HOLLY POND, Ala. — In this interview, I talked to former Holly Pond football and baseball player, Andy Light. Andy had some great sports memories during his time at Holly Pond and always learned something new at school.
“My favorite baseball memories were when I hit my first home run my junior year and when we made it to state my senior year. One of my favorite football memories was when I returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Vinemont. I wasn’t the person that normally returned the kickoffs, so for me to return it for a touchdown was very special to me. After that, I tried to do it every time and if I couldn’t, I tried to get as many yards as possible every time.” Light said. “My favorite thing about Holly Pond was there was always something new and different every day.”
Andy feels lucky to have played for some great coaches in football and baseball and soaked up as much as he could from them.
“I played for a lot of great baseball coaches: Mark Bell, Kolton Sellers, and Nick Boulahanis. I’m very thankful to have played for them. My dad coached me ever since I started playing baseball and he helped me the most,” Light said. “They all want to push you to be better and they pushed you to be the best that you can be. If you want something, you have to work for it. You have to earn it.”
“My football coaches last season wanted us to give it everything that we had. They all pushed us to be better and do the plays perfect in practice. I loved having them all as my coaches and it wasn’t always just about football. They wanted us to be prepared for life and what life might throw at us. Don’t stop and give up.”
Andy learned a lot at Holly Pond and feels very blessed to be a Bronco. He will deeply miss being at Holly Pond this year.
“I’ve learned to be a hard worker, to be a good leader, and to lead by example. Holly Pond’s a small school and the environment is relaxing, but it’s also high-energy and they make you feel welcome every day,” he said. “I’m mostly going to miss sports, from the early morning workouts, to the late practices, to the jokes that we made, and all of the conversations that we had on the baseball field. I’m also going to miss some of the teachers, like coach Neal and coach Rankhorn, and some other teachers that made an impact on my life.”
Andy will also miss being a leader to the younger players and he taught them a lot during his time at Holly Pond.
“It was very important to be a leader to the younger players because they are the future of these programs. I tried to be a leader and act a certain way on the field because they look up to the older boys. You have to show them how to act and not to goof off too much, but to have fun with it and listen. Pay attention and do things the right way and play like you practice.”
Andy gave some words of advice to the students that just started high school a few weeks ago.
“Have fun in high school and enjoy it.”
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