Raul Dominguez Jr. Express-News Staff Writer
Publication: San Antonio Express-News
Date: September 10, 1991
Page: 1C
Marshall tailback Anthony Holmes broke to the outside of the field, his speed quickly taking him beyond the grasp of his defenders. Stepping into the end zone 93 yards later, Holmes would call it the most memorable run in his high school career. “It was me and V.J. (Villarreal) running down the sidelines,” Holmes said. “He was cheering me on all the way.”
That was last year against Madison. Since he was a sophomore, it has always been Holmes and Villarreal or Holmes and Nick Monreal. Last season, the trio combined for 3,035 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. But that ended last season when Villarreal and Monreal graduated, leaving just Holmes. That became evident to Holmes as he rushed 86 yards down the field alone to score against MacArthur Saturday night.
Holmes finished with 232 yards on 25 carries as the Rams, ranked No. 1 in the Express-News Class 5A Poll, opened their season by rolling past MacArthur, 26-7. His performance against the Brahmas placed Holmes in the spotlight again, but like the run, this time he was alone. But it seems Holmes isn’t used to the glare.
The Rams’ tailback answers each question, every word of praise, with a shy smile. “Hey sweetness,” one teammate said as Holmes walked into the Rams’ field house. “That’s just something they throw at me,” Holmes said, somewhat embarrassed when asked if it was a comparison to one of his favorite players, Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears. “Everybody has got their own name for me.”
The attention of his classmates still draws a “wow” from Holmes. “They tell me ‘That was a great game.’ Or that they say they saw me play. It feels great to have people say that.” Holmes was especially shocked when Jim Wacker of TCU, who is actively recruiting Holmes, called him last week. “I wasn’t even expecting it,” Holmes said. “It was about 6 or 7 on Labor Day when I got the call. “He said ‘How are you doing?’ and I said, ‘Who’s this?’ He told me and I said ‘Oh . . .’ ” Holmes said, still in disbelief. Holmes never dreamed about becoming well known while playing football. He played one season in Pop Warner, but said his first real action came as an eighth grader at Southwest Junior High.
“I was always somewhere in the backfield,” Holmes said. “I kind of always liked running the ball.” Holmes transferred to Marshall before his first year in high school, leading the Rams’ freshman team in rushing. The past two seasons, Holmes joined Monreal and Villarreal in providing the Rams with one of the city’s most effective running games. Individually, Holmes rushed for 1,323 yards as a sophomore and followed it with 1,178 yards last season.
Expectations were high as Holmes entered his senior season, but he was uncertain what to expect. “I guess it will basically be the same as when V.J. and Nick were here,” Holmes said. “There are always going to be replacements. When I leave, someone is going to fill in. There is always going to be someone else.” That thought makes Holmes a bit nervous. His replacement is just a year away, leaving Holmes with just one final season at Marshall. “I had to be the most nervous coming into my senior year,” Holmes said. “When we first started out during two-a-days, I was really nervous. I don’t know what it was about. I guess it was because I won’t be playing here next year. There’s no way I can correct my mistakes. There is no next year to fall back on. Before, I just always knew there would be next year.”
Realizing there would be no “next year,” Holmes dedicated the offseason to preventing any mistakes.
“We have a lot of hard workers on this team,” Marshall coach David Visentine said. “But he is one of the hardest workers on this team. He really worked harder than ever.” Holmes could only smile at his coaches’ words.
“That about says it all,” Holmes said. Holmes said he has set no individual goals this season. “I just really want to do it all,” Holmes said. The glare of the spotlight might take a little getting used to though.
