ALLEN – The Allen Eagles wasted no time reminding Texas high school football why their brand still packs a punch. Fresh off a 61-0 demolition of Midland Legacy to open 2024, the Eagles stormed back into Eagle Stadium on Friday night and dropped another hammer, rolling to a 46-13 win in the Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer Football Classic.
This one didn’t open with fireworks for Allen the way last year did—Legacy tried to flip the script with a surprise onside kick on the first play. The Rebels recovered it, but their momentum lasted all of three snaps. Allen’s defense stonewalled them for zero yards, and senior Jahsxiah Gibson came crashing through to block the punt. One snap later, quarterback Jeremiah Daoud floated a strike to Carter Harris for a walk-in score. Just like that, Allen was on its way.
From there, it was one-way traffic. Legacy actually began most of its first-half drives in Allen territory, but the Eagles’ defense stood like a brick wall, allowing just 14 yards before the break. It took the Rebels nearly 23 minutes to even pick up a first down.
Meanwhile, Allen’s offense hummed. Daoud, a senior transfer from McKinney, was razor sharp in his debut, connecting on his first nine passes and finishing 20-of-25 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Sharing snaps with him was freshman Ty Snell—who wasted no time making his mark. On just his second series, Snell rolled right and hit Caleb Smith in stride for an 80-yard bomb. That play stretched the lead to 21-0 before the first quarter was over.
Snell, a Tennessee import from Lipscomb Academy, matched Daoud’s efficiency by completing 9-of-11 for 146 yards and a score. By halftime, Allen had punched in touchdowns on five of six possessions and built a commanding 34-0 cushion.
The Eagles mixed it up on the ground, too—senior Jaden Hambric barreled in from two yards out, junior Lyndon Spriggs ripped off a 15-yard score, and Semaj Johnson turned a seemingly impossible 3rd-and-33 into a highlight-reel 36-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
But the night belonged to Smith. Playing in his first game since a knee injury wiped out his junior year, the Arizona commit looked every bit the star, hauling in 11 receptions for 139 yards and that long touchdown.
Legacy finally broke Allen’s six-quarter scoreless streak in the series by grinding out a nine-play march to open the second half. Hayes Hamm finished it off from a yard out, snapping the Eagles’ 109-point unanswered run against the Rebels dating back to last year’s playoffs. Even then, Allen answered in style—blocking the extra point and watching senior Kai Wheaton scoop it for two the other way.
By then, the outcome was sealed. Another Friday night, another statement from Allen.
The Eagles (1-0) now turn toward a non-district finale against Cedar Hill, set for a 7 p.m. kickoff next Friday.
