Jason Munz/Hattiesburg American
Every Sunday — proudly without exception — for the past six years, Allen Fails has stood tall in front of the congregation at Shady Grove Baptist Church in Hattiesburg as part of the choir.
“I never miss it,” he said after last week’s service. “Nope. Haven’t missed one since I joined. Never.”
There, Fails, 21, finds much of the strength, motivation and perspective he has used to go from injured high school star to junior college jack-of-all-trades to hopeful redshirt walk-on to what he is now — a key piece of the Southern Miss defense who was awarded a scholarship last week.