St. Charles North’s Joell Holloman carving own path at running back

ST. CHARLES – Joell Holloman had the example of what excellence looked like in front of him.

Now-graduated Drew Surges demonstrated that plenty on the football field. Surges, the 2022 Kane County Chronicle Male Athlete of the Year, did it all at St. Charles North: 888 rushing yards on 179 carries, averaged 74 rushing yards a game and had 638 receiving yards on 42 catches. Defensively, Surges had a team-high 96 tackles.

Now is the chance for Holloman to make his own mark.

“I kind of took notes off of Drew,” the junior said. “I see if I can either do it or do it better. That just motivates me.”

Last season, Holloman had 264 rushing yards and one touchdown in 11 games.

North Stars starting quarterback Ethan Plumb was even quick to interject about Hollomon’s offseason growth.

“You’ve been working hard in the weight room,” Plumb said to his teammate as practice wrapped up on Wednesday. “It’s cool seeing you in there. I know how dedicated and motivated you are for this year because you’re going to have a year.”

“It’s everything: It’s little things, he’s working hard on and off the field and doing everything he can to get better.”

Holloman’s ability to reach the second level in a hurry should soon become apparent. One play during an overnight football experience at Northern Illinois University over the summer was an eye-opener to Plumb.

“Outside speed,” Plumb said. “If [he] gets through that first level, he’s gone. ... I think it was the second play of the scrimmage, broke one and was just gone. It’s going to be special to see that kind of speed because I think he’s going to bring that to the table this year.”

“My vision [is also a strength]. Seeing what the lay of the land is,” Holloman said.

Plumb, now in his third varsity season, is looking to build upon a season that saw him split time with now-graduated senior Will Vaske. After starting the season, Plumb was briefly supplanted by Vaske until he sustained a shoulder injury in Week 4. Plumb held down the ship until Vaske’s return after a month off to close the regular season in a triumphant double overtime victory over Batavia.

“I think this year, I’ve been saying it since the start of summer: I’ve been [about] feeling a lot more confident,” Plumb said. “I’ve been really lucky to be on varsity these past two years and now this third year. I think the key word is ‘confidence’. We’ve got a great team this year. The guys this year are really connected and with connection comes trust.”

During red zone live-action on Wednesday, Plumb visibly directed receivers following two separate plays on what route was supposed to be run, or where he expected them to be.

“This year, I made a key point that I want to know every in and out of this offense,” Plumb said. “Because it is my third year and I should. I definitely feel like I have that down now to the point where I’m seeing things out there I wasn’t seeing last year and also understanding the concept behind it; and exactly how, if we’ve got a guy running the wrong route, why we need to make sure he’s that right position because that’ll [affect] another guy.”

Plumb is going to be primarily supplemented by senior wideouts Jake Mettetal and Anthony Taormina, plus tight end Jake Furtney as the major chess pieces on offense skill-wise. Along the offensive line, left to right, will be Jesse Moreno, Chris Smith, Lincoln Epstein, Declan Smith and Gabe Tate.

“It’s going to be special this year because we’re not as big as we were last year but we got a lot of heart,” Plumb said. “They’re working their butts off and it’s cool to see that. From the beginning to the summer to where we are now: Again, exponentially better and it’s great to see them working that hard because it’s going to pay off in the games and everyone is going to see that.”