After earning first-team all-state honors and helping anchor Haven’s offensive line as a junior, Cody Holzrichter believes he still has more to prove.
The senior offensive lineman is entering his final high school season with renewed motivation after attracting less recruiting attention than he expected following a standout junior campaign.
“I’m most excited to get back on the field one more time and prove myself again,” Holzrichter said. “I felt like I had a really good junior season, and I was hoping it would lead to more opportunities and more schools taking a look at me. That hasn’t happened as much as I expected, but it just gives me more motivation.”
Rather than becoming discouraged, Holzrichter has used the experience as fuel heading into his senior year.
“I know a lot of coaches haven’t taken a chance on me yet, so every game this season is another opportunity to show what I can do and prove that I belong at the next level,” he said.
Holzrichter’s junior numbers back up his confidence. He finished the season with 164 knockdown blocks while allowing zero sacks. His performance earned him first-team District 6 honors, first-team Central Kansas League recognition on the offensive line, second-team CKL honors on the defensive line, first-team KSHSAA all-state, first-team Wichita Eagle Class 2A all-state, first-team Wichita Area Small Class all-state and first-team SIK All-State Non-Senior recognition.
His offseason has reflected his determination to improve even further.
Holzrichter trains four nights each week at Next Level Performance in Wichita while continuing to refine his offensive line technique.
“We focus on speed, agility and football-specific training year-round, with most of our weightlifting during the winter and combine training in the spring to prepare for summer camps,” Holzrichter said.
Since his freshman season, he has traveled across the country to compete in football camps, believing the exposure and competition have accelerated his development.
“Competing against some of the best recruits in the Midwest has pushed me to improve, helped me see where I need to grow and made me a better player,” he said.
Although he considers pass protection and run blocking among his strengths, Holzrichter has identified one area he wants to sharpen before the season begins.
“One area I really want to improve this season is my second-level blocking,” he said. “I feel like I’m strong in pass protection and moving defenders off the ball on inside runs, but I want to take the next step by becoming more consistent at getting to the second level and creating disruption.”
To make that happen, Holzrichter has spent countless hours reviewing game film and repeating footwork drills.
“I’ve spent a lot of time working on my footwork by doing rep after rep, making sure I’m taking the right angles and getting there under control,” he said. “I’ve also gone back and watched my junior film to see what I could do better, then focused on fixing those mistakes.”
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