PEORIA — Holly Nelson has been on the coaching staff at Manual High School for the past 16 years, taking over as the varsity head coach five seasons ago. During that time, Nelson cannot recall a five-game winning streak with as much as dominance as the Rams' current one.
Manual has started the season 8-3, with a clean 3-0 Big 12 record, sitting atop the throne that Peoria Notre Dame claimed last season. Nelson said it, and the rest of Central Illinois should be saying it too: keep an eye on Manual.
“I got a lot of heart for this team, just because we've started from the bottom and we have gradually, every year, got better and better and better,” Nelson said.