Hollenbach dropped back to deliver a screen pass to one of his wideouts late in the second quarter of the Southern Columbia Tigers and Shamokin Tigers week 4 matchup. He got the pass off, but that didn’t stop him from taking a hit from a defender. He attempted to use his left hand to brace for the fall, which caused his left wrist to hyperextend backward.
“I broke my left wrist,” Hollenbach said. “At first, I just thought it was a sprain and wanted to go back in, but once I got an x-ray the next morning, it revealed there were 3 fractures”
The senior quarterback would have to miss five weeks of action. He had surgery on his wrist and began the rehab process.
“Being away from football for most of the regular season was not fun, but I am happy I got the opportunity to come back and play again,” Hollenbach said.
His first game back was against Danville. He threw for two touchdowns and lead the Tigers to a 49-7 win.
Stone Hollenbach and the Tigers would go on to an undefeated regular season and begin their climb to another state championship. They would make quick work of their first three opponents in the PIAA 2-A high school football playoffs and set the stage for a state championship game against the Wilmington Area Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds prove to be no matchup for Hollenbach and the Tigers as well. They won 49-14 and claim back to back state championships. Hollenbach threw for 1,777 passing yards and 28 touchdowns during his senior season, while only playing in eleven games
“Winning number 2 was amazing, especially going out as a senior on top,” Hollenbach said.
Alabama will have Hollenbach on their roster next season as he has accepted a preferred walk-on offer from the Tide. This season has been a learning journey for Hollenbach and feels those lessons should last a lifetime.
“I learned that football can end at any time,” Hollenbach said. “It really made me think that this is my senior year and once I get back, I got to go all out and go get that state chip.”
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
