By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
As a sophomore last season, Saugatuck soccer standout Dante Holley received Second Team All-State recognition.
As a junior, he wanted more.
“I know being Second Team All-State is an honor, but it’s never fun to feel like you are the second-place finisher,” Holley said. “So over the summer I worked as hard as possible to not be the second best. I am a very competitive guy, so I wanted First Team.”
And First Team All-State he got, thanks to season that saw him score 37 goals and assist on 14 others.
Holley now has 87 goals and 36 assists in his career, making him the school record holder in both categories. He also holds the record for goals in a season with the 38 he scored last year.
Holley’s dad Nate had a front-row seat for his son’s exploits this season, as he served as Saugatuck’s varsity coach for the first time after coaching the district’s middle school teams in the past.
“Dante is a cool and collected player,” Nate Holley said. “I’ve always thought his decision making is his strongest suit. While he has a clear penchant for scoring goals, some of his best play comes from seeing the rest of the field.
“He’s had some jaw-dropping passes in his high school career. I always find it so refreshing that a kid who has so many goals is also so willing to make the correct pass. He’s a student of the game, and it shows.”
And while Dante Holley obviously wants to play his best, his focus is as much on the team as it is himself.
“I think my leadership is one of my best traits on the field,” he said. “I really enjoy trying to elicit greatness in others, as in seeing someone who usually doesn’t play get in the game, or someone who doesn’t score a lot getting a goal.
“I have been a captain for two years now and I think I have grown as a leader over the past two years.”
Nate Holley also noted his son’s evolution as a leader.
“First and foremost, Dante is all about dedication,” Nate Holley said. “He sets up offseason trainings with the rest of the team. He does his best to make sure everyone shows up as much as they can. He demands high effort in training and promotes that by always training at a level that the rest of the team can see and emulate.
“He’s got a big heart, and when someone is struggling or not getting the minutes they want, he’s there to be a friend. It would be so easy to just be the stud on the team that everyone has to follow, but he ensures everyone feels included.
“If I had to design a star player who still got the best out of teammates, I’d be hard-pressed to design one much different than Dante.”
Holley’s introduction to soccer came a four years old.
Despite his current high level of play in the sport, he wasn’t necessarily a “nature” in those early years, he said.
“I wasn’t that great when I started, but got better as I started taking it more seriously,” he said. “My dad was a huge factor in my development as a soccer player and I started developing at a way higher rate when me and him started playing more.”
Making Dante Holley’s accomplishments the past few years even more impressive is the fact that he’s been pulling double duty when it comes to sports during the fall season.
After some prodding from coaches and other classmates, he joined the football program as a kicker last season. After a year on the JV squad, he was moved to varsity this year and took over the primary kicking duties from the graduated Cam Lewis, who also starred in both soccer and football.
Dante Holley was All-Conference on the gridiron.
“It was very fun to be a dual sport athlete and to try something new,” Dante Holley said. “It is tiring going from football to soccer practice and being expected to perform at a high standard in both, but it is good to keep me busy, and I am glad to make more memories with both teams.”
Nate Holley admitted to have some mixed feelings about football.
Because while he enjoyed watching his son try something new, it was a nerve-racking experience as a parent.
“Football was hard for me,” Coach Holley said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m super proud of what he’s achieved in football. But kicker is such an individual position, almost like you have to let your kid jump into the water and hope they can swim.
“Once he’s out there to kick the football, no amount of coaching or parenting can help in that moment. That loss of control was definitely a hurdle for my mental state in games. But as always, Dante has shown me he’s more courageous than I ever was at that age.
“One of (Dante’s mom) Birdie’s and my main goals is that our kids take chances on themselves, be brave, face fears. Just him doing that was the win, and him doing well was the icing on the cake.”
Dante Holley hopes to put the icing on the cake that is his prep soccer career next fall as a senior.
“My biggest goal is to win a district title with Saugatuck next year,” he said. “I made a promise when I came into this program that I would help us win our first district title and I want to fulfill that promise.”
After that, he wants to continue his playing career at the college level.
“Whether its’ D1, D2 or D3 doesn’t really matter to me,” Dante Holley said. “It would obviously be great to play D1, but I just want to extend my playing of the sport I love at a higher level.”
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
