on Friday, Lance McIlhenny, star quarterback for HP in the late 1970s and SMU in the early 1980s, will be recognized at halftime as the latest inductee into the Highland Park Football Ring of Honor.
