Football: Allman picked to coach in THSCA All-Star Game

Permian High School head football coach Darren Allman has been named to coach the North team in this summer’s Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Football Game.

The 74th annual all-star contest is scheduled for July 29 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Don Byrd of San Antonio Alamo Heights will coach the South team.

Allman said his selection is ultimately a reflection on the entire Permian coaching staff, which will join him in coaching the game.

“It’s real exciting for me, personally, and even more exciting for our staff to be able to go do that,” he said. “There’s a lot of good coaches that have coached for a long time — and assistant coaches, too — that have never had an opportunity to go do this. We feel blessed.

“It’s always a special honor for the person nominated to coach in this game because you’re voted on by fellow coaches across the state. We’re honored and glad that we can bring some recognition to our football program again.”

In three seasons at Permian, Allman has guided the Panthers to a 26-10 record and two playoff appearances.

The Panthers’ 2006 team ended a seven-year playoff drought, while the 2007 team claimed the program’s first outright district championship since 1994. Both seasons saw Permian reach the third round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs before losing to the eventual state champions (Southlake Carroll in 2006, Euless Trinity in 2007).

Allman is the fourth Permian coach selected for the THSCA game. Gene Mayfield (1967), John Wilkins (1981) and Gary Gaines (1988) also coached North teams during their tenures with the Panthers.

Allman has previous experience with the all-star process, serving on the selection committee for the 2006 THSCA game. He also coached the South team in last year’s ASCO West Texas Football Classic in Lubbock, a game that features players from the Midland-Odessa, Amarillo and Lubbock areas.

“Those two experiences will certainly help us understand how it all works,” Allman said. “When I was on the selection committee, it was a much different (non-coaching) role, although we were involved a lot with the team. This will be a lot more fun because we’re going to get to coach. Everybody on our staff’s going to have the ability to coach some great players selected from all over the state.

“I’m glad we got to coach in the other all-star game last year to give us as a staff the experience of trying to put together a team in a short amount of time. That experience, hopefully, will help us.”

All-star football and basketball games are held in conjunction with the THSCA’s annual coaching school, scheduled for July 27-30 at San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center.

The 62nd annual basketball all-star game will be played July 28 at St. Mary’s University’s Bill Greehey Arena. James Mayes II of Dallas South Oak Cliff will coach the North and Pflugerville’s Mike Murphy will coach the South.