Small town football star plays big

Bozeman’s Cordell Holzer is listed at 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds on the East roster for Saturday’s Montana East-West Shrine Game at Wendy’s Field at Daylis Stadium in Billings.

While some might take a look at Holzer’s height and weight and dismiss him, the West team shouldn’t make that mistake when evaluating the former Bozeman Hawk, who will play defensive back in the Shrine Game.

“You can’t measure heart and intelligence,” said East head coach Rob Stanton earlier this week as his team practiced at Daylis.

“He plays so much bigger than his physical stature. When we had our Class AA meetings in Helena, not one kid had more respect.”

Holzer, who also played slot receiver and long snapper for the Hawks, was first-team all-state at defensive back and second-team all-state at wide receiver this past season.

Holzer is realistic when assessing his 5-foot-6 frame, but he has a relentless work ethic and determination to succeed.

“I know I can’t change my height, so I use my whole potential and don’t let it affect me,” he said. “I can’t change my height and I’ve got to work with what I’ve got.”

Stanton said that during his “junior and senior years Holzer was one of the better players in Montana.” A relentless style on the field has helped Holzer achieve that status.

“Fast. I am all over the field and try to do what I can do to help out my team,” said Holzer when asked to describe his style of play. “I feel like I do play bigger than myself and don’t really have any fear.”

Scoreboard: Montana East-West Shrine Game rosters

“I’m really excited. It’s an awesome opportunity and good experience,” said Holzer of the game and the week leading up to it. “It has been a lot of fun so far meeting all these new people. You play against them in high school and with them on the same team.”

“We have a lot of good players that will help out. Defensively, we have a good chemistry and work well together. Offensively, they are doing the same thing. The West has won the last three years. We are trying to turn that around this year.”

When all-star week is done, Holzer will start to turn his attention to his next step of studying business and playing NAIA football at Dickinson State (North Dakota).

In high school, Holzer achieved a 3.82 overall grade-point average. At DSU, he’ll receive both athletic and academic scholarships.

“I went down and visited (DSU) and really liked the coach and facilities,” said Holzer. “They showed a lot of interest in me and it felt like the right fit. I wanted to continue to play football.”

At Dickinson State, Holzer will be roommates with Billings West’s Connor Stanton, who is a teammate on the East squad. He said this week was the first time he’s ever met Stanton, “other than the football field.”

Class of 2024 college recruit tracker

Overall, there are nine future Blue Hawks on this year’s East roster in Maddox Roberts, Billings Central; Toryn Richards, Glasgow; Landen Thompson, Fairview; Chace Waters, Sidney; Maxx Lee, Billings Senior; Chase Crockett, Glendive; Jordan Jensen, Lewistown; Connor Stanton, Billings West and Holzer.

Holzer said getting to know his future DSU teammates has been fun.

“There are a lot of DSU players playing for us,” he said. “So, it’s nice to meet them and see what next year will be like.”

Dickinson State, winners of nine consecutive North Star Athletic Association football tiles, will be joining the Frontier Conference in 2025 and Holzer said he is looking forward to the opportunity to play some road games in Montana.

“We’ll be playing teams around Bozeman, so my family can come watch,” he said. “I have family in Bismarck, so they can come watch, too.”

Undoubtedly, Holzer will have plenty of fans cheering him and his East teammates on from the bleachers at Daylis on Saturday.

And, remember Holzer brings his A-game on every play — “He’s 5-6, but plays like he’s 6-5,” coach Stanton said — so he’s bound to make a big hit on defense Saturday night.