Meaghan Allen just couldn’t leave well enough alone. She won her state title alongside husband, Scott. She raised the first-ever championship banner at her alma mater, Choctaw. Motherhood looked good on her, Meaghan weathering the health complications of pregnancy to get back to playing form. Yet perennial volleyball powerhouse South Walton needed a leader. South Walton, just like Choctaw had before, needed Meaghan Allen. But this time there’ll be no Scott, who left Choctaw following the state title in 2017 to helm the volleyball program at Gulf Coast State. Yep, this is Meaghan’s ship to steer alone, a move that will be finalized later this summer once the school board approves and the paperwork goes through. “I loved coaching with Scott, and to bring home a state title at my alma mater was everything, but I’m excited to have something of my own,” Meaghan said. “I’m excited to bring my passion and knowledge for the sport to South Walton and take the program to the next level.” In Allen, athletic director Phil Tisa saw a proven winner. He saw a leader. He saw someone familiar with the area. “Her volleyball knowledge is obviously a big plus,” Tisa said. “And she’s familiar with not only a lot of the girls returning but with the girls coming up through her work with the (Emerald Coast Volleyball Club). “I have no doubt Meaghan will do a great job and I’m looking forward to seeing where this can go.” Meaghan, just 35 years old and a respected player in her own right with a record 12 Fuds titles, will inherit a program that finished 7-16 during a rebuilding year. Even so, the Seahawks secured a seventh straight playoff trip despite losing six seniors. Yet despite the continued success, including three straight Final Four trips between 2014-2016 and five straight region finals between 2013-2017, there’s been no stability at the coaching helm for South Walton. India Stinson coached just last year, Chad Mercado the two years prior and Mike Emerick before that. Meaghan, the fourth Seahawks coach in five years, knew them all well. “The coaches they’ve had in the past are great coaches, good friends, so I know there’ll be that expectation of success,” Meaghan said. “There’s definitely talent there, but we have a lot of work to do. “I’m champing at the bit to get in there.” Meaghan’s coaching career spans 16 years, yet this will be her first head coaching position at the high school level. She talked to Tisa about the opening last year before opting to stay home with her newborn son, Barrett, who’s now 21 months old. But with the support of her family – mom, dad, sister and Scott – she’s now carved out time. “I wasn’t quite ready to take it on last year with the little man,” Meaghan said. “This year when India decided to leave, I started contemplating it again. The wheels started turning and I started looking for solutions. I wasn’t sure, but then I talked to my family and we worked out any coaching conflicts. “I knew I wouldn’t be away too long. This was my time.” As for her hubby’s reaction? “Scott’s been my biggest cheerleader all along,” Meaghan said. “He thinks I’ll do a good job there. He always tells me that I was a huge help to him, but that I should’ve been a head coach all along. “Now I am.”