Senior lineman wanting to take epic 2023 season’s momentum into 2024

For Central Tigers senior lineman Cole Holcomb, the 2023 season could not have been more of a fairy tale journey. It included the program’s first-ever undefeated regular 10-0 season, a district championship, a trip to Class A playoffs and an appearance in the state quarterfinals.

“The whole time, it didn’t even feel real,” Holcomb said. “It was magical. It wasn’t even breathtaking. I really couldn’t tell you what it felt like because my freshman year, we weren’t that great. My sophomore year, we got better, then last year obviously with that 12-1 (record). It felt like an accumulation of hard work and so much dedication was finally getting realized.”

What made the epic journey even more fun was he got to do it with most of his teammates from all the years of playing football for the Tigers.

“I’ve been playing with those guys since before high school and before junior high,” Holcomb said. “I still have some of them with me, but most of my friends were in that grade (seniors last year). To get there with those guys, it just felt amazing.”

The senior lineman believes the Tigers can take the momentum from the magical 2023 season into this new season.

“I think so,” Holcomb said. “We still have the same mindset going into it. We have some guys who haven’t seen the field yet, but just seeing what happened last year lit a fire under them. They’re ready to go. They’re tugging at the chain. They’re wanting to get going.”

The new season will begin at 7 tonight with the home opener vs. the Heavener Wolves at Tiger Stadium.

“I’ve had this day marked on my calendar for those Heavener Wolves,” Holcomb said. “I’m ready to go. We’re very excited for that.”

If there is a bittersweet feeling for Holcomb, it’s that this season will be his last on the gridiron for the Tigers.

“It’s the last round and the last ride,” he said. “It’s got to be the best one. You can’t have it end in failure. There’s always a thought in the back of a player’s mind about what can I do to make myself better and make my team better. Last year, I didn’t have much of a leader role because we had so many seniors. Now, we have eight seniors, so all of us (seniors) have to pull more weight and more of a leadership role. There’s definitely more duty for me and more of a leadership role that was left unfilled from last year.”

Obviously, there is one way to make this final season as a Tiger the best it could be for Holcomb — winning the Class A Division II state championship and bringing that gold ball home to the trophy case.

“It would mean the world to me,” he said. “Bringing home a gold ball for your school is one of the main things an athlete works for. Being able to play on that big of a stage for so many people — and that hometown crowd coming out just to watch you play. your last game — that would be my dream. I would like to say most of our dreams on this team. That gold ball would definitely mean the world to us. There’s nothing more you could want as a high school player. It’s just the ultimate goal.”