LINCOLN — The California Interscholastic Federation Division III football title in 2005 came down to St. Augustine playing Point Loma in a matchup of San Diego rivals.

Menelik Holt and St. Augustine beat Anthony West and Point Loma.

At Qualcomm Stadium.

“What a coincidence, huh?'' Holt said Saturday. “I played my last high school football game in that stadium and now I'm going to play my last college game there.''

Holt and West will be returning to their old stomping grounds when Nebraska meets Arizona in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. Both grew up within 10 minutes of Qualcomm and are scrambling to build a cache of tickets — beyond their individual allotment of six — so friends, family and former coaches can see the game.

“Just going back and seeing family and friends and being able to play in your hometown is cool,'' West said. “Not a lot of people from back home get to come out and see a game here (in Lincoln), and rarely do we play on the West Coast.

“I'm still working to try and get tickets. As many as I can get, I'll take.''

For each Husker, however, the road back to San Diego included a midseason bump that forced both to learn a little more about themselves.

Holt, a senior receiver, got bumped out of the Husker rotation after starting the first five games. After catching 15 passes in the first seven games, Holt did not have another, although some of his playing time came back in the final games.

West, a junior cornerback, started 11 games last year and the first four this season before being replaced by Alfonzo Dennard in the lineup. West did start the Kansas State game last month and played snaps against Texas in the Big 12 final when NU went to seven defensive backs.

“It's just been up and down, but you can't really sweat it,'' West said. “I've got to keep working hard and trying to make it a hard decision for them, because that's something we've always had in the secondary is competition.

“My dad always said and the coaches always said just be ready when your time comes. That's all about being a team player.''

That's also how Holt will look back at it. Not at how his receiving numbers slipped from catching 30 passes as a junior.

“What matters right now is getting 10 wins for this program,'' Holt said. “I think we brought a lot of respect back to this program.''

This would not be Holt's finale had he redshirted in 2006, when he instead appeared in eight games and did not catch a pass. And it will be harder pulling off his Husker jersey for the final time when he thinks about how the program is about ready to explode under Bo Pelini.

But Holt shrugs that off and says he probably would have had a hard time sitting out a whole season anyway.

“It's tough,'' he said. “I mean, I spent my time, I had a good four years. Even though I wish I could play another year, I think everything happens for a reason. No one can play forever. I did my time and hopefully I served Nebraska and the team well.''

Holt said the last time he went to a Holiday Bowl was Oklahoma-Oregon in 2005. West said he always followed it and attended a few, sometimes even from a luxury suite that the father of one of his friends owned.

West's ties to San Diego remain strong. Some of Holt's have changed since his mother, Mary, passed away.

“It'll be a lot warmer, so that'll be good,'' Holt said. “I just never really go home much any more. I don't know, I consider this home now.''

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

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