ROCKINGHAM - Nolan Allen, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School soccer team, has been named the fifth Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week for the 2018 fall sports season.
As the Raider soccer team continues its late-season push toward returning to the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs, Richmond is on a current four-game winning streak, and Allen has been a big part of the team’s success. Allen’s role as an outside back is complemented by his ability to score from the outside, and he’s also one of head coach Chris Larsen’s senior leaders. This is Allen’s first career selection.
Athletic Profile
Age: 18
Birthday: Dec. 13, 1999
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Soccer
Position: Right Outside Back
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5-10, 145 pounds
Experience: 14 years
“KICKING IT AROUND” WITH NOLAN ALLEN
RSHS Academics: Unbeknownst to most people, Allen is enrolled in Richmond’s chorus cluster, as he’s been involved with singing at school since seventh grade at Rockingham Middle School. He’s been in Richmond’s chorus all four years he’s attended, and sings bass for chorus director Erin McNair. Allen is an A/B Honor Roll student, and carries a 3.5 GPA.
As he’s nearly a quarter of the way through his senior year as a Raider, Allen is taking a mixture of classes at the high school and Richmond Community College. He’s currently in English 111 at RichmondCC, and is taking General Psychology and Introduction to Criminal Justice online. On RSHS’ campus, he’s enrolled in Ms. Katie O’Neal’s English IV Honors class, as well as Ms. Kim Floyd’s Pre-Calculus Honors class.
“Mrs. O’Neal’s class is my favorite,” Allen explained. “She’s a really cool teacher and she teaches me about literature and how to write properly. And I like taking my RCC classes because they help get me ready for college and to the next level.”
Clubs/Volunteering: One organization that Allen is a proud member of at Richmond is the “Bleacher Creatures,” which is the student cheer section. Allen noted he enjoys “how we get the whole football stadium hyped.” He also explained that the group is mostly comprised of RSHS baseball players and it’s a way “to give back to the community for all the support they give us.”
Allen has also worked at Food Lion in Hamlet for three years, and says he enjoys volunteering with Rockingham Parks and Rec.
RSHS Sports: Over the last three years, Allen has been a two-sport athlete at Richmond, and is looking to add a third sport this winter. Aside from soccer, Allen has been a member of Ricky Young’s baseball program as an outfielder, playing junior varsity his freshman and sophomore years, before getting bumped up to varsity this past spring. He swung a hot bat during the Raiders’ 12-game winning streak in 2018, and had a solid summer ball season.
The new sport he’d like to participate in this winter is swimming, as the Raider swim program gears up for its second season in the pool. Allen explained, “everybody says I’m fast and I’m going to see if I can do it in the water. I think it will make me better at soccer and baseball, too.”
College Aspirations: Allen is currently undergoing the application process for applying to colleges, and luckily for him, he’s received some interest from multiple schools about playing soccer. According to Allen, he’s received interest from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass., and noted that head coach Jacob Pesarcik has told him a scholarship is a real possibility once he gets accepted to the school, which he’s finishing up this week.
Another school that Allen may attend to play collegiate soccer is the University of Mount Olive. Allen explained that his No. 1 choice would be to go to Mount Olive because “it’s close to home, it has great academics and a really good soccer program.” If he doesn’t get that opportunity, he’s also considering Western Carolina University, where he wouldn’t play soccer. Wherever he decides to go, Allen would like to study criminology.
Nolan Allen dribbles the ball during a game earlier this season.
Athlete of the Week Stats: During the current four-game winning streak, the Raiders have outscored their opponents 18-2, with the biggest win being a 9-0 shutout against Seventy-First High School last Monday. While Allen only accounted for one of those goals, he has been a solid worker in the defensive line alongside fellow senior Evan Hudson and junior Drew Davis.
Playing outside back limits his scoring opportunities compared to a midfielder or a forward, but Allen has used his speed and strength to set up runs into the opponents’ territory with consistency this fall. Earlier this year at home against Purnell Swett, Allen scored his only other goal, a game-winner.
RAPID FIRE – FAST RESPONSES
1) What’s been your favorite part of your senior season so far and playing for Coach Larsen?
“The best part has been getting to know Larsen as a head coach and play beside Jackson Haley and Evan Hudson. My favorite moment this season in a game is when I tackled Luke Hawks when he scored his first against Lee County.”
2) If you or your friends would describe you in one word, what would it be and why?
“Goofy,” Allen laughed. “That’s a good word because I’m so energetic and mess around a lot. And everybody knows I like to have a good time with everything.”
3) Who is someone who has impacted your life positively such as a mentor, teacher or coach?
“I’ve got a couple of people,” Allen started. “For one, my dad, Robbie Allen -- he has never given up on me when times have gotten tough. And I’d have to say Coach Larsen and Coach Young because they give me the confidence to do my very best.”
4) Do you have a nickname that people call you? If so, what is it and how’d you get it?
“A lot of my friends call me ‘Outlaw’,” Allen explained. “I got it from this guy on Youtube that is always energetic and outgoing, which people say I’m like. I love the nickname.”
5) Name an interesting fact about yourself that many people may not know about you.
“I truly like watching documentaries about serial killers,” Allen said. “I like to try to find out why they did what they did and what made them that way. That’s part of why I want to study criminology.”
Coach’s Corner: Larsen has been with Allen for the senior’s entire four seasons with the Richmond program, coaching him as a freshman on the junior varsity squad, and serving as an assistant on the varsity team during his sophomore and junior campaigns. As this is Larsen’s first year guiding the older players, he chose Allen as his Athlete of the Week for his intensity on the field and his positive attitude.
“The first thing comes to mind when I think about Nolan is since we’ve been playing up to our potential, he’s been a big part of that,” Larsen said. “He scored a really nice hustle goal against Seventy-First, but he’s seen his scoring opportunities be limited because he’s played as an outside back. But I told him he’d still get his chances, and he’s started to make those runs to the back of the net.
“He’s lights a fire under the guys and picks them up and encourages them,” Larsen concluded. “He hustles and gets the guys going when we need it. He’s passionate about what he does -- and it’s clear he loves playing baseball and soccer. I can see that in practice everyday. Nolan has a good heart and has a way of making people feel good.”
