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Huskies Extend Offer to Desert Speedster

Wide receiver and safety for San Jacinto High begins to draw interest.
Dan Raley|
Huskies Extend Offer to Desert Speedster
Huskies Extend Offer to Desert Speedster

Lined up to the far left, wide receiver Vincent Holmes for the San Jacinto High School Tigers stood atop a large, white 20 on the hashmark, covered one on one.

On the snap, he took off like an Olympic sprinter and the San Clemente defender opposite him never had a chance.

Holmes hauled in a pass in full stride at the 45, parallel to a giant tiger paw affixed to the middle of the field, and he raced to the end zone to complete an 80-yard scoring play without anyone coming within 10 yards of him.

Forty miles from Palm Springs, at the base of the picturesque San Jacinto Mountains, Holmes went the distance with hardly any trouble. 

Typically Top Gun pilots fly over this region. Actor Tom Cruise in the movie memorably declared, "We have the need for speed." Holmes  can provide it.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound junior is just beginning to catch the eye of various talent scouts, to realize all that he can do on the football field, to use his blazing 4.4-second speed over 40 yards to make other look helpless.

On Thursday, University of Washington recruiters offered Holmes a football scholarship, displaying their own ability to move fast on a desired prospect.

Over the past week, Holmes has received offers from the UW, Arizona and Northern Arizona, as people begin to learn about him and his exploits while playing in the desert.

Against Beaumont High, he was equally explosive, catching 6 passes for 192 yards and score. 

Holmes finished the season for a 9-2 San Jacinto team with 32 receptions for 633 yards and 5 touchdowns, 8 scores overall.

The thing is, wide receiver might not be his best position.

Also a safety, Holmes ended the season for the Tigers with 22 tackles, including a pair for lost yards, 2 interceptions and 2 pass breakups. 

San Jacinto coach Aric Galliano does not hesitate to promote his soon-to-be three-year starter who was named Mountain Pass most valuable player. Again, as a junior.

Holmes' speed clearly works well on either side of the ball. Catch him if you can.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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