Holness commits to St. Clair
A.N. Myer’s D’Angelo Holness made an instant impression on the St. Clair College coaching staff while playing for the Marauders in an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Bowl game in Windsor last November.
“We were really attracted to his hustle right away,” St. Clair head coach Mike LaChance said. “He had the size and you could tell he was an athlete and he had the nice build. But it was that motor. He just had a non-stop motor and he was running all over the field. Whether he was in the play or not he was chasing it down from behind.”
About a quarter into the bowl game, St. Clair defensive coordinator Mike Morenci told LaChance that he needed Number 16 (Holness) and was going to talk to him after the game.
“As soon as the game ended, he bee-lined to D’Angelo and he was the first guy he talked to and we were on him ever since.”
LaChance is projecting Holness to play a Jack linebacker which is a standup end/linebacker hybrid position with pass rush responsibilities.
“He will be tasked with getting after the quarterback fast and furious. We have some other guys at that spot but that is where he will be competing,” he said. “I think he can be an impact player right away for us whether as a starter or rotational guy who plays on special teams. Right now he is 6-foot-3, 205. Next year when you see him he will probably be 6-foot-3, 235. He has a good frame and we have a good off-season program for him.”
That Holness signed a full scholarship with St. Clair is somewhat surprising considering he never played football until Grade 11.
“I had him in my phys-ed classes and when kids told me he was going to come out I wasn’t sure. Honestly, he seemed to be a kid that didn’t care too much about playing football,” Myer head coach Dave Buchanan said.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Instantly he gave us an edge and his compete level was very high. He didn’t really know what he was doing but he just kept improving from that time on. In Grade 12, he had a great year and then this year he just dominated. He is much stronger than he looks and he is a little bit heavier than what people think. He is 205 but plays like he is 250 and has a motor that is extreme.”
Holness, who was named the 2023 defensive MVP of the Niagara Region High School Athetic Association Tier 1 senior football league from his defensive end position, remember his roots.
“I played basketball for four years and then after my first year of playing football I was getting way more attention than I ever did playing basketball. I decided to spend all time doing one thing instead of splitting it into two. I went with football,” the 18-year-old Niagara Falls resident said. “I was having a lot of fun but I wasn’t taking it too seriously. But then I fell in love with it.”
With that love came a desire to get better.
“It has been a lot of film study, refining all of my techniques and being dominant last season really helped me to get a look at myself and see where I was so I could help myself get to the next level.”
He cant wait to get started on the next step of his football journey.
“I am excited to get started. There are mini camps coming up and I am going to go out there and show them what I can do. I am working towards a starting spot right now. I have been playing D line for the last three years and I am looking for a linebacker position.”
He is planning to study business and finance.
“Math is my strongest suit and it is a lot of math. I want to be a financial manager so it all lines up. It is perfect.”
To prepare for the season, he will continue to hit the weight room and focus on his diet so he can push his weight to 215-220 pounds by the start of the season
“I am looking forward to the environment, the team and doing the hard work.”
St. Clair plays in the Canadian Junior Football League. It is the only college playing in the league but Sault College will be joining next season.
“Hopefully it is something that catches on and everybody starts to affiliate with their local colleges but until then we will play it out as the only guys,” LaChance said. “It is really high-calibre football especially out west. They do a good job with their programs. Ontario is always playing catch-up a little bit but we are hoping to pull that up and catch up to what they are doing in Saskatchewan.”
The team plays an eight-game regular season plus playoffs. It starts the second week of August and finishes Remembrance Day weekend.
St. Clair’s home is $12 million-Acumen Stadium and its roster includes three Europeans, three Americans and players from across Canada.
