On Saturday, Holley, playing in his 10th game of the season and his fourth with a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL), needed 252 yards to break the school’s single-season rushing record of 1,442 yards set by Jeff Clayton in 11 games.
The 5-foot-9-inch sophomore from El Modena High School knew what he needed to do and opted not to tape his knee so he wouldn’t have to think about the injury.
As a result, Holley played in arguably his best game at OCC, rushing for 266 yards and all five of the team’s touchdowns on Saturday and set the all-time record at 1,457 yards in a season.
“It feels great,” Holley said. “I worked for it, everyone else worked for it and they helped me get there. It was a great group of guys we played with and it was fun. I just wish that it would last another week.”However, the Pirates did lose to Long Beach City College 42-38 and no one was more disappointed than Holley.
“It sucks to be a sophomore, come out and be this close to make it to a bowl game,” Holley said. “It just sucks to lose this way.”
But it’s not just the single-season rushing record that he’ll be known for.
“That kid’s got the most heart that I’ve ever seen,” said teammate Jimmy Keating after the 33-27 triple overtime victory against Santa Ana College on Oct. 10.
Holley sprained MCL on the Pirates’ first offensive possession in that game but played through the injury and finished with 42 carries for 191 yards and three touchdowns n the last being the game winning score.
That’s not just having heart. That’s having courage, determination and pride like no other athlete I’ve ever come across.
Ever.
He also puts on an eye-black before every game with the initial PIW — which stands for put in work.
“The guy’s a solider,” sophomore teammate Jimmy Keating said. “Put in work is his motto. He puts in the work everyday and no one wanted (Saturday’s game) more than him.”
Head coach Mike Taylor said that Holley not only puts his time in on the football field during practice, but he also studies films regularly and puts the effort in the weight room.
“Ray’s a great kid; I’ve said that from the get-go,” he said. “He’s a team kid, the team loves him, he’s got lots of energy (and) he practices hard.”
This season, Holley had 75 percent of the Pirates’ touchdowns, involved in 45.3 percent of plays of scrimmage and rushed for 311 times — almost 100 more times than the previous record holder Bart Recktenwald (216).
The stats and records he has set speak volumes about his football abilities but it’s what’s behind pads and the helmet that makes him truly stands out.
This season, he’s also showed all the Coast fans the expression of “leaving everything out on the field.” This season, he showed what it means to play through an injury.
Records are mean to be broken but I hope no one breaks the school records Holley’s set in 2009.
[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]
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