Old Forge’s Holland chooses Holy Cross

Old Forge will send it first football player in over a decade to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS or Division I-AA) school after standout Kyle Holland decided to further his gridiron career and his education at the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Holland chose Holy Cross over Bucknell, Maine, Lafayette and Temple. In the end, the Crusaders were the perfect fit for the 2009 Associated Press Pennsylvania First-Team All-State selection at right tackle.

“It’s the best fit for me,” said Holland who originally thought he would be going to Bucknell before Holy Cross came in with a better offer just two days before National Letter of Intent Day which was Wednesday. “I loved the area when I visited. It’s beautiful there. I also loved the school and the coaching staff is great.

“The program is one of the best in FCS football. It’s just the perfect fit for me. It’s where I wanted to be.”

The Crusaders finished 9-3 last season and won the Patriot League before being ousted in the first round of the FCS Championship Tournament by eventual National Champion Villanova, 38-28. Under Head Coach Tom Gilmore, Holy Cross has won 30 games in the past four seasons.

“It means a lot to be able to play at that level,” said Holland, who was a finalist for the prestigious Fiore Cesare and Hookey Reap awards this year. “Working hard for all those years, its what I always hoped for and what I strived for – to get to this level and play.”

Holland - who is also an Eagle Scout – is the first Blue Devil to reach the I-AA level on the football field since Russ Giglio played at Lafayette in 1999, and only the fourth Old Forge gridder to reach the level, joining Giglio, and Tony Petras and Joe Zablielski who played at Columbia and Bucknell respectively from 1991-1995.

Old Forge Head Coach Mike Schuback attributes Holland’s work ethic to his success.

“Kyle is a great example of hard work paying off in the classroom and on the football field,” said Schuback. “He is an outstanding student, has an outstanding personality, and is an outstanding teammate. I think every kid that plays for us now can look at Kyle as a role model. We as coaches can point to him and say to our kids, ‘Look what he has accomplished because of his hard work. His work ethic has paid off. He has done what he has set out to do. He has set goals and accomplished them.’

“I am very happy for him and very proud of him. It was a daunting process for him and his family. So many schools had interest in him because of his talent. I think the right fit is Holy Cross. He wanted to be at Holy Cross and I am excited for him.”

Holland and his family – his dad Mike was a college football player at Drake University – also attribute his success to the Old Forge coaching staff and family friend Steve Armillay.

“Coach Schuback took a bunch of sophomores three years ago and took a gamble,” said Mike Holland. “It not only paid off for the program, but for Kyle especially. If he didn’t get that chance as a sophomore I don’t know if he would have been accelerated at this point in his career. We’re happy he gave him that chance.

“We also thank Steve Armillay who coached me when I was in high school and allowed me to get to the next level. Thirty years later he came back into our family’s life and helped Kyle with his off-season training.”

Holland will receive a grant-in-aid package from Holy Cross that amounts to close to a full scholarship according to the Old Forge HS Guidance Department.

The senior is ranked 8th academically in his class and is also a member of the University of Scranton’s Dual Enrollment Program.

“I feel everyone who plays in the Old Forge football program should try to attain something like this,” said Holland. “And even if it’s not at this level, they should have goals academically and on the field and work to attain.