After Netting Milestone Goal, Saugatuck's Holley Seeking to Score Historic Hardware
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
September 23, 2026
SAUGATUCK – In MHSAA boys soccer history, fewer than 50 players have scored 100 or more career goals.
Dante Holley recently added his name to that prestigious list and into the record books.
The Saugatuck senior standout reached the milestone on Aug. 28 against Wyoming Lee during a 4-0 victory.
“My freshman year I scored only 12 goals, so I didn’t think it was something that was possible,” Holley said. “I started scoring more my sophomore year, and then my junior year, and I was 13 away from it this year so it was something that I really wanted.
“I was really looking forward to it for the season, and it was a big goal for me from the start, individual-wise, so it was good to finally get over the finish line that I’ve been working hard to get to.”
Saugatuck boys soccer coach Nate Holley has watched his son score an abundance of goals through the years, but was most proud of No. 100.
“The way he scored it was amazing in itself,” Nate Holley said. “He correctly predicted the opposition’s back pass to their keeper and made a 30-yard sprint that in all likelihood wouldn’t pay off, but in that moment it did. It wasn't a cheap or easy goal, and was a 100-percent teaching moment to the rest of the team in terms of asking them to make runs that might be fruitless but nonetheless necessary for team success.
“I was incredibly nervous as he neared the milestone, fearing an injury or the stress of being on the precipice affecting his play, so it was a relief and an incredible moment. It had been a goal of his since his freshman year.”
Dante Holley set a school record for goals in a season with 38 his sophomore year and then followed that with 37 as a junior.
He currently has 26 goals in 10 games this fall for the unbeaten (8-0-2) and seventh-ranked team in Division 4.
While his scoring prowess has been impressive, Dante Holley’s decision-making and passing have been equally noteworthy. He entered the week with 45 career assists to go along with his now 113 goals.
“His ability to put the ball in the back of the net is obviously a strong suit, but honestly, his ability to find teammates is probably a stronger suit,” Nate Holley said. “He’s had some jaw-dropping passes in matches.”
Dante Holley has never wanted to be known as just an elite scorer.
“I’ve always tried to keep myself well-rounded,” he said. “I don't want to be good at one thing. I want to be able to help my team with different things than just scoring. And, to me, sometimes a good assist feels just as good as a goal.
“There’s something about getting a crisp through ball behind everyone that just feels so good to me and something I've worked on and taken pride in. I also don't want to be known as a ball hog. It’s not something I want to live by.”
Holley, who helped his Michigan Rangers club team win the State Cup this past spring, has been a captain and leader since his sophomore year.
While his work ethic and competitiveness stand out, he’s also never satisfied. He possesses a determination to fix certain aspects of his game.
“He’s one of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever coached, and he takes losses personally and makes achieving goals a priority,” Nate Holley said. “I've watched him immediately work on things that bothered him during a match, directly after the match.
"I love his leadership, and he raises the level of trainings and the level of expectations for the entire team.”
Dante Holley wants to achieve one more goal before he graduates, and this one is team oriented.
The Trailblazers have never won a conference or District title in boys soccer, but Holley hopes to change that this season.
“That’s been a big motivation for me,” he said. “I said when I came into this program that I didn’t want to leave without winning a trophy of some sort. I want us to be the first, and we want to go on a run. That’s been a big focus point.”
This Saugatuck team might just have the talent and experience to accomplish the feat.
“We’ve been together since we were really young, and the one thing that helps high school teams become good is how long they’ve played together,” Holley said. “We’ve really bought into the system we want to play, and it’s a dedicated group of guys.”
Dante Holley has received interest from several collegiate programs, but is undecided where he will play next.
“I’m not thinking about the level,” he said. “I’m thinking more of the college that will fit me athletically and academically because I know some day soccer isn’t going to be there for me, so I want to get a good education while I’m at it.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Saugatuck’s Dante Holley (13) stands for a photo with his team after scoring his 100th career goal. (Middle) Holley and an opposing defender pursue the ball. (Photos provided by the Saugatuck boys soccer program.)
Grayling, High-Scoring Senior Off to Fast Start, Setting Sights Higher
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
September 8, 2023
Grayling is not normally mentioned among the contenders for the Lake Michigan Conference soccer championship.
Nor have deep postseason runs been expected.
All that may be changing. The Vikings are making it known they will challenge the likes of Elk Rapids, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix for the league title, with Kalkaska hoping to contend in the LMC as well.
Grayling is scoring goals. The Vikings (7-1) won their first seven contests this year scoring a combined 46 goals in the process. They picked up wins over Ogemaw Heights and Mount Pleasant along the way. They also won an early-season tournament they hosted.
Senior Mitchell Harrington is leading the way with 25 goals and eight assists.
“Mitch wasn’t on the radar last year preseason,” acknowledged Grayling coach Andy Moore. “He came back late preseason and then of course he gets all-state honorable mention last year as a junior.”
As a freshman Harrington played mostly defense for the Vikings. He switched to football his sophomore year. He came back to soccer last season and scored 26 goals and picked up five assists.
Now he has the single-season school scoring record in his sights along with challenging for the conference title and leading the Vikings into the postseason.
Harrington is helping put the Vikings as a team on the radar screen too. They are coming off a 9-12-1 finish last year. They were 8-12-1 in 2021 and 12-6-1 in 2020, Moore’s first year at the helm.
Harrington is widely acclaimed for his speed and ability to put the ball in the net. Opposing coaches know they can never rest with a lead knowing Harrington is dangerous and can make the game interesting with his quick strikes.
“Mitch is a good kid,” Moore said of his senior star. “He’s a class act, and that’s what we tell these kids to be.”
Harrington is surrounded by talented soccer players, Moore is quick to say.
“We have a good supporting cast,” Moore asserted.
Junior Drake Dunham has six goals and 11 assists. Senior Alex Moore has contributed five goals and four assists, and sophomore Brody Cobb has six goals and an assist.
Center back Grant Dunham, also a junior, leads the defense in front of sophomore Jordan Peters, who gained valuable experience in net last year.
“For me, it starts with our center defender Grant Dunham,” Moore said. “And, Jordan is an amazing keeper.”
Grayling suffered its first loss of the season Thursday to perennial champ Elk Rapids. The Elks blew open a 1-1 second-half tie with five goals over the final 25 minutes of the contest. Harrington scored the Vikings’ lone goal.
“We had a learning experience,” Moore said of his team’s first loss. “We’ve got to adjust and move on and get ready for Harbor Springs.
“We’ve got to move forward as a team and get better.”
The Vikings will play next at Harbor Springs on Sept. 12. They get to host both Harbor and the Elks later in the season. They also will play Kalkaska in a home and home. The Blazers tied Harbor on Thursday and are off to a 1-0-1 league and 4-1-2 overall start.
Harrington has high hopes of keeping the Vikings in the league race as he reaches for the school’s scoring record. The bar is set at 42.
“Mitch is aiming for the school record,” Moore pointed out. “He should get it, but we’ll see.”
Elk Rapids remains the measuring stick for much of the league, but especially Grayling’s fourth-year coach.
“Elk Rapids is the team where you want to be,” Moore said. “I always tell the kids this is the team you want to beat and want to compete against.
“Mentally, I think we’re there,” he continued. “I thought last year in the Districts we were there mentally as well, but we played nervous and fouled (and) gave up two early penalty kicks.”
The Elks defeated Grayling 5-2 last year in that contest on their way to the District and Regional titles. Harrington had both goals.
The Vikings, who will host the District tournament including both Elk Rapids and Kalkaska this fall, aren’t really surprised to be off to a 7-1 start.
“We kind of expected it a little bit with what we’ve been building on the last couple years,” Moore said. “We’re excited.
“We beat a couple of quality teams in Ogemaw Heights and Mount Pleasant,” Moore continued. “We feel pretty good about ourselves.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Grayling, including Caleb Baker (2), Ben Gardiner (13), Mitchel Harrington (4) and Gibsen Barnett (10), is off to a 7-1 start. (Middle) Harrington and Alex Moore (12) work to control possession against Charlevoix this season. (Below) Grant Dunham drives the ball downfield. (Photos by Stacy Moore.)