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QB Kyler Murray returns for Allen, accounts for 2 TDs on first two plays as Eagles roll past Plano, 42-13

PLANO — Kyler Murray threw a 75-yard touchdown pass on Allen’s first play and had a 22-yard touchdown run on the second. It wasn’t all quite so easy, but the defending Class 5A Division I state champs defeated Plano, 42-13, on Friday night to earn an eighth consecutive district title heading into the playoffs.

Murray, who missed last week with a bruised foot, returned with a flourish against a rugged Plano defense. One of the nation’s top college recruits for the Class of 2015, Murray passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another.

“There was a lot of adrenaline coming out and warming up,” Murray said. “It’s not fun to miss a week. I was ready to go. We knew Plano would be good. We weren’t trying for big plays. We ran the plays we called and they came open.”

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Allen almost had three touchdowns in its first three plays, but a dropped pass in the end zone prevented a 36-yard touchdown. Plano had a second-quarter spurt to pull within 21-13, but Allen rolled through the other three quarters as Jaelen Barlow added three rushing touchdowns on 113 yards.

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Allen (10-0, 5-0 in District 10-5A) will play Lake Highlands at Richardson’s Wildcat-Ram Stadium next Friday in the first round. Plano (7-3, 3-2) will play Skyline on Friday in Grand Prairie.

Allen picked up its 26th consecutive victory over a Plano ISD school dating to 2005, when Plano won the district title.

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“They are the team to beat; there is a gap we need to catch up with,” Plano coach Jaydon McCullough said. “But they’re 10-0 for a reason and won their last 21 now. Give credit to Allen, but don’t take away from us. We’ve had a good season. We’re disappointed now. But we’ll come back and be ready for the playoffs.”

Plano got a 62-yard scoring run from Josh Johnson to gain some life in the second quarter. Trailing 21-7, Plano scored on a 4-yard run by quarterback Brooks Panhans with 45 seconds left in the half but lost some momentum with a blocked extra point. Plano struggled in both halves with five turnovers, three lost fumbles and two interceptions.

Allen took a 28-13 lead on its first drive of the second half on a 24-yard run by Barlow to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive.

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“We scored on some big plays but we never got into a rhythm,” Allen coach Tom Westerberg said. “Plano’s a tough team. They battled back. We had to make some corrections at halftime, get a little refocused. [Winning] district championships mean something to us. Going 10-0 in North Texas is hard to do. But now we’re back to 0-0.”