A busy summer ahead for Wasonga By Warren Lent | 4/18/10 |
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To say that finding perfect
chemistry between teammates in the game of football is
difficult would be an understatement. As Henry Ford once
said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together
is progress. Working together is success.” To the dismay
of Allan Wasonga and his teammates at Parkersburg High
School, the beginning ended up coming a bit too late in
the season. “For me, I transferred from a double A
school to a triple A school, so I didn’t think I would
make that great of a transition. At first our team did
not really bond too well because we only had so much
time to get ready. When I came in, we didn’t bond that
well but then after a while we finally got to a point
where we clicked.”
The click came too late for Parkersburg to make a viable
run at the state championships, but Wasonga still
believes that missed opportunities were the key to a
very average season. “During the season we lost some
games that we definitely should have won. We went 6-4
and I thought there were at least three games that we
could have won. We still made it to the playoffs, but at
that point, there were too many guys getting hurt to
really make a run at states.”
If every cloud has a silver lining, then Allan Wasonga
was the silver lining in Parkersburg’s cloud. “I did
much better than my sophomore year because this year I
rushed for 2,200 yards and last year I ran for 1,900
yards. I felt like I did better than I have done, but at
the same time I feel like I could have done better.
Looking back at it I could have done a lot more to
change the outcome of our games.”
Luckily for Wasonga’s sanity and well being, the
recruiting process has only begun for the versatile
running back from Parkersburg, West Virginia. With
offers from Bowling Green, Marshall, Ohio, Pittsburgh,
Syracuse, and West Virginia, Allan Wasonga has a few
that stand taller then the rest.
“My biggest offers right now are probably West Virginia
and Pittsburgh. I’ve taken a visit to West Virginia, I
liked it, but everyone expects me to go there because
it’s an in-state school. I am just going to keep my
options open and see where I can get the most playing
time. Pittsburgh really likes me, but I haven’t taken a
visit there yet but I definitely plan to.”
With seemingly everything to offer, even the two
powerhouses in the Big East conference on top of
Wasonga’s short list don’t have the same connection with
the Wasonga family that Marshall does. “I went to
Marshall last week and I really like that too, my
brother plays for Marshall.”
Even with six offers already in his pocket, Allan
Wasonga still is not satisfied. “The big, big offers
should really be coming in by the end of the summer.
There are a lot of coaches that have me on their
recruiting boards like Kentucky, Duke, Illinois,
Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and
Rutgers. I’m going to try and make something happen
before the summer to impress some of those schools. I
was an Ohio State fan when I was younger and it used to
be Ohio State all the way, but now with the whole
recruiting process I have to keep my options open. If
they were to offer me I would definitely consider it
though. I should also be picking up offers from Maryland
and Louisville within the week.”
When the big time schools make their overtures to
Wasonga, he will maintain his values because he knows
what he is looking for in the University of his Choice.
“I definitely look for winning mentality and tradition
because I personally hate losing at anything. I want to
go to a place that is at least known for winning
something because I want to be apart of a team that is
greater than myself.” I really want to play early too
and find a place where I can easily fit into their
offense. There are so many things that go into finding
the right school. When I finally find it, I will know
which one I’m looking for.”
If statistics really spoke for themselves, Allan Wasonga
would be piling up 10 plus offers. Due to reality, it
takes another dimension in the recruiting process to
truly get the attention of coaches; junior days and
combines. That is where the problem truly lies because
Wasonga has not been able to take visits to the schools
that have invited him. “I have been really busy with
school, so I haven’t taken as many visits as I would
have wanted to. I was supposed to go to West Virginia,
Pittsburgh, and Michigan, but I wasn’t able to go to any
of them because of the schedule I am working under right
now. Within the next few weeks, I have two Nike combines
and I am planning to go to Ohio State’s senior camp as
well as Michigan’s and Penn State’s. It’s safe to say
that I have a very busy summer ahead of me.
Of course, the busy summer ends with preparation for his
senior season at Parkersburg high school. Even with
mediocre results this season, the standard is still set
extremely high for the Big Reds. “Honestly I feel like
we have a brand new team this year. Most of the guys are
back and even though we lost some seniors, we have a lot
of sophomores and juniors that can easily replace them.
I feel like we can easily be the team to beat this
year.”
With one eye on the state championship and the other on
his upcoming college choice, Allan Wasonga still has
perfect vision when it comes to his bright future.
Sophomore Film
West Virginia Ranking
#1. Allan Wasonga
5'9", 195 / RB / Parkersburg, WV Early Projected Ranking: 5.8/
Read bonus
Allan Wasonga quotes that didn’t make this article
HERE.
Every recruit and recruitnik alike knows how
crazy college football recruiting can become.
For some it's crazier than others and for some
the 'crazy' is what makes the experience so much
fun. Vernon Hills (Illinois) wide receiver
prospect Davaris Daniels would be one of the
'some' on both counts.
Darelle Revis is a name that has been used nearly every
time during an interview of a cornerback. His athletic
ability alone is something to marvel at, but he brings
another dimension to his game; his instincts.
Regardless, very few can compare to Revis’ qualities on
the field, but even fewer can say that he is a relative.
“Darelle Revis is family and Justin King is my first
cousin. He plays cornerback for the St. Louis Rams. You
could say that Darelle Revis is my idol though.” Warren Lent article
Monday Mailbag |
April 12th
1. ND feels really good about
Bubba Starling but I have no idea who the main
competition would be, could you help me out there? -wicket
Notre Dame should feel really
good about it's chances right now and wherever Starling
ends up will be getting him for baseball as well, so
that's going to be a huge factor. Charles Drake article
