As he toiled in a reserve’s role the past two seasons, Cody Holloway didn’t waste his time.
“As a freshman and sophomore he put in his work, did his time and learned all that he could because he knew he was going to have his opportunity this year,” Bledsoe County coach Jason Reel said.
Holloway is making the most of his opportunities after two years as an understudy to Tyler Harvey and on Friday threw six touchdown passes as the undefeated Warriors shut out Grace Academy 41-0. For that effort he has been selected as the Times Free Press prep Player of the Week.
The junior went both short and long. His first TD – to Holden Boynton – covered just a yard and his long, coming in the second quarter, went for 70 yards to Brandon Smith.
“He has gotten comfortable back there because he worked so hard since last season was over. He approached every day very seriously,” Reel said. “He is a tough kid physically and mentally and he shows up ready to work every day.”
Reel didn’t know early on how quickly the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder would find his niche, especially after the youngster’s playing time a year ago was limited to three JV games because of an ankle injury.
Holloway completed 17 of 27 passes with an interception for 212 yards. Michael Gibbons had nine of those receptions for 85 yards and one of the six TDs. Five receivers had at least one of the TD passes.
“He knows that he has some athletes around him and if he gets [the ball] to them that they’re going to make some plays,” Reel said.
In three games, Holloway now has 13 touchdown strikes and 530 yards. He has completed 42 of 71 passes (59 percent) with two interceptions.
“He can throw the football, and he’s not bad at it either,” Reel said. “I guess was has impressed me most is how composed his has been, especially for a kid without a lot of experience. We wore him out this summer – took him to a lot of 7-on-7s to try and get him a lot more experience. He doesn’t get rattled and he doesn’t change if he throws an interception.
“It’s like this past Friday. We had a couple of offensive line starters that had to come out of the game for a while and the offense kept its rhythm even with the two replacement kids. That’s a credit to Cody. He keeps the kids composed. He gets them to the line of scrimmage. He studies our offense, and he knows all the positions and where his teammates are supposed to be and when. There’s no rattle to him. He takes it the same whether we call a run or pass, whether he gets a completion or an incompletion or a TD or an interception.”
Reel had high hopes of getting off to a good start and the Warriors, who entertain Midway on Friday, have done so with three consecutive wins.
Much of that credit should go to Holloway.
“He knows his strengths and limitations and he knows those of his teammates. He is quickly becoming a good quarterback and a good leader,” Reel said.
POW Teams
* Baylor: Jacob Huesman picked up 133 of Baylor’s 219 rushing yards in the Red Raiders’ 33-21 victory over Battle Ground Academy.
* Bledsoe County: Cody Holloway had six touchdown passes in the Warriors’ 41-0 victory over Grace Academy. Holloway completed 17 of 27 passes with one interception for 212 yards as his team moved to 3-0.
* Boyd-Buchanan: Chase Reed scored three TDs, each by a different means, is the Buccaneers’ 40-0 victory over Silverdale Baptist. Reed opened the game with a 72-yard kickoff return, scored on a 9-yard run in the second quarter and then added a scoring reception on a 19-yard pass from Clayton Parker.
* Bradley Central: James Stovall pulled in five passes for 82 yards in the Bears’ 33-14 loss to Cleveland.
* Brainerd: William Hughes rushed for a TD and 90 yards on 10 carries and added 73 yards on a 6-of-8 passing effort in the Panthers’ 24-19 loss to East Hamilton.
* Cleveland: Jamarcus Mobley ran for 138 yards and three TDs as Cleveland rallied to best Bradley Central 33-14.
* Dade County: David Page rushed for 79 yards, averaging 15.8 yards per carry and scored an important four-quarter TD as Dade bested Adairsville 19-11 and moved to 2-0.
* East Hamilton: Logan Jackson scored two and rushed for 78 yards as the Hurricanes picked up their first win of the season, 24-19 over Brainerd. The win also was the team’s first district (6-AA) win in school history.
* East Ridge: Chase Steele rushed for 50 yards and had two catches for 12 yards but sat out the second half after suffering an ankle sprain in the Pioneers’ 41-14 loss to Red Bank.
* Grundy County: Destin Nunley picked up 131 yards on 18 carries but he Yellowjackets fell to 7-AA rival Sequatchie County 14-6.
* Heritage: Jake Sampson passed for one TD and rushed for another as the Generals’ shut out Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 28-0.
* Howard: Scovia Covington recovered two fumbles and led a Hustlin’ Tigers defense in Howard’s 19-6 win over Central, which was kept off the scoreboard until just 5:35 remained.
* LaFayette: Davarus Porter rushed for 48 yards and caught two passes for another 13 yards in the Ramblers’ 21-0 loss to Trion.
* Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe: Tim McClendon rushed for 117 yards but neither he nor the Warriors could get into the end zone in a 28-0 loss to Heritage.
* Lookout Valley: Terrance Marbury scored the Jackets’ only TD in a 49-7 loss to Signal Mountain on a 33-yard pass from Vann Scribner.
* McCallie: Daniel McClure scored four TDs while rushing for 221 yards (on 22 carries) to lead the Blue Tornado’s 42-28 win over Pope John Paul II.
* McMinn Central: Wyatt Barnett scored the Chargers’ lone TD in a 36-6 loss to Polk County.
* Meigs County: Alan Meadows picked up 57 yards rushing but the Tigers suffered loss No. 3, falling 26-0 to Sequoyah in their home opener.
* North Jackson: Logan Whitehead recorded 10 tackles as the Chiefs moved to 2-0 with a 49-6 victory over Douglas.
* Ooltewah: Jay Rudwall had 10 tackles in the Owls’ 19-0 loss to Soddy-Daisy.
* Polk County: Derrick Saxe scored the Wildcats’ first TD on a 63-yard run and was one of five different Wildcats to score in their 36-6 win over 5-AA rival McMinn Central.
* Red Bank: Quarterback Niquia McDuffie threw three touchdown passes as the Lions opened defense of their 6-AA title with a 41-14 victory over East Ridge.
* Rhea County: Desmond Sharp rushed for three touchdowns, picking up 137 yards, and caught a 4-yard pass from Cameron Tallent in the Golden Eagles’ 42-20 win over Walker Valley.
* Ridgeland: Zach Clayton scored both of Ridgeland’s TDs, each in the third quarter, but the Panthers fell 17-14 to Allatoona.
* Ringgold: Mark Fairbanks’ 2-yard run with 1:30 left lifted Ringgold to a 25-20 victory over Murphy, N.C.
* Sequatchie County: Eli Stout rushed 14 times for 100 yards with his big gainer, a 58-yard run accounting for the Indians’ first TD in a 14-6 win over Grundy County.
* Signal Mountain: Donnie Garner had one carry but it went for 99 yards and the Eagles’ second score in a 49-7 win over Lookout Valley.
* Silverdale Baptist: Ethan Shamblin rushed for 56 yards in the Seahawks’ 40-0 loss to Boyd-Buchanan.
* Soddy-Daisy: In one of Friday’s major upsets, Cedrick Edwards rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns as he and the Trojans upended previously unbeaten Ooltewah 19-0 in the clubs’ 5-AAA opener.
* South Pittsburg: Travis Millard ran for a TD and passed for two more plus a pair of two-point conversions in the Pirates’ 64-0 win over rival Marion County. Millard completed seven of 16 passes for 182 yards with no interceptions.
* Trion: Tanner Heyes scored two of the Bulldogs TDs, each on passes from Hayden Tucker, as they shut out LaFayette 21-0.
* Tyner: Travis Jones ran for a pair of touchdowns and passed for another as the Rams picked up their first win of the season and moved to 1-0 in 6-AA.
* Walker Valley: Kelvin Wells had 30 carries but also picked up 289 yards and three touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 42-20 loss to Rhea County.