Joell Holloman offered a blunt assessment of his first season for St. Charles North.
“Freshman year, I wasn’t really too good, school-wise and football,” he said.
Rob Pomazak, however, saw something in Holloman, who played in two lower-level games before contracting COVID-19. The North Stars’ coach said Holloman never quite recovered that season.
Still, Pomazak wanted to make an effort to show Holloman what his future could look like.
“Around Christmas time, I brought him and his older brother in with their dad and I made a highlight reel of the two games he played,” Pomazak said. “I think he touched the ball like four times and he scored three touchdowns.
“I said, ‘Listen, man, this is what you can be, and we’re going to get you on a path to do some great things. But you’ve got to be the one that makes that decision because I can’t do it for you.’”
Holloman did make that decision, and now the 6-foot-2; 208-pound senior running back is ready for his breakout season.
“For me, to have this turnaround just makes me want to keep on doing what I’m doing,” Holloman said. “I wasn’t in a good spot, but now I am. I’m pushing to get to where we all want to be.”
Holloman made the varsity team as a sophomore, backing up current Iowa State defensive back Drew Surges at running back. Surges also made a big impact on Holloman’s transformation.
“He was the best person I could have in my position,” Holloman said. “He was basically my leader that year. He made me open my eyes to the bigger picture of this team and this program and what it could be.
“I just saw the bigger picture of how things can go when you’re successful and when you’re not successful.”
Last fall, Holloman put together a solid junior season, but St. Charles North ended up being more of a pass-heavy team.
But with a beefed-up offensive line in front of Holloman and four-year starting quarterback Ethan Plumb, the North Stars should be more balanced this year, which works to Holloman’s advantage.
“It’s definitely going to be exciting to see him be himself out there,” Plumb said. “We’re going to have a great line this year. If they give him the holes, he doesn’t need much room to work with.
“We’ve seen it throughout practice. The biggest thing with Joell I’d say is his burst speed. When he gets out in the open and there’s no one out there, good luck catching him.”
Holloman combines a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash to his imposing frame. He has rushed for 937 yards and eight TDs on 175 carries in his career, adding 25 catches for 257 yards and another TD.
Pomazak would love to see those overall numbers eclipsed this season.
“To make it easier on Ethan, we’ve got to be able to run the ball 30-35 times and we’ve got to be able to move the line of scrimmage and let our guys do their thing,” Pomazak said. “If we can move the ball and we don’t have to throw the ball, I’m all for it.
“I’d run the ball 100 times if they can’t stop it.”
St. Rita’s James Kingsbury finishes off a tackle against St. Charles North’s Joell Holloman (38) during a Class 7A state quarterfinal in St. Charles on Nov. 12, 2022. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / The Beacon-News)
Holloman would be fine with that, too. Besides his physical attributes, he’s continued to progress on and off the field. Voted a team captain, he was one of the team’s best offseason leaders.
And Holloman confirmed he wants to keep that positive momentum going.
“I don’t want to be where I’ve been because I’ve been there,” Holloman said. “I can see what the good is bringing me.”
Team: St. Charles North.
2023 record: 6-4.
Offensive leaders: Joell Holloman, senior, running back; Cooper Kowalczyk, senior, offensive tackle; Keaton Reinke, junior, wide receiver; Chris Smith, senior, center.
Defensive leaders: Aidan McClure, junior, outside linebacker; Matthew Plumb, junior, middle linebacker; Jack Shannon, senior, cornerback; Declan Smith, junior, defensive end.
X-factor: Ethan Plumb, senior, quarterback.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
