Wake Forest Athletics
From the Muck to the Dash
10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
This article was originally published in the Oct. 25 edition of Kickoff, the official gameday magazine of Wake Forest football.
By Stacy Hicklin
It's not just another drill for Antonio Ford and Zachary Allen as they stare each other down across the line of scrimmage. Each one desperately wants to get the upper hand and walk away with bragging rights.
This is not anything new. The two have been trying to get the best of each other, while also making each other better, for more than a decade. The fifth-year seniors have played opposite of each other and, at times, next to each other since seventh grade.
Both grew up in south Florida in rural towns in the western part of Palm Beach County. It's an area that is lovingly referred to by its residents as "the Muck" because of the type of land in which sugar cane grows and is the main source of employment for its residents.
The area is well known, however, within the state and even across the rest of the country because of the elite football talent that comes out of the small towns of Pahokee and Belle Glade. The annual "Muck Bowl" that pits Glades Central against Pahokee has at times featured as many as 20-30 Division I football players in one game. Belle Glade is made up of less than 20,000 people and Pahokee less than 8,000.
Ford grew up in Belle Glade and Allen was raised 10 miles away in Pahokee. When it was time for Ford to attend middle school, his mother enrolled him at Pahokee Middle/High School where she worked in the school's main office. Students could begin playing junior varsity and varsity football as early as seventh grade because the schools were combined. Allen and Ford got to know each other quickly on the field.
"We'd always go against each other in 1-on-1 drills and talk smack to each other," Ford said. "It always fired me up and made me a better player to go against Ziggy every day."
Ford played center and defensive tackle throughout high school, while Allen (nicknamed "Ziggy") was a tight end, linebacker and sometimes a defensive end.
By sophomore year, the two were rising stars on a Blue Devil team that was the Class 2B defending state champion and also receiving national attention. Pahokee won another state title that year and added a third consecutive championship during Allen and Ford's junior year.
It was no shock that almost every major college in the county was recruiting players from the program. As they became upperclassmen, Allen and Ford were highly sought after.
The Path to Winston-Salem
Allen knew he wanted to graduate early from high school and enroll in college during January of his senior year. This meant he needed to make his college decision early. During the summer prior to his senior year, Allen, Ford and a handful of teammates visited a number of schools like Wake Forest and West Virginia.
Wake Forest immediately emerged as his favorite and he verbally committed to the Deacs by July.
Ford wasn't as sure after the summer tour. He, along with Allen, took an official visit to Wake Forest during the fall of his senior year, but didn't commit until early November. He ended up enrolling early just like Allen.
"They were both so intelligent and purpose driven," said Blaze Thompson, the duo's high school coach at Pahokee. "They knew what they wanted academically and athletically.
"Sometimes when you go to college with a high school teammate it doesn't work out, it can be a distraction, but that hasn't been the case with these two."
The Second Act
Both ended up redshirting their first year in Winston-Salem. They went on to live with one another during their second year at Wake Forest. Allen saw time in every game that season, collecting 24 tackles at the linebacker position. Ford played in four games as a backup at left guard.
They emerged to play more prominent roles the next year during their redshirt sophomore seasons. Allen totaled 42 tackles and even started one game. Ford became a starter on the offensive line, but his season ended after he broke his leg in the sixth game of the year.
Then the momentum that the two built came to an abrupt halt. Allen found out he was academically ineligible to play his redshirt junior season. Because he had already used his redshirt year -- he lost the entire year. Ford, meanwhile, struggled to rehab completely after his injury and even contemplated quitting football. He played sparingly that year.
Both were thrown for another loop when they found out in December that they would be playing for a new coaching staff.
"Where we are from is a different world from Wake Forest and really most places," Allen said. "It's nice to have people from your area or background to relate to, especially during tough times."
The Final Act
Fate brought the two players closer once again this year. Ford moved from linebacker to a starter at defensive end. Ford reclaimed his fire and intensity and is the team's starting left tackle.
Once again, like they did for years as teenagers, the two spend much of practice going head to head.
"We always want to go against each other," Allen said. "Everyday in practice that we go against each other just brings me back to high school practice."
"When I play against him, there is no taking plays off," Ford said. "We bring out the best in each other. I always think during games that if I could go against Ziggy every day in practice, who goes hard every single play, then no opponent can ever surprise me."
Both have aspirations to play in the NFL, but have backup plans in place for when they both graduate this December. Allen plans to attend graduate school to get a degree in counseling and move closer to home. Ford, who recently completed an internship with the Deacon Club, hopes to work in an athletic department setting.
But first things are first. Both want to enjoy one more successful year on the football field.
