AURORA | Rowan Allen helped take the Cherokee Trail boys lacrosse team to a new level.
The Cougars will have to continue to move up without him, as Allen’s five-season stint as head coach has come to an end.
Allen had to take over the family business prior to the 2013 season when his father passed away from cancer and it made coaching much more difficult. Following a 4-9 season with a youth-laden Cherokee Trail team that included several “contentious moments” with school administration, both parties decided it would be better if Allen didn’t return in 2014.
“It was their decision and it was my decision, so I guess you could say it was mutual,” said Allen, who finished with a 41-34 career record at Cherokee Trail in addition to two state playoff appearances and two postseason victories.
“In this case, it was just better for everybody to go their separate ways,” he added.
Cherokee Trail took off as a lacrosse school when Allen arrived in 2009 after spending six seasons at powerhouse Cherry Creek.
The Cougars went 4-9 in his first season, then 8-7 the next year and made a breakthrough in 2011, when they went 12-5 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Cherokee Trail knocked off Boulder 12-8 for its first postseason victory before eventual state champion Kent Denver knocked it out in the second round.
Allen’s team got even better in 2012, as the Cougars posted a 13-4 record and again advanced to the second round of the playoffs before losing to Aurora’s most established lacrosse program, Regis Jesuit.
“I’m extremely proud of my time at Cherokee Trail; when I came in, they had 40 kids in the whole program and had never had a winning season,” Allen said.
“Now, there are 90 kids in the program — with three levels — we had our first winning season and first ever playoff appearances and wins. We basically changed the perception of Cherokee Trail lacrosse in the lacrosse community. The way we’ve built it, Cherokee Trail is positioned to be very strong in the future.”
Allen’s last season ended the same as his first — with a 4-9 record — which was attributable largely to a team that lost a lot of graduation and playing in a league that included the two teams that ended up playing for the Class 5A state championship in winner Arapahoe and runner-up Cherry Creek.
The Cougars graduated their two All-Centennial League second team selections in senior defender Logan Allen and senior midfielder Parker Miller — who also earned Academic All-American honors — but return a talented core of young players including attackmen Cooper Snowbarger and Keenan Moffitt.
“It’s high school sports, so you’re going to have your ups and downs, but we had a young, but talented team that progressed,” Allen said. “We had two freshmen attackmen and a number of freshmen middies, so if you look ahead to their junior and senior years, there’s some scary talent there if molded correctly. Cherokee Trail could be in the final four pretty easily if that happens.”
Allen — who oversees Allen Associates, a local property management company — said he is open to coaching somewhere next season if the situation is right and his time allows.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
ROWAN ALLEN’S COACHING RECORD AT CHEROKEE TRAIL
2013: 4-9 (missed playoffs)
2012: 13-4 (lost in 2nd round of state playoffs)
2011: 12-5 (lost in 2nd round of state playoffs)
2010: 8-7 (missed playoffs)
2009: 4-9 (missed playoffs)
