Hogan's Allen leaves for college after stellar career on the mat
By John Swartz/Times-Herald sports writer
Posted: 07/04/2009 01:00:20 AM PDT
Terry Allen's wrestling career at Hogan High went just about as planned. The now-graduated grappler put himself in the position to win many times, and more often than not he pulled it off.
Allen leaves Hogan with enough medals for both his mom and dad to fill an entire wall. He could pull down enough to cover his entire chest with accomplishments, and that would be only half of what he's earned over his prep wrestling career.
He's enjoyed success at the highest level, culminating his career by placing third at the CIF state tournament. It was a proper way to cap off a senior year, especially considering that his final prep season began with a little bit of a dilemma.
"From the beginning, I was pretty nervous," Allen said. "I was debating on whether to stay at 112 or go up to 119. I decided, for the benefit of my team, that I was going to go to 119."
It was the decision of choosing the higher weight class, actually, that probably paid off more than Allen could know.
The senior spent less time worrying about controlling his weight and cutting and more time concentrating on wrestling.
"At 112, you had to watch your weight every moment," Allen said. "When you have to keep losing weight, you also lose your energy. This year, I was OK with going up to 119."
Also not having to worry about packing on too many pounds enabled Allen to spend more time in the weight room.
"Practicing, working hard and going to the gym just made me 119 naturally,"
Allen said. "I was able to train and lift weights, so I guess it was the perfect weight. I even went up to 125 for a couple of matches, and I won those matches."
Allen carried an unbeaten streak throughout the season and into the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters tournament, where he lost in the final. The defeat, however, didn't damage Allen's attitude about his ability to win.
"I had the confidence that every time I was on the mat, I would win," Allen said. "I wasn't cocky, but I had confidence."
In fact, the Masters loss motivated Allen all the more, and he went into the state tournament with a renewed vigor for victory. Also being Allen's second trip to the state meet helped him to a third-place finish.
"With this being my second experience, I felt comfortable and I knew what to expect," Allen said. "To this day, I'm still shocked that I placed third. I remember watching from the stands and watching the placers. It was like a dream come true."
Allen closed his high school career with a victory in the third place match, but he's not done yet with the mat. Planning to attend Cal after leaving Hogan with a 4.25 weighted GPA, Allen doesn't have a varsity wrestling program waiting for him. Instead, he'll join the club team and lead the charge to possibly transform the program into a varsity-level sport at the university.
At a banquet for select incoming freshmen, Allen said he basically got the "go for it" from Berkeley's chancellor.
"I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I'm going to do my best," Allen said. "I can't just stop wrestling. Even now, I miss it. It was in March, and certain people who have gotten accepted got invited to a dinner. (The chancellor) spoke and gave us awards. He said he was impressed with my application ... with my academics and wrestling. I guess I stood out of all the other applications. That was a great moment."
But even if varsity college wrestling isn't in the cards for Allen, the club team at Berkeley will still offer him the shot at wrestling against some of the best.
"There are still opportunities to compete in individual tournaments against Division I and Division II wrestlers," Allen said. "So, I could go to those tournaments and actually beat some of the (nation's) top competitors."
Contact John Swartz at [email protected] or (707) 553-6822.
Posted: 07/04/2009 01:00:20 AM PDT
Terry Allen's wrestling career at Hogan High went just about as planned. The now-graduated grappler put himself in the position to win many times, and more often than not he pulled it off.
Allen leaves Hogan with enough medals for both his mom and dad to fill an entire wall. He could pull down enough to cover his entire chest with accomplishments, and that would be only half of what he's earned over his prep wrestling career.
He's enjoyed success at the highest level, culminating his career by placing third at the CIF state tournament. It was a proper way to cap off a senior year, especially considering that his final prep season began with a little bit of a dilemma.
"From the beginning, I was pretty nervous," Allen said. "I was debating on whether to stay at 112 or go up to 119. I decided, for the benefit of my team, that I was going to go to 119."
It was the decision of choosing the higher weight class, actually, that probably paid off more than Allen could know.
The senior spent less time worrying about controlling his weight and cutting and more time concentrating on wrestling.
"At 112, you had to watch your weight every moment," Allen said. "When you have to keep losing weight, you also lose your energy. This year, I was OK with going up to 119."
Also not having to worry about packing on too many pounds enabled Allen to spend more time in the weight room.
"Practicing, working hard and going to the gym just made me 119 naturally,"
Allen said. "I was able to train and lift weights, so I guess it was the perfect weight. I even went up to 125 for a couple of matches, and I won those matches."
Allen carried an unbeaten streak throughout the season and into the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters tournament, where he lost in the final. The defeat, however, didn't damage Allen's attitude about his ability to win.
"I had the confidence that every time I was on the mat, I would win," Allen said. "I wasn't cocky, but I had confidence."
In fact, the Masters loss motivated Allen all the more, and he went into the state tournament with a renewed vigor for victory. Also being Allen's second trip to the state meet helped him to a third-place finish.
"With this being my second experience, I felt comfortable and I knew what to expect," Allen said. "To this day, I'm still shocked that I placed third. I remember watching from the stands and watching the placers. It was like a dream come true."
Allen closed his high school career with a victory in the third place match, but he's not done yet with the mat. Planning to attend Cal after leaving Hogan with a 4.25 weighted GPA, Allen doesn't have a varsity wrestling program waiting for him. Instead, he'll join the club team and lead the charge to possibly transform the program into a varsity-level sport at the university.
At a banquet for select incoming freshmen, Allen said he basically got the "go for it" from Berkeley's chancellor.
"I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I'm going to do my best," Allen said. "I can't just stop wrestling. Even now, I miss it. It was in March, and certain people who have gotten accepted got invited to a dinner. (The chancellor) spoke and gave us awards. He said he was impressed with my application ... with my academics and wrestling. I guess I stood out of all the other applications. That was a great moment."
But even if varsity college wrestling isn't in the cards for Allen, the club team at Berkeley will still offer him the shot at wrestling against some of the best.
"There are still opportunities to compete in individual tournaments against Division I and Division II wrestlers," Allen said. "So, I could go to those tournaments and actually beat some of the (nation's) top competitors."
Contact John Swartz at [email protected] or (707) 553-6822.
