• (Editor's note; This story has been edited to correct Morrisville's single-game rushing record being held by Juan Jones)

If he wanted to play football, that was fine. If he didn't, that was fine, too.

"There wasn't any pressure at all," Morrisville junior running back Raymond Holman said. "I was little — I think I was 6 years old, and my dad asked me if I wanted to try football. He didn't force me to play or tell me I had to.

"It was like you can try it and see. If you like it and want to keep playing, then keep playing. If you don't, then you can try something else."

Holman enjoyed the game from the start. He liked the fact that he got to play both offense (running back) and defense (linebacker); and didn't want to stop playing.

Big numbers and counting

Holman has been producing impressive results every since, be it running the ball — he ran for 231 yards in a Week 4 win over Lower Moreland, which was just off of Juan Jones' Morrisville school-record 249 yards against North Warren (N.J.) in October 1997 — or stopping the other team (he led the Bulldogs in tackles last season as a sophomore).

"I've coached Patrick Garwo (a former Conwell-Egan standout now playing at Boston College) and (former Neshaminy standout) D'Andre Pollard, so I have been blessed with some really good running backs," Morrisville first-year head coach Mitch Cohen said.

"And Raymond has all of the ability and tools to be in the conversation with them as long as he really puts in the work in the weight room. That is the key to his future success.

"The colleges are also starting to show interest. Raymond definitely has the ability to play at the next level. If he keeps working in the weight room, which he'll do, more and more schools are going to look at him. He could play offense or defense and he wants to keep getting better. The sky is the limit for him."

Through four games, Holman has rushed for 535 yards on 67 carries and four touchdowns.

That works out to nearly eight yards per carry, but it was another number that was more important to him.

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Nothing beats winning

"Getting our first win was great," Holman said. "We lost our first three games, but we knew the win was coming.

"We just had to keep working hard and playing as well as we could, and it was going to happen. I was so happy for everybody on the team."

That team-first attitude is not an act. It's simply the way Holman is.

"Raymond is a really good running back, but he's all about the team and really supports us," said Morrisville senior offensive lineman and team captain Nazir Borrero.

"He always talks about how the line is the strength of our team and we work hard for him. When we open a hole, he goes straight through it and takes advantage of it for a big play. He's fun to block for and keeps getting better."

The Bulldogs have big plans for this season and will need Holman to continue to pile up the yards.

Just the beginning

"We have a lot of goals this season," Holman said. "We want to have a positive record, win the district championship and play in a state playoff game."

A PIAA Class A program with the second-lowest enrollment in District One, the Bulldogs were 1-9 a year ago and haven't had a winning season since 2010.

"The kids are working hard, and our numbers are getting better," Cohen said. "We only have five seniors, so our younger guys are really stepping up.

"Raymond and the offensive line have been doing an incredible job. Raymond has ridiculous speed and if he gets the edge, he's gone. But the best thing about him is that he's very, very humble and just wants to help the team get better."

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Drew Markol: dmarkol@theintell.com; @dmarkol

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Morrisville's Holman running wild through opposing defenses