Hollingsworth anxious to prove himself on gridiron

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on August 14, 2014 1:48 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Southern Wayne quarterback Jacob Hollingsworth is having no trouble adjusting to the Saints' new spread offense.

He's been watching how it's done for years.

An avid football fan, Hollingsworth takes advantage of his opportunities for additional film study by watching the way professional teams run their offenses.

He pays close attention to the Seattle Seahawks, who utilize spread scheme concepts with quarterback Russell Wilson and his favorite player -- running back Marshawn Lynch. Hollingsworth tries to emulate Wilson's footwork from what he sees on television.

"I love watching receivers run their routes hard, and running backs hit the holes hard," Hollingsworth said. "They do everything right. They do everything hard. I hope that's what our offense looks like this year."

The Saints are transitioning from a Wing-T offense this season with new offensive coordinator Ronnie McClary at the helm. The new scheme forces Hollingsworth to change from being a quarterback to knowing all the skill positions and becoming more of an offensive weapon. He'll line up under center most of the time, but will split a lot of action with rising senior Tyaire Allen.

"Their skill sets are a little bit different," head coach David Lee said. "Jacob's a better thrower and Tyaire's a better runner, but we're going to try and use them to keep team's guessing."

Hollingsworth came into the season already familiar with the new responsibilities he would inherit. He knew where everyone was supposed to be anyway.

"It's something new to pick on," Hollingsworth said. "But I know the responsibilities from being quarterback. And from watching a lot of football I'm starting to pick up on it."

The transition this season that's been most unfamiliar with Hollingsworth is the move he's made to the defensive side of the ball. For the first time in his high school career he has been seeing time in practice at corner back.

A smaller team in numbers, the Saints will need a lot of players to play both sides of the ball.

Hollingsworth is up to the task.

"We have a young team, but we have a lot more discipline than in the past,"  he said. "We've got some sophomores starting who have done well. I feel like we're going to do some work this year."

The senior comes into the season with a chip on his shoulder. He feels he has much to prove and some things to check off of his list before his high school career ends.

A year ago, Hollingsworth tore the ligament in his right biceps on the Saints' last offensive series against Charles B. Aycock. He had rushed for 173 yards and accounted for four touchdowns before the injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

He missed the opportunity to see what he could do against the big 4-A schools in the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A split conference. One year later, he gets to showcase his ability against the best competition and hopefully help lead the Saints to playoffs for the first time since his freshman season.

Lee expects Hollingsworth to be a key contributor on the field.

"If we can get him to show leadership, rally the troops, make good decisions and compete then we're going to be OK," Lee said. "That's what we need out of him."

Hollingsworth has competed during the preseason.

He has shown no signs of hesitancy coming back to the gridiron from his arm injury. He narrowly escaped surgery, and after three months of rehab, he played baseball in the spring. Some players are uncertain of whether their injuries are completely healed until they play the sport where they encountered the injury.

During a recent contact drill, Hollingsworth's hits were noticeably louder than those of his peers. Like the Seahawks, he does everything hard.

"It's all dogs out here, boy," Hollingsworth yells to his teammates. "Ain't no puppies on this field."