×

A successful sibling bond

Allen brothers playing important role in Hillman athletics

News File Photo Shane Allen (left) and Cody Allen (right) hold up a Division 2 eight-player football regional championship after defeating Cedarville this past football season. The regional title was the first in program history.

Hillman has a rich tradition of athletics.

Part of Hillman’s success begins in youth sports and has carried on until the athletes reach the junior high and high school levels.

So many can be praised for the reason Hillman has seen success from high school all the way down to the youth level. The athletes, coaches and parents who volunteer their time to help aspiring young athletes reach the high school level some day.

Two of Hillman’s most important coaches over the past decade have been the team of Shane and Cody Allen.

Two graduates of Hillman and proud alumni, Shane graduated in 2004 and Cody in 2008, grew up just like many of the athletes today in Hillman, competing in youth sports and playing at the junior high and eventually varsity levels.

Their passion for sports and love for the small village of Hillman that they call home has been a driving force to the continued success of Hillman athletics as both Shane and Cody have been coaching athletics across several levels in Hillman, helping the athletes develop and find success before they eventually graduate.

“We’ve just always loved sports, both of us. We always watched games, played all of the games and always did everything with sports so when the opportunity came for me to start coaching, I had to jump on it and then Cody followed suit not far behind and it’s been a blast,” Shane said.

The most recent success came this past football season.

Cody just completed his second year as head coach for the Tigers and Shane in his tenth year on the staff and has spent time as offensive coordinator.

Cody had been an assistant coach and defensive coordinator under long time head coach Bill Koenig, but went Koenig stepped down after the 2017 season, Cody was named head coach and since then, the Tigers have made a remarkable transition to eight-player football due to the guidance of both Shane and Cody.

Since taking the reigns of the Hillman varsity football program, the Allen brothers have coached the Tigers to a pair of winning seasons, secured first round playoff games each year and this year, Hillman captured its first regional championship in program history.

Over the past two years, the Tigers have an impressive 18-4 record.

“This past season was very special. Just the way that the kids performed for us and they went out and worked hard every single day to make it possible. Myself, Shane and the rest of the coaching staff really just kind of pushed the buttons and the kids played along with it,” Cody said. “The transition to eight-man, I think we did a really good job preparing for it, watching a lot of film and it goes back to the kids just believing and trusting us, listening to what we have to say and willing to learn. This year we took a step forward because we learned so much the previous year and we’re just going to keep trying to grow each and every year.”

Along with football, the brothers also coach junior high and varsity track and are junior high basketball coaches. Cody coaches the seventh grade boys basketball team and Shane coaches the eighth grade boys.

Shane and Cody are able to begin working with Hillman’s athletes at a young age and continue to work with them and watch them grow throughout their high school career.

The stability that the brothers have brought to Hillman athletics has been beneficial to them as coaches and beneficial to the athletes as they are familiar working with the Allen brothers.

“It’s very beneficial for us and the kids because we get to see a lot of these kids and get them when they’re in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. We get to know the kids and get them in the weight room and to watch the kids grow from that level to what they are when they’re seniors is just really special,” Shane said. “We’ve been very fortunate the last couple of years with the athletes coming through. A big part of that is we have great coaching all the way through our youth programs and everyone is on the same page. We have a lot of coaches that are good at developing talent and I think that’s what has led to a lot of our success.”

Shane began coaching junior high boys basketball at the age of 24. Shane’s first group of athletes went on to win Hillman’s first regional title on the basketball court. Shortly after, Shane began helping Koenig and worked his way up from taping ankles with the occasion work calling the offense to now being the offensive coordinator alongside his brother Cody.

“I always feel like I had that style even when I played. I was kind of like a coach on the field. I always loved the X’s and O’s when I played and it just translated a couple years after I graduated, I stepped up helping Bill (Koenig) with the offensive line and Troy Smith really helped me learn some defensive stuff and I ended up taking over for him as a defensive coordinator,” Cody said. “Sports and especially football has always been my passion, Shane and I grew up with the same passion for sports, I was Scott Mitchell throwing to Shane who was Herman Moore in the backyard as kids. It’s something we’ve always loved and always had a passion for.”

The brothers have seen Hillman athletics come full circle since their time as student-athletes. Both Shane and Cody were on teams that struggled before Hillman’s recent 14 year run of consistency. Cody was on a football team that went 0-9 and Shane was never on a winning football team during his high school career.

“Bill (Koenig) really changed the mentality and I still remember our first win after our winless season, we went down to Coleman and won our second game of the year and that really just flipped the switch in us and in the football program and we haven’t looked back since,” Cody said.

When they’re not coaching, both brothers can be seen at many of the home sporting events supporting the athletes that they have coached. Both Shane and Cody are so heavily involved, despite not having any children or family members within the program.

“The biggest thing about Cody and Shane is that they’re both very loyal and that’s a big thing in any program that you have. You want to have assistants or coaches or just people that are loyal to not only the programs, but their town. They’re both from Hillman, grew up in Hillman so a big thing with them has always been their loyalty whether their coaching junior high basketball in my program and doing everything that I ask and that’s a big deal especially when you see progression and you see that in everything they coach,” Hillman boys basketball coach and Athletic Director Eric Muszynski said. “They’ve coached everything from TBBA, to junior high and now high school where they come to the bulk of my games and help me out. I think one reason why I think they’re having success is because they were apart of programs when they were down and they got to experience the building of things and the highest level that the programs have experienced and how to handle that and work that. They’ve been in a unique situation and they understand that not only because they were athletes, but because they are coaches themselves. They have a special bond and it’s extra motivation because they have a rivalry despite them not competing against each other, but if one is working offense and the other defense, they’re going to push a little harder because of that, even if they don’t realize they’re doing it. It’s just that sibling rivalry and sibling love and they’ll do whatever it takes to make athletics here the best it possibly can be.”

Both brothers have been coaching for nearly a combined 20 years and with Shane being 33 years old and Cody being 29. The stability should continue and the programs and athletes involved should only continue to grow as both likely have plenty of coaching left in them. There were a few concerns early as to whether Shane and Cody were experienced enough due to their age and as younger coaches, but the brothers have put any and all concerns to rest with the work that they have done.

Chemistry is important to any successful team and the chemistry that the Allen brothers continue to possess make them one of the best teams out their and one the community of Hillman and Hillman athletics are fortunate to have.

“We’re brothers, we’re best friends and we do everything together. Coaching with each other is perfect. We’re both thinking the same and sometimes we butt heads, but we figure it out and usually get it done,” Shane said. “We trust each other and love working with and the coaching the kids. We both do this because it’s our passion and love doing it and we’re going to keep doing it for as long as we can.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today