Bolen Enjoys Successful Spring
Germantown, OH (June 19, 2004) Spring ball is over for recent Valley View graduate Brock Bolen but the University of Illinois rookie will continue his conditioning program throughout the summer.
"Spring ball has been over for some time now and we have summer programs. Now we are just lifting and running. I'm going to classes too," Bolen commented.
During spring ball the teams played a total of three games giving each team member playing time. Bolen, who has been adjusting from high school to college, still managed to score a touchdown each game.
"Everyone got to play. We had three games on Saturdays and I scored a touchdown every game," Bolen said.
The hardest thing for Bolen was learning all the new plays.
"I've been learning their offense and the kind of program they run. There is a big difference from the high school level because there is a big difference in the teams speed and size," added Bolen.
As a Spartan, Bolen's size and skills made him stand out, but at the collegiate level he blends in.
"The guys are a lot bigger. It's more difficult because the guys have a lot more speed," stated Bolen.
We all know that Bolen can run the ball, as we've seen during the past two seasons, but college football is an extreme compared to that of high school. Bolen was prepared for that transition, but also knows that nothing could compare to playing with the Spartans. Valley View high school, along with being coached under Jay Niswonger is all in the past now, but Bolen will always have those memories and he will always treasure them.
"I think college ball could never ever beat high school ball, especially at Valley View," Bolen commented.
The transition to an upper level football program was a lot better than Bolen ever expected. "The coaching staff is great," Bolen noted.
"It has been really well (the transition). They've been great to me; a lot better than I expected. I thought I might be picked on or hazed, but it hasn't been bad. The worst thing I had to do was sing the fight song in front of everyone," Bolen mentioned.
Looking back at spring and looking towards the 2004 season Bolen feels that things are picking up although he still has a lot to learn.
"My main thing so far has been learning the plays. I had to in fresh and get to know the system and plays," said Bolen.
Bolen has a long way to go, but he has gone so far for a freshman. Illinois has a big background and now Bolen will help them continue their success. Illinois won the Big Ten title in 2001, a big turnaround from 0-11 in 1997. Two years ago the Illini fell to 5-7 and last year they dropped again to a 1-11 record.
Looking at the facts, football is about the running game and that's why Bolen is there. Last year Illinois averaged 110 yards a game. Bolen's coming into the team with over 6000 yards in his high school career.
Although college ball is a lot different things could be looking up for the fighting Illini. Recently Illinois coach Ron Turner spoke with Bolen about the upcoming season and heard much better things than most freshmen hear.
"I just had a meeting with the head coach and he said I should be ready to play in the fall. I'm just not sure how much playing time I'll see," Bolen said.
