GAMES
RANKINGS
Four DFW area stars help lead Alabama to a National Title
Senior, OL - Chris Owens, Arlington Lamar
After redshirting his freshman year, Owens has made his impact felt on the offensive line. Owens found himself filling in at center for the Tide after All-American Landon Dickerson suffered a torn ACL against Florida in the SEC Championship game. Owens helped the Tide complete their season with a Championship title playing Monday night against Ohio State.
At Arlington Lamar, Owens was a four-star guard and rated as the No. 10 guard Nationally according to a 247Sports composite and the No. 2 Guard in Texas. Owens earned an All-State selection by the Texas Associated Press and chose Alabama over Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M.
Freshman, PK - Chase Allen, Colleyville Heritage
Allen joined Alabama as a walk-on addition this season. Allen has served the Crimson Tide by kicking off in various instances to include the starting kickoff duties in the first four games of the 2020 season, against LSU, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Auburn. Although Allen didn't play during the National Championship game, he totaled 2,029 yards on kickoffs for the Crimson Tide.
At Colleyville Heritage, Allen was ranked as the No. 1 kicker and punter in Texas 5A Division 1. He earned an All-District 4-5A Special Teams Player of the Year honor his senior season and recorded a touchback on 30 of his 46 kicks during his senior season. Allen chose Alabama over Ole Miss and Villanova.
Freshman, RB - Jase McClellan, Aledo
McClellan has shown his ability more than once on Alabama's offense and special teams. He got his first collegiate playing time against Missouri early in the season where he played on special teams before doing the same against Texas A&M in the Tide's home opener. McClellan even earned special teams player of the week recognition from the Alabama coaching staff against Mississippi State where he helped limit MSU to zero yards on punt returns. McClellan totaled 245 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and one receiving yard during the 2020-2021 season with Alabama. McClellan joined on special teams during the National Championship game.
At Aledo, McClellan was a highly sought-after recruit. As a four-star prospect, he was ranked as the No. 6 running back and the No. 6 player in the state of Texas according to a 247Sports composite. McClellan was selected to play in the Under Armor All-American Game and competed in Nike's "The Opening". McClellan helped lead Aledo to a State Title in the 2019-2020 season with a 45-42 win over Fort Bend Marshall. McClellan totaled over 6,800 yards and 842 carries with 125 touchdowns. He chose Alabama over Oklahoma after first pledging his loyalty to the Sooners two years prior to his Tide commitment.
Freshman, OL - Drew Sanders, Denton Ryan
Drew Sanders came out of Denton ready to show his strength to his SEC opponents. Sanders saw consistent play on special teams throughout the entire season as an outside linebacker. In his collegiate debut, Sanders recorded an unassisted tackle against Missouri early in the season. Sanders earned special teams player of the week from the Alabama coaching staff for his play against Tennessee and Arkansas. Sanders recorded four solo tackles and five assisted tackles prior to the National Championship game. Sanders saw playing time against Ohio State during the Championship showdown.
At Denton Ryan, Sanders made a name for himself and quickly became a five-star recruit. Rated as the No. 1 player in Texas according to a 247Sports composite, Sanders played on both ends of the ball where he completed over 10 passes and scored over 45 touchdowns in his career. Sanders was also named as a finalist for the 2019 Landry Player of the Year. Sanders chose Alabama over Oklahoma, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, and more.
TCAL Launches National Football Championship with Blockbuster Matchup
Birthed five years ago out of an idea for top tier competitive play, the Texas Christian Athletic League adds football to their unfolding national championship series. Washington's only national high school affiliated football team - HEIR Football Academy - made the 1,660 mile flight down to Dallas, TX to take on the challenge of what is now the growing legacy of Trinity Christian football in Cedar Hill.
The whispers began on extending this championship series with an addition of football last year. TCAL had great success in the basketball arena on the national level, having produced talent and inquisitions to take part in the series from programs across the country. After drafting plans with Coach Hart of Trinity Christian, Dr. Crain, of TCAL, began scoping the country for a worthy opponent, landing on talks and commitment from Andrew Schell of the national team affiliate of Life Christian Academy, HEIR Football Academy in Tacoma, Washington.
HEIR Football, composed of D1 athletes across the state of WA, also holds high talent within its coaching staff, that includes the architect of the program, former NFL Saints player Reggie Jones. Friday morning, HEIR Football boarded a plane to Dallas in hopes to test their odds with a challenger from the south. Trinity Christian is no stranger to NFL influence, with Coach Deion Sanders being paired with his son, Shedeur Sanders, a Senior at Trinity Christian. TCHS also has their own fair share of D1 talent, balancing out the scales of what would be a phenomenal showcase of future All-Americans and NFL players.
Both staffs emphasized the importance of this game, for the kids. In uncertain times, sports were on the brink of existence for a majority of the year. Graduating seniors on the high school level lost opportunities to earn scholarships or even attention from college recruiters with cancelled games and postponed seasons. Washington suspended play and practice completely, leaving a void in any film or spectatorship. This was an opportunity to give these young student athletes the eyes of collegiate programs they were in need of, while alleviating the side effects of a global pandemic.
Dr. Crain put it best when he described these series, the chance for independent schools across the nation to showcase their talents on a national level, attracting recruiting attention for the kids and making for a great game.
You can check out the replay of the broadcast HERE.
Check out the highlights from our broadcast with Mike Schell and Brenden Snow, as well as the halftime show with Dr. Crain. Also check out our postgame show with Coach Andre Hart and Player of the Game Shedeur Sanders: