A.J. Holmes has to carry a big load at running back for the shorthanded Bishop Guertin football team. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – When he was a PeeWee football player in the Merrimack Cardinals youth football program, A.J. Holmes had a design play set up for him to run.

They called it “Hulk Smash.”

“It was a play,” the Bishop Guertin High School senior running back said, “that worked every single time.”

Now Holmes isn’t a big bruising back, but he’s got a deceptive gliding motion and then he makes contact that defenders have to handle. All you have to do is see the film of his 149-yard rushing effort last week’s out-of-state win over North Middlesex to see that.

“He means a lot to the team,” Guertin coach Anthony Nalen said of Holmes. He’s a big piece of it.”

Holmes is a two-sport athlete, and truth be told, baseball is his ticket as he’s headed to Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. next year to pitch, something he’s done very well for the Cardinals the last couple of springs.

But here’s another secret: He likes football better. Shhh.

“I probably enjoy football a little bit more,” said Holmes, whose Cardinals take on city rival Nashua North today at 3:30 p.m. at North’s field, the game moved due to the safety-related closure of Stellos Stadium. “I think it’s more I’m moving around more, doing more during the game. Baseball is still kind of static. I still love baseball, definitely, but football’s a lot more fun. I’ll definitely miss it.”

Yes, this is is final season on the gridiron, a sport he’s been playing since he was 5-years-old. He was a lineman starting out, but then when he was seven he moved to running back and he’s been that ever since.

But he’s not very vocal about himself, he just does his job.

“When you’re around him, it’s not like brings that aura of like, ‘I’m a good football player,'” Nalen said. “He’s very quiet. He’s controlled. He has a very good demeanor, doesn’t get emotional, doesn’t get high or low. Sometimes that’s good as a leader. When stuff starts to go haywire, he’s kind of like straight forward and going, so it’s a good person to get behind. You can tell he’s a captain in his other sports, too, by the way he carries himself. He’s just a natural athlete that leads by example.”

Holmes knew with some good players graduating, he was going to be a focal point on offense for these Cardinals.

“I definitely knew I was going to have to take a bigger role, because all the seniors from last year are gone,” Holmes said. “It’s been kind of what I expected. And I enjoy being a leader of this team. A bunch of great guys.”

But it’s even more of a load than he expected because two other backs — Hudson Schmitt and Logan Curran — were injured early on and are done for the year. Basically, it’s Holmes smashing. He carried it 16 times last week.

“Obviously it sucks that we have injuries, but I don’t mind the load,” he said. “I don’t mind getting more carries. It makes the sport more fun for me. … The more times I get handed the ball, the more of a rhythm I get into.”

“We’ve got some other guys we’re getting up to speed that can spell him from time to time,” Nalen said. “But it’s no secret he’s the guy that we’ve got to get the ball to.”

Now Holmes isn’t the smashing hulk he might have been as a little kid, but he knows he can make defenders miss. “But I also lay my shoulder down and chuck people over,” he said. “I’d say I’m balanced,can make a cut and I can also run people over.”

A.J. Holmes is usually a step ahead of the competition for Bishop Guertin as the Cards’ lead back. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

A.J. Holmes is usually a step ahead of the competition for Bishop Guertin as the Cards’ lead back. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“He’s a weird-built back,” Nalen said, smiling. “He definitely doesn’t have that blazing speed or that powerful step. But at the same time, it’s kind of a mix between the two. When you think he’s going to get you 2 or 3 (yards), he gets you 4 or 5.”

He’s averaging over nine yards a carry, and does it with some lasting ability.

“Later in the game, I still have energy, obviously,” Holmes said. “I’m still chugging, I’m still running. Everyone else (on the opposition) is worn down, I’m still running. It feels good.”

Because of the injuries, Nalen wants reduce Holmes’ workload, so he’s used only sparingly on defense as a linebacker. He didn’t play at all on defense last weekend, but as Nalen said, “He’s a good kid, he’ll play when he has to.”

Last week he even caught a pass down the seam for a TD. He might even dare to ask Nalen for a bigger role in the passing game.

But in baseball, he knows what his role is as one of BG’s top pitchers. He’ll likely be the team’s ace this spring, and there’s one thing he loves about baseball.

“I guess seeing my progress every year,” Holmes said. “Ever since freshman year, my velocity, my breaking ball, and stuff like that, location and everything, it’s gotten better every single year. I love seeing that progress. It just motivates me.”

So does the fact he’s just about halfway through his final season. “It’s definitely special since it’s my last one,” he said. “I want to make sure I get every little bit out of it that I can, because I’m going to miss it.”

Thus, he’s hoping to just keep smashing.