CRESPI'S HOLT NIGHTMARE FOR OPPOSING OFFENSES SENIOR IS DAILY NEWS' TOP DEFENSIVE LINEMAN.Byline: SEAN n. 1. A seine. See Seine. CEGLINSKY Staff Writer D.J. Holt carefully tapes his wrists and ankles on the sideline, then double-checks to make sure his cleats, pads and chin strap are securely fastened. He takes the field and sets up in a three-point stance The Three-point stance is a stance used by offensive and defensive linemen in American football as well as running backs. This stance requires one hand to touch the ground with the other arm cocked back to the thigh/hip region. at the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for , hovering over an offensive tackle, ready to explode with the snap. His preparation doesn't differ much from any other lineman's, but blink and you might miss what comes next, what sets the Crespi High of Encino senior apart from his peers. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound end uses an explosive first step to get around the corner, or a powerful swim move inside -- and sometimes both -- whatever it takes to get into the backfield and stop the running back in his tracks or throw the quarterback for a loss. ``He's a nightmare for whoever has to deal with him,'' Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross said about Holt, the Daily News' top-ranked defensive lineman. ``You don't see kids like him around here very often. He's not normal.'' Holt is a fourth-year starter for the Celts The following pages provide lists of nations or people of Celtic origin, arranged by branch of Celtic ethnicity or language grouping: Goidelic Celts
Holt also rushed for 236 yards on 28 carries, caught 48 passes for 840 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. ``The thing about D.J. is he's more mature, both physically and mentally, than most kids his age,'' said Sione Fua, a freshman lineman at Stanford following a storied career at Crespi. ``He gets after it.'' Fua and Daryl Fields, now at Utah State, tutored Holt, who is ready to anchor the Celts' defense and mentor younger teammates. ``He's a bona fide [Latin, In good faith.] Honest; genuine; actual; authentic; acting without the intention of defrauding. A bona fide purchaser is one who purchases property for a valuable consideration that is inducement for entering into a contract and without suspicion of being star,'' Ross said. ``He shows out.'' In January, Holt impressed against the country's best defensive linemen at the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. , bench-pressing 305 pounds, squating 425 and throwing up 265 on the power clean. ``To be the best, you have to go up against the best,'' Holt said. ``I was up for the challenge. I'm up for any challenge.'' He also covers 40 yards in 4.6 seconds, and his combination of strength and speed has attracted interest from prominent Division I college programs and pushed Holt up the charts kept by several national recruiting services. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 22 defensive end in the nation -- trailing only Long Beach Poly's Kenny Rowe (No. 3) and Verbum Dei and Los Angeles' Akeem Ayers (No. 9) among the state's top recruits -- and the No. 32 overall player in California. Holt is viewed by Scout.com as a more versatile prospect. It projects he'll be better suited at linebacker at the next level, ranking him 14th nationally at the position. USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , Nebraska and Miami are among those with an interest. ``Holt is a football player. No matter where he plays, he can adjust,'' said Brandon Huffman, a West Coast recruiting analyst for Scout.com. ``He's one of the best athletes, especially for his size, in the West. He's aggressive and has great instincts and is constantly around the ball.'' He'll be pivotal as Crespi plays a difficult nonleague schedule, beginning with Friday's opener at City Section power Birmingham of Lake Balboa, but things are just as tough in the Serra League, in which the Celts will compete with Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Loyola of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and Bishop Amat of La Puente La Puente (lä pwĕn`tē), city (1990 pop. 36,955), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles; laid out 1841, inc. 1956. Primarily residential, the city manufactures hardware, electronics, and paper products. for two playoff berths. Says Holt: ``We're not going to back down against anybody.'' Ross, a former Fresno State offensive lineman, knows Holt won't back down. ``D.J. would have been one of those guys I would have hated playing against,'' Ross said. ``His combination of speed and power is similar to what you see in the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga now. ``He creates mismatches all over the field. He looks the part and plays the part. He's a coach's dream. The whole package.'' sean.ceglinsky@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Defensive lineman D.J. Holt of Crespi High of Encino benches 305 pounds and runs 40 yards in 4.6 seconds. He also had 13 touchdowns last season. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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