"This is a pure picture of Zaine Holley," Stephen Neal, head Blackhawk football coach, said Monday morning as athletes gathered to watch three senior Blackhawk athletes sign letters to play college athletics. Holley wasn't there; he was on the road to Dover for a Regional Tournament baseball game.
Holley is to sign with Coe College for football, Neal said. Holley will exchange his Blackhawk uniform for a Kohawk uniform at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Recalling a time when Holley and other football athletes joined him in visiting students at Pea Ridge Primary and Intermediate schools, Neal said: "As soon as the kids saw Zaine, he was like the Pied Piper. The kids were yelling 'Zaine!' and giving him hugs."
"He is the most unassuming and humble young man," Neal continued, telling of a time when Holley and teammate Drew Winn traded places in running the football and defending for the good of the team.
"A great team is made by example," Neal said, adding that Holley has coached youth football for several years in addition to being an all-conference and all-state football player himself. He said he will represent Pea Ridge, along with Duncan Truesdell, in the All Star game this summer.
Sports on 05/17/2017