By Don Ketchum

Devon Allen is one of those gifted all-around athletes who don’t come around too often.

That’s gifted as in, very gifted.

The junior from Phoenix Brophy Prep has a chance to set state records in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles this year. He also excels in the sprints and is considering entering the state decathlon.

In football, he is a much-sought-after receiver and kick returner. He already has close to 20 offers from colleges around the country.

“As great of an athlete as he is, he is an even better kid. He is always willing to help someone else,’’ said Brophy sprint and hurdles coach Tim O’Neil.

Allen’s talents will be on display on Thursday (March 8) when Brophy hosts the AMDG Invitational at its facility at 7^th Street and Highland. Other teams scheduled to compete are Chandler Basha, Casa Grande, Chandler, Tempe Corona del Sol, Queen Creek, Scottsdale Saguaro, Phoenix Xavier Prep and Buckeye Youngker.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Allen already has competed in several national meets, indoor and outdoor, and he hopes to land a spot on the Junior Olympic Team later this summer.

As a sophomore in 2011, Allen finished second in the 100-meter hurdles in the Class 5A Division I state meet, second in the 200-meter dash, third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 400.

In the sixth grade, he said he started competing in track, “basically beause my dad made me. But then I started to do pretty well and had some success, so I liked it. It’s always fun when you win.’’

Now he is all over the Brophy field, working on one event one moment, another event the next.

As Brophy’s lacrosse team stood and watched while awaiting the start of its game nearby, Allen picked up a lacrosse stick and tossed the ball with a flick of the wrists. Heck, he probably could do well in that sport, too, if he so desired.

Allen works mainly on hurdles on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on sprints the other days, including lifting weights.

In the sprints, he prefers the 200 because he sometimes is slower coming out of the blocks and has a chance to use his speed to catch up.

“But I’m getting better (on the starts),’’ he said.

He enjoys running the hurdles, and might be better at those events when all is said and done. He is ranked among the national leaders in the indoor high hurdles and recently competed in a national meet (the Brooks) in Seattle.

Allen began to concentrate on the hurdles events last year when he was asked by O’Neil to help Brophy pick up valuable points at a national Nike meet. O’Neil said Allen is cut from the same mold as was Ray Polk, a former Brophy running back who became a very good sprinter and hurdler and went on to the University of Colorado.

“He (Allen) has a great awareness of what he needs to work on,’’ O’Neil said.

Allen is considering the decathlon.

“I will worry about that more when we get closer (to the event), and I can concentrate on some of the other things. I haven’t done much in the javelin or discus, but I think I could be good at it,’’ Allen said.

And there is the football factor.

At first glance, Allen appears to be a “possession-type’’ receiver who can grab onto the ball almost anywhere. But his speed allows him to pull away from defenders.

Brophy head track coach Bill Kalkman knows all about this. He also is the Broncos’ offensive coordinator in football, and is looking forward to teaming Allen with fast-rising quarterback Tyler Bruggman in the fall.

“He has that great track speed, great hand-eye coordination and he is mentally quick. He is able to analyze situations almost faster than anybody,’’ Kalkman said.

Allen said he has received offers from about 16 or 17 schools, including Arizona State and Arizona and one from Ohio State this week.

“All the calls can be crazy sometimes. I just have to not let it get to me,’’ he said.

Time management is one of the keys. He said he has improved in that area, helping him in the classroom as well.

“You really have to learn to manage your time, especially when you get to college,’’ he said.

He wants to go to a college where he can play football and compete in track and his early preference is to go to a warm-weather climate.

That would mean that recruiters from ASU and Arizona will remind him that he already is in warm weather, that it would be a smooth transition.

It certainly is a nice situation to be in, being one of those gifted all-around athletes who don’t come around too often.