Pete Forsee
Sports Writer
In his four years of high school, Allan Benson has succeeded in practically everything he has done.
After only having two prior years of football experience, Benson was quickly noticed as a talented player by coaches as a freshman. With a heavy and strong body, Benson was on the Varsity team by the time the 2008 Turkey Day Game rolled around.
“I was scared out of my mind. I was afraid I was going to get hurt and embarrass myself in front of the upperclassmen,” said Benson.
Benson would resist injury and find himself as the starting center in the offensive unit the following season.
“Having Allan as a three-year starter was a great experience. He brings everything a coach wants, hard work, commitment and leadership,” said offensive coordinator Bill Lieberoff.
“Football was an awesome experience. The coaches taught me a lot of life lessons that’ll remember forever,” said Benson.
During the off-seasons, Benson has been fully involved in the A cappella group (A-Men) throughout both his junior and senior years. Practicing twice weekly and performing often on weekends has kept him busy over the winter and early spring. Top performances of the group this year include the school’s winter concert and the visit from Washington University in St. Louis. Also, Benson has been enrolled in choir class for the past year too.
“I really wanted to learn how to read music so I could sharpen my skills. Plus I really appreciate music and joining choir this year was just another showing of that,” said Benson.
By March, Benson is again outside for practice to compete in the shot-put competition for track and field. Benson began track his sophomore year after one year of freshmen baseball.
Known to work hard and diligently, Benson has had academic success through high school. Cumulating a 3.96 GPA, he has expressed interests in colleges across the country. Among them were the University of Chicago, Duke University and Harvard University. However, Benson settled on the University of Missouri because of his potential major in journalism.
“Mizzou isn’t as far away and has an outstanding journalism program. Plus I’ll be able to stay in touch easier with friends from here,” said Benson.
Whether it’s performing in the arts, competing athletically, achieving academically, or anything else, Allan Benson is bound to succeed.
