Nixa coach John Perry reports offensive lineman Landon Holland “is one of our leaders in the clubhouse” in regard to the number of Eagles stickers adorning his helmet.
Holland’s sticker count is up to 30, partly a reflection of the hours and hours he’s logged watching game and practice film.
Perry’s players are awarded stickers for their accomplishments on game night, a;long with their dedication toward details such as watching film.
“We kind of bribe them a little bit. If they watch a certain amount of Hudl film, they get a sticker for their helmet,” Perry said. “We figure, ‘Whatever works.’ We've got a lot of kids with a lot of stickers. We’ve won a bunch of games. Kids have done well and we’ve rewarded them.
“We did it in year one (of his tenure at Nixa), but didn’t do it last year,” he added. “They wanted to bring it back and I was totally fine with it. If they enjoy it, I’m all for it.”
Holland is all-in.
“I’ve watched Lee’s Summit North’s whole season this week,” Holland said of his preparation for Nixa’s Class 6 District 3 championship game tonight against the Broncos.
Holland feels the film-study gives him an edge.
“I’m always one step ahead of (opponents) from watching them on film,” he said. “I can pick up tendencies, what their first step is going to be, what their stunts are and signs to give away blitzes.”
“He’s a football fanatic. It’s a large part of his life,” Perry said. “He’s going to watch film, lift weights and enjoy playing the sport.”
Stickers haven’t been the only reward Holland has received. He was tabbed Nixa’s ‘Offensive Lineman of The Game’ for the Backyard Brawl at Ozark three weeks ago.
“Normally, Garrett (Davidson) wins it every week. It’s a given for Garrett to win it. But I think my grade was actually higher than his for the first time that game,” Holland said. “We had a solid offensive line performance at Ozark. Everyone had really high grades and a lot of knockdowns.”
Perry values Holland’s consistent improvement.
“He’s gotten better every single week and is a great example of repetition making you better,” Perry said. “He’s turned himself into a really good offensive lineman who we can count on every Friday night.”
Holland and his cohorts along the offensive line created enough holes last week for Ramone Green to rush for 252 yards.
Holland held his own and then some as a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder lined up across many Ray-Pec defenders in the 250-pound range and up. He’s expecting similar matchups against Lee’s Summit North defenders and hoping for similar results.
“Low man wins all the time,” Holland said “That big guy in front of me, I’m trying to put my face mask in his neck, get under him, lift him up and get him moving backward.”
“A lot of those guys were bigger than me last week,” he added. “I’m 50 pounds lighter than most of these guys. But I come out here every day with my head on fire ready to go. Every day is looking to get to Nov. 26 and win a state championship.”
