The NKyTribune will be offering focused coverage of NKY high school football throughout the season, thanks to support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. See all our pre-season features on each of NKY’s 21 high school football teams and follow our coverage, including roundups each week at Northern Kentucky High School Football.
By Brett Bibbins
NKyTribune contributor
There aren’t many times when a coach will say he wouldn’t change what he did after a losing season, but that’s what Holmes football coach Ben Nevels will tell you. Last year’s 2-9 campaign may have been a struggle for the Bulldogs, but Nevels knows the groundwork that was laid.
“We knew that we could cut some corners and win a few more ball games or we could stay the course of what we knew we had to do,” said the third-year head coach. “We chose to do the little things right and stay the course. Ultimately, that may have cost us a few games last year.”
Nevels feels like the Bulldogs set a strong foundation last year and the players need to continue working together and focusing on fundamentals as building blocks for success.
“We like to say ‘one brick at a time, we got to do one little thing at a time,’” said senior outside linebacker and tight end Sean Sullivan. “And it leads to our greater purpose of being a good football team.”
Taking care of the little things, along with a strong returning senior class, has changed the team dynamic for this season. What was once a group of players dominated by selfish personalities has become a goal-oriented team in every meaning of the word.
“We have more of a total team mindset this year, instead of ‘let me make this play’ or ‘I can do this myself,’” said Andrew Arnold, a senior running back wide receiver and strong safety.
That team mindset has the Bulldogs aiming at a more successful season, something the current players have yet to experience. The last time Holmes won a district title in football was 2010 and the team hasn’t won a post-season playoff game since 2009.
“One of our goals this season is to win the district championship,” said senior Desean Brumfield, who will be playing quarterback and cornerback this year. “And even more, to make it past the first round of the playoffs.”
Those are lofty goals for a team that only won two games last season, but Nevels believes this group will definitely be more successful.
“This group of seniors has bought in,” he said. “You can see them walking the street, in the store, walking the hall, you name it, they are living and showing how we expect things to be done. That’s going to show the difference on the field this year.”
Coach Nevels believes the true way to on-field success is through teaching his players about more than football.
“We focus on doing the little things right,” he said. “We say we’re going to teach life, we’re going to teach everything but football, initially. Once we get all that stuff down, the football will take care of itself.”
Team goals of winning on the field are evident in the minds of the Holmes players, but they realize it all comes from doing things the right way and taking it one step at a time.
“Our team goal this year is to just keep building brick by brick,” said Alex Olvera-Vancini, a senior defensive end and right guard. “We just want to keep building this team up.”
HOLMES BULLDOGS
2014 SEASON: 2-9 record, lost in first round of Class 4A state playoffs.
THIS SEASON: Class 4A, District 7 with Bourbon County, Harrison County, Mason County, Scott.
COACH: Ben Nevels (7-15 in two seasons at Holmes).
2015 SCHEDULE
Aug. 21 – HOLY CROSS, 7 p.m.
Aug. 28 – at Paris, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 – WALTON-VERONA, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 – at Lloyd, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 – at Bellevue, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 – at Harrison County, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 9 – at Bourbon County, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 16 – MASON COUNTY, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 – SCOTT, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – at Newport, 7 p.m.
See these NKyTribune prep football previews:
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Ludlow
Campbell County
Highlands
Dixie Heights
Bellevue
Newport
NewCath
Conner
Covington Catholic