CONWAY -- Zaine Holley will wear the Pea Ridge Blackhawks' black and red helmet for the final time tonight.
Holley's appearance in the 62nd Arkansas High School Coaches Association's All-Star football game at Estes Stadium on the University of Central Arkansas campus caps one of the most memorable athletic seasons for Pea Ridge. The school played in the state football and boys' basketball championship games during the 2016-2017 academic year for the first time.
All-Star Football
WHEN 7 p.m. today
WHERE Estes Stadium, Conway
TICKETS $6
SERIES East leads 32-27-1
LAST YEAR West won 31-21
The former Blackhawks running back, who will play for the West All-Stars today, said it will be sad to be wearing Pea Ridge colors for the last time, but also is proud of his career with the school.
"I'll look back on it and think, 'It was a really fun time. I was really glad I got to be a Blackhawk,' " Holley said.
Holley helped the Blackhawks soar in 2016 as he rumbled on the ground in Coach Stephen Neal's first season.
Holley rushed 287 times for 1,590 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 106 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry.
Bentonville West Coach Bryan Pratt, who is an assistant coach this week for the West All-Stars, has appreciated working with Holley.
"He's a great kid," Pratt said. "He works really hard. A lot of them do. He's been very receptive to us coming in installing a Spread offense, which a lot of them may not have had. It's been fun, it really has.
Holley will move on to play football at NCAA Division III Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after today's game.
"I really loved the campus and all of the coaches," Holley said. "I love the offense. It's similar to what I ran in high school."
Pea Ridge's victory over defending Class 4A champion Nashville in the second round of the playoffs was a season highlight, Holley said.
The Blackhawks' 53-28 victory at Scrapper Stadium ended Nashville's 26-game winning streak and a avenged a Pea Ridge loss in the 2015 semifinals.
"They were No. 1 at the time," Holley said. "They had beaten us the previous year. That was a big win for all of us.
"We gained a little bit of confidence in each other. We were like, 'We can do it.' "
Pea Ridge then defeated Hamburg and Shiloh Christian in the Class 4A playoffs to reach its first state championship game. But the Blackhawks (13-2) lost to Warren 54-37. Holley rushed 20 times for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns, with his first touchdown capping a 20-play, 85-yard drive that took 9:29 off the clock in the first half.
Holley said he understands why some players from Division I schools have not played in the game in recent years, but he considers it an honor, and he's not having any regrets about being at UCA this week.
"I've had guys from my high school go and they've said it's a great experience," Holley said. "You have a great week and you get to meet new players. You get to learn more about other parts of Arkansas. It's a chance to play against the best Arkansas has to offer.
"You get to compete every day. You get better as a player and a person every day. I think that's really important.
"I chose to do it because I thought it would be fun. It's an amazing experience so far."
Sports on 06/23/2017