Holly Directs Harvard Past Bell-Jeff and Into Playoffs

Marty Holly left. Marty Holly right. Marty Holly up the middle. In simplest terms, that is Harvard High’s offense.

Running the ball out of the single-wing formation, Holly scored three touchdowns and rushed for 225 yards in 26 carries as Harvard built a 23-0 lead early in the fourth quarter then held on to defeat Bell-Jeff, 23-12, Saturday at Harvard. The outcome decided third place in the Santa Fe League and a playoff berth.

Holly, a 5-11, 187-pound junior, boosted his season rushing total to 1,169 yards and his touchdown total to 15. He churned out all but five of the Saracens’ yards until being removed from the game with 11 minutes left.

The old-fashioned offensive set used by Harvard was troublesome for Bell-Jeff.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen that offense in the six years I’ve been at Bell-Jeff,” Coach Doug Woodlief said. “It’s different than most offenses we’ve defended this year, so we had to study how to stop it.”

Study or otherwise, Bell-Jeff did not stop the single wing. In Harvard’s first possession, Holly carried the ball all seven times on a 40-yard scoring drive, capping it with a three-yard sweep.

Sam Cooper gave Harvard a 10-0 halftime lead with a 39-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Early in the third quarter, Holly drove the Saracens 72 yards in 7 plays, scoring on a 17-yard burst off left tackle.

Bell-Jeff (5-4-1, 2-4), which had been shut out in three consecutive games, drove inside the Harvard 10 in the first and third quarters but could not score.

The Guards finally got on the scoreboard when quarterback Bob Tumas hit Tom Stanley with a 17-yard touchdown pass with 10:43 left. The pair teamed again four minutes later on a 24-yard scoring strike. Tumas passed for 223 yards, completing 18 of 33 passes and threw an interception.

Phil Reynolds of Bell-Jeff, who entered the game with 933 yards rushing, gained only 47 yards in 16 carries.