Position(s): Cornerback
School: Florence Elementary School (Mesquite, TX)
Team: Mesquite Mustangs – Mesquite D1 League
Player #: 10
Grade: Third grade
Speed. Agility. Strength. Adaptability. These are a few of the characteristics a football cornerback should possess in order to achieve maximum potential. Third grader Dalone Holloman Jr. (8) already has much of that potential and is working on boosting the other necessary skills to dominate all aspects of the game.
Speed is what comes naturally to Holloman. As one of the fastest on his Mesquite Mustangs pee wee league football team, running is where he feels he excels.
“Once I take off running, no one can catch me,” Holloman said. “That’s why one of my favorite things about football is running the ball and scoring touchdowns.”
But in order to achieve his goal of learning and growing in every position of the game, Holloman must step outside of his comfort zone (learning lineman) and stretch himself in order to become an all-around athlete.
The objective of pee wee league football is to teach young players the fundamentals of the game and to emphasize the qualities that need developing in order to be successful. Success for Holloman is to one day play football in college like his dad, and later professionally, in the National Football League (NFL) like his all-time favorite NFL player Dak Prescott.
“I’ve played football for four years, and I grew up watching my dad play, too,” he said. “I know it takes a lot of hard work, but the first step is learning.”
One way Hollowman has worked to expand and improve his skill set is by taking on additional sports — basketball and baseball. Studies show that playing multiple sports leads to better muscle (strength), speed, balance and promotes agility and adaptability. Seemingly, all the characteristics of a cornerback.
With Hollowman’s continued persistence and drive to promote his athleticism, there’s no doubt that someday, he’ll reach maximum potential.
