Allison Mahan’s Unstoppable Season-May 7, 1985

The Rising Star in the Shadows

This season, a new name has surged from the periphery of the hardwood and the cinder track to command the full attention of the Bay State League. Allison Mahan, a Senior Co-Captain of Norwood High School, has spent three years as a vital but often overlooked engine of the Town’s sporting success. Now, the shadows have receded, revealing an Athlete of generational caliber.

Standing 5-10, Mahan has spent her varsity career as a Power Forward for the Norwood Basketball Team. For years, she was the silent partner to Susanne Maher, a Three-Time Globe All-Scholastic whose outside shooting drew College Scouts like moths to a flame. The two were frequently confused by casual fans due to the phonetic similarity of their surnames, but their roles on the Court were distinct. While Maher patrolled the perimeter, Mahan functioned as a Human Vacuum Cleaner under the Hoops, controlling the Glass and securing the Paint with a Strength that Veteran Coach Hank Shachoy describes as “tremendous.”

But to view Mahan solely as a Basketball Player is to miss the full scope of her Physical Talent. On the Track, she is a Four-Event Specialist who seems to have forgotten how to lose. Over the past two seasons, she has remained Undefeated in the High Jump and the 220-Yard Dash. This year, her record is nearly spotless, winning 23 out of 24 Events contested. She currently holds School Records in the High Jump (5-8, a share of the State Record), Long Jump (16-7), and the 200 Meters (25.8).