In May of 2018, Dax Allen joined his good friends Juan Villareal, Jayton Smith and Jake Merrell in establishing a state record in the mile relay representing his hometown of Valley.
That gold medal and record capped an incredible high school career for the undersized speedster who was an All-State player in football and basketball as well. Fast forward seven short years and Allen returns to his hometown hoping to establish the culture he was raised in that made the Patriots one of the standards of success in Six-Man football.
When Crockett Gillmore left after a year on the job the door was left wide open for the former standout to return home. In June, Valley made the news official that the hometown star would indeed be coming back home.
“This has always been something that I’ve planned on in the back of my head,” Allen said. “I didn’t know how quickly that would be, but this opportunity opened up sooner than I expected and my wife are super happy to be back”.
Coaching wasn’t his first choice as he entered college. After spending a year at Wayland Baptist and seeing some time as a Pioneer on the basketball court, Allen transferred to Texas Tech to pursue a physical therapist degree. However, his training in PT kept reflecting back to coaching.
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“I feel like I have a calling to mentor kids,” Allen said. “What stuck in my mind was people saying that kids are changing. I take that as people taking a back seat and no wants to do anything about it. Kids are what you make them, and I want to do things the right way and instill that in the kids.”
What the first-year head coach also wants to do is build back what many call the “Patriot Way”. Growing up watching and observing what former head coach Brett Tyler started motivates Allen. I got to watch him, and I have a lot of respect for him and he’s someone I model some of the things I do after.
You can’t blame Allen for wanting to establish the same success the Patriots had under Tyler’s helm. Over 15 years he posted a 148-43 record including six state semifinal appearances. Allen knows that building the Patriot way won’t be easy.
“I encourage our kids to make their own mark,” Allen said. “I’ve told them I would never ask them to do something I wouldn’t do. I expect out of the kids what I give to them which is my full effort. I was never the biggest kid in school, but I try to preach to our kids that there’s nothing different between them and kids in another town. If you believe in yourself and put in the hard work and practice then that translates into confidence and being prepared in competition.”
Those aren’t hollow words from Allen. He credits his success in high school to the great relationships he had amongst his teammates.
“We pushed each other and that translated to success,” Allen said. “That’s a success I want to model”.
Going back home to manage the sidelines under the Friday night lights could be a daunting task for some but Allen takes it as a challenge.
“It’s good pressure to have because you want a good product out there,” Allen said. “When you have personal relationships with the community the pressure can be there but I’m a competitor and look forward to it. It’s a unique environment in Valley because you grow up in the same building from when you start kindergarten till you walk across the stage as a senior.
It’s all one hallway and that allows the smaller kids to have a personal relationship with those in high school. I saw the right way to do things, and I want to ensure our kids model that as well. That close-knit connection has even been brought up as pictures have floated around of the new head coach as a senior posing with grade school kids when he was a senior. I tried to carry myself with respect and integrity when I was in school and I think that’s carried over to how they see me now that I’m back”.
The Patriots have 13 players out for the season and Allen is looking forward to guiding his players despite his young age. Things haven’t changed much for the school district that sits between Turkey and Quitaque on Highway 86. These kids work all day during the summer then show up in the evening to get their workouts in. They come from blue-collar workers at home and that mentality translates to the field.
That grit and heart perfectly defines who Allen was as a Valley Patriot and it’s that moniker that he hopes leads his teams in the future to success. Reclaiming that “Patriot Way” is what the hometown hero returning to his old stomping grounds wants to instill in his team. As he has seen and done in the past that leads to success on and off the field.