Albeit Horane Allison is the new Trojan’s head football coach, he is not a stranger to Hialeah Miami Lakes High School.
Allison was the running back coach under Keenan Lawhorne two seasons ago before he accepted a similar position at Norland High.
And long before his coaching career started, Allison played right guard at his alma mater under then-head coaches Dallas Cameron and Jeff Rodriguez.
“It feels so good to be back,” Allison said while sitting at his desk making preparations for his new football team during Spring practice, which commenced Monday, April 28.
Allison became the head coach after Lawhorne was promoted as the school’s athletic director.
His predecessor goaded him to seek the vacant coaching position because he was familiar with the offense and some of the players, and marveled at the job he did last year at Norland.
“They hired the best candidate,” Allison said.
The Miami native has the arduous task of turning around a team that finished 3-7 last season and never made the playoffs in more than five years.
But after watching film of last year’s team, Allison said he immediately discovered the problem.
“They lack confidence,” he said. “Me coming from Norland, I can help these kids try to win. They are young and a good team, but they lack confidence.”
Allison said the challenge is changing the players’ cultural mindset, while they run the Spread Wing T offense, which Auburn used last season to upset Alabama.
He said his players have grown accustomed to losing and he wants to plant a winning demeanor in their mindset.
For starters, he allowed former FAU standout linebacker Randall Johnson, who’s preparing for the NFL draft, to speak to the players, as his speech served as words of inspiration and encouragement.
“He spoke to them to help encourage them to win,” said Allison, who coached Johnson at North Miami High.
Allison said he will run the offense, while new defensive coach Cornelius Bosier will be in charge of stopping the opposing teams’ offenses.
Though there is no clear starter at quarterback, Allison said freshmen Takarius Brown and sophomore Michael Alvarez are competing for the top spot during the Spring.
The Trojans have a depth at the running back position with Maliak Burns, Maliak Shannon, Mario Maroles and incoming freshmen Terrell Thomas, who was a star on the Miami Gardens Optimist team.
On the other side of the ball, Bosier will lead a group of hungry defensive players, including linebackers Romeo Brown and Isiah Small and defensive linemen Thomas Williams and Chris White.
Allison played college ball at Methodist University in North Carolina, where he discovered coaching was his true calling.
“My coach said you have what it takes to be a coach,” Allison said.
Following graduation, he became the head coach at North Miami High.
During his first coaching stint at Hialeah Miami Lakes, Allison led a group of running backs, who included then-rushing leader Hakeem Lawrence, who’s at Akron, and DeAndre Martin, a star at Wake Forest University.
“Now you see where those guys are,” he said. “They are playing on a college level.”