By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Nathan Holley is no stranger when it comes to coaching soccer at Saugatuck.
In addition to coaching both the boys and girls middle school teams, Holley has served as an assistant coach for the Saugatuck boys varsity team the past two seasons.
Now, Holley has moved into the head coaching position of the boys varsity squad.
Holley takes the reins from Neal Phillips, who is taking over as head coach of the Saugatuck girls varsity soccer team following the retirement of Jim Theis.
“With Coach Phillips moving over the girls program, I was asked if I wanted to take over the boys team,” Holley said. “It was one of the easiest ‘yeses’ in my life.
“Since I’ve been an assistant coach with the boys varsity team the past two seasons, I’m familiar with the program. So it was a solid fit.”
Soccer was Holley’s first love when it came to sports, as he played travel soccer throughout his youth. As a teenager, he even had the opportunity to travel to Europe to play and train with some clubs in the Netherlands.
“That’s where I fell in love with a passing-heavy, possession-based approach to the game,” he said.
Holley took a break from soccer when he entered college, as music became his driving passion and “led me down different roads.”
But when his own children began playing soccer, he returned to the sport.
“I stepped in to coach their youth teams, and it became apparent that coaching and teaching was also becoming a big passion of mine,” said Holley, who is going back to school in the fall to pursue a teaching degree.
As a coach, Holley draws heavily from the example set by his high school coach back in Illinois, Randy Blackman.
“Coach Blackman is a man to emulate,” Holley said. “He fully expects the job to be done, but will crack a few jokes with you while doing so.”
Coaching his sons has also provided Holley with a unique perspective.
“I’ve come up the ranks coaching my sons, which changes the dynamic a bit as those conversations tend to have more than just a player/coach vibe,” he said. “But it’s positioned me well for seeing the biggest picture of it all: That this is their journey, and I’m just here to guide them along the way and help them find their own love for the game.”
When it comes to guiding the Trailblazers, Holley plans to implement a possession-based passing attack “with fiery intensity in the final third of the field, coupled with smart defense.”
“We’re a young team,” he said. “There’s going to be bigger and faster teams than us, so we will have to rely on our brains and our vision to be successful. Once we get the ball into scoring positions, expect to see fireworks.”
Despite the team’s youth, Holley believes the Trailblazers have the potential to be very good and expects them to build on some recent success.
“This season, my goal is to continue the upward trajectory the program has seen in the last few years,” he said. “Two seasons in a row with a win in districts has been sweet, but actually winning districts is the real goal.
“I’d love to say winning state, but that will require some luck and the boys making that part of their journey as well.”
And while he’s excited about the players he has on the roster, Holley knows the team could be even stronger.
“We’re missing three huge pieces of the Saugatuck soccer puzzle,” he said. “I’ve had a main four I’ve made my passion project soccer-wise since they were six years old: my sons Dante and Finn along with Evan and Noah Sauve.
“Three of those four play MLS Next soccer, which means they don’t play high school. The fourth was offered a spot, but prefers high school soccer. One of my proudest achievements as a coach is to know that my big four reached the pinnacle of youth soccer, but at a school as small as Saugatuck, not having three of them is a big hill to climb.”
Saugatuck is scheduled to host Bangor to open the season on Friday, Aug. 15.
Friday, July 18, 2025
