Kevin Allen will be the first to admit it.

“I learn every day. I don’t know everything,’’ he said.

He does know a good football mind when he sees it.

Allen hopes that tough, aggressive play along with a blueprint for character-building will lead to success as he takes over the program at Phoenix Scottsdale Christian Academy after three seasons at Chandler Valley Christian. He also coached other sports at Valley before becoming the head coach.

Allen will get assistance from two men well-known in Arizona and national football circles.

Ron Pritchard will be the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He is a former star linebacker at Arizona State who played nine seasons in the NFL (Houston and Cincinnati), was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and is a co-founder of ASU’s Ring of Honor.

He also assisted Allen at Valley Christian and is the former athletic director at Surrey Garden, now Gilbert Christian. He also will be an assistant AD at SCA.

Returning  to SCA as line coach will be Dale Hellestrae, a former star at Scottsdale Saguaro who went on to play at SMU and then had a 17-year career in the NFL, mainly with the Dallas Cowboys. Hellestrae is a color analyst for college and high school telecasts who also monitors a family business, Cookies by Design, out of Scottsdale.

He was on the staff at SCA under Willie Dudley, who moved to nearby Phoenix Horizon to become defensive coordinator.

Mike Sheahan will be the Eagles’ offensive coordinator and Eric Wnuck will coach special teams. Dave McKee will lead the junior-varsity program and Tom Francis will be defensive coordinator.

Allen was 11-19 at Valley Christian after taking over for Bill Morgan. After Allen stepped away from the Valley post, he was leaning toward another employment opportunity when a door opened at SCA. He will help oversee an increased special education/special needs curriculum at the school (K-12) in addition to his football duties.

“This is a situation similar to when I took over at Valley,’’ Allen said. “There weren’t a lot of seniors, and we have only six seniors back here. We have a huge sophomore group. We’re obviously very young. I don’t know how that will play out on the field, but we are going to teach them how to play the right way. We want to coach these players inside out.’’

Said Pritchard: “It is God, academics and football. We want to teach football with godly principles. But it is not un-Christian to knock a guy’s face in the dirt.’’

OK, opponents, you have been warned.

Allen has been encouraged by the turnout of players for football activities. There were about 30 players out for spring drills and that has risen to 43, combining the varsity and JV.

Dealing with players at the Division V is different than the bigger schools. Rosters are smaller, so many players play on both sides of the ball. And Hellestrae said the team doesn’t have the luxury of sitting a player for whatever reason and relying on depth.

There are some players who might consider raising their profile by playing at a bigger school, and that doesn’t always turn out.

“If you want to go somewhere else and maybe be second or third string, you really aren’t going to get noticed (by colleges),’’ Hellestrae said. “To get noticed, you have to play and here at SCA, you will play. Every parent wants their kids to get a look. If you are good enough, they (colleges) will find you.’’

In many cases, playing in a smaller environment can benefit an athlete as much or more so than a larger school, Hellestrae said.

“The overall experience can be better,’’ he said. “The grades can be better, the social aspect can be better, everything can be better.’’

Pritchard is eager to get started and work with Allen again as well as Hellestrae and the rest of the staff.

“I hadn’t really known Dale, only by reputation, but I saw some of the kids and saw how well-coached they were. I think he can teach them more in two hours than other guys could in two months,’’ Pritchard said.

And of Allen, Pritchard said, “Some head coaches, they are confident enough, but not enough to be humble. Not Kevin. He is a humble guy.’’

Allen wants a full, complete process.

“We want to make a difference that goes beyond football,’’ he said. “We want to have an impact with our program and beyond that, in the community.’’

It appears that he is off to a good start, especially with the staff he has assembled.