Holly Hill Academy Adjusting To 11-Man Game

By David Shelton

Senior Writer

Holly Hill – After a dominant run of about a decade in eight-man football, Holly Hill Academy is making the move to the more traditional 11-man game in 2026.

Leading the transition is second-year head coach Stuart Hydrick. The Raiders won their season opener, beating St. John’s Christian, before taking a loss to Carolina Academy in their second outing. Hydrick feels his team is making the adjustment well.

“I think it’s exciting for the kids to be playing the type of football they watch on television,” Hydrick said. ‘It is a bit different, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. IN eight-man we pretty much play man coverage but we’ve had to learn the zone concepts. It is taking some time to make the adjustment but the kids worked hard all summer. We did some 7-on-7 stuff and that helped us. I think we’re progressing well. Just have to keep working at it.”

Injuries have been an early issue as two of the top returning players are out of action early. The hope is that Tyler Green, a linebacker and the leading tackler, and Jake Kirven, a running back and linebacker, can return to action by midseason.

One key returner that is healthy is leading rusher Parker Kizer, who was a terror to tackle on the eight-man level. Kizer topped 3,000 rushing yards and accounted for 52 touchdowns last season.

“He is a major weapon offensively but we have four new starters on the offensive line,” Hydrick said.

The starter at quarterback this fall is freshman Nathan Green. The primary receivers are sophomores William Thompson and Christian Stevens, along with junior Jackson Jones.

The lone returner along the front is senior Aarev Patel. Other starters as the season began included Chase Holder, Caleb Bell, Jordan Wren and J.P. McGriff.

McGriff is a returner on the defensive line. Kizer, Wren and Zack Weatherford at working at linebacker while Green recovers. Bell and sophomore Jaden Krier are working up front as well.

 Stevens, Jones, Thompson and Nathan Green are starters in the secondary.



“This group has a great attitude and they give great effort,” Hydrick said. “We have a lot of underclassmen on the field so the more they play and the more they learn, it’s going to benefit us in the future. It’s still blocking and tackle, no matter what level of football you play. We work hard on the fundamentals and I can see the improvement every day. Just gotta keep it going.”