Brandon Holveck
Brandon Holveck covers high school sports for The News Journal, focusing on recognizing standout athletes and explaining how teams and competitions operate across the state. He brings a consistent emphasis on human stories and the inner workings of high school programs, rather than just scores and standings. Alongside his prep coverage, he also contributes pieces that connect local fans to college and professional sports.
High school sports beat and statewide coverage
Holveck’s primary beat is high school sports, and his coverage spans multiple sports and seasons. He writes about football, volleyball, field hockey, swimming, lacrosse, baseball and track, giving repeated attention to how individual athletes drive their teams’ success. His All-State swimming coverage highlights top performers and their championship results, framing state meets through the achievements of leading swimmers and the context of historical times. Field hockey and girls volleyball pieces draw out what top players have learned from their careers, using rapid-fire prompts and media-day formats to surface lessons and “coach speak” from the athletes themselves.
He regularly profiles athletes from programs such as Tower Hill, Archmere, Smyrna, Odessa and Charter of Wilmington, building a picture of the high school sports landscape through repeated visits to these teams.
Many of his stories describe state championships and title races, including early-season looks at which football programs are most likely to win across different classifications. In these pieces he pairs team-level analysis with an understanding of coaching changes, program culture and the competitive balance between established powers and emerging contenders. His work positions high school sports as a statewide ecosystem, treating different classifications and regions as part of one conversation rather than isolated leagues.
Athlete and Team of the Week, polls and rankings
A recurring feature of Holveck’s coverage is weekly recognition of standout high school performers through Athlete of the Week and Team of the Week packages. These pieces highlight athletes’ stat lines, decisive plays and the context of their performances, such as walk-off hits, multi-RBI games or breakthrough races. He combines reporting with audience participation, inviting nominations from coaches, parents and fans and encouraging readers to vote in online polls that determine the honorees.
Team of the Week stories, such as those spotlighting Hodgson baseball and Charter of Wilmington girls lacrosse, describe not just the wins but the way those teams have navigated their schedules and earned recognition over a short window.
Holveck extends this interactive approach to broader polls, including votes on the best high school football stadium in the state.
In coverage of a stadium poll won by Cavalier Stadium, he reports results and describes how the voting unfolded, while signaling future Athlete of the Week opportunities. Another poll-focused story asks readers to pick the best high school football stadium, underscoring his interest in fan engagement around facilities and game-day experience, not only on-field play.
Beyond weekly polls, he produces long-form ranked lists of top high school athletes across sports, such as a series counting down the top 100 athletes statewide; these rankings show his investment in comparative evaluation and cross-sport recognition.
DE Gameday and multimedia storytelling
Holveck hosts DE Gameday, a weekly high school sports show that expands his reporting into video and audio formats.
The show highlights sports stories across the state, with episodes posted regularly by the outlet. On DE Gameday he brings in colleagues and guests, such as high school sports reporter Brad Myers, to draft early-season picks for football state title favorites and to discuss repeat champions, new coaches and emerging programs.
He also uses the show to interview athletes directly, including an episode with Tower Hill volleyball standout Sydney Fischer focused on team culture, college recruitment and the outlook for another title run.
Through DE Gameday and related media-day coverage, Holveck builds a conversational style that complements his written work, letting athletes and coaches explain their own experiences while he frames the broader narrative. His media day pieces, where field hockey and volleyball players share lessons and insights, mirror the tone of the show by prioritizing athlete voice and quick, direct prompts.
This multimedia presence means his reporting often serves both as a record of results and as a platform where athletes can speak about their motivations, setbacks and ambitions.
Connecting local sports to college and professional stories
While high school sports are at the core of Holveck’s role, he also contributes coverage of college and professional teams. His work includes stories such as a feature on how Tyrese Maxey helped bring LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers, tying major NBA developments to a regional audience. In his professional profile he describes contributing to coverage of university athletics and professional teams alongside his prep beat, reinforcing that his vantage point extends from high school gyms and stadiums to higher levels of competition.
This mix of assignments lets him link the trajectories of local athletes to the broader sports world his readers follow.
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