Dunn’s Research Shows Elkinson No. 1 Scorer

They’ve never met, and they’ve never talked on the phone. Yet, Ken Dunn and Zach Elkinson have one thing in common, and it dominated their lives for three-plus years.
The common denominator is Holliston High football. Dunn has written a book, entitled Holliston Panther Football. The subhead reads:
A Tradition of High School Football Excellence Since 1896. He spent 3½ years on the project — 2½ years devoted to research and a year to write the 816-page history.
Elkinson, a 19-year-old junior now playing lacrosse at the University of Hartford, was a standout two-way football player for Holliston for three varsity seasons. He also was a three-time all-star in lacrosse for the Panthers.
Dunn’s book has its share of interesting facts — like Holliston going unbeaten in 1903. But, perhaps the most stunning revelation is that Elkinson is Holliston’s all-time leading scorer. His 330 points top Gary Alger’s 278 total, compiled in a 3½-year span. Alger was a burly fullback who scored 104 points during his senior year in 1971.
“He reached out to me on Facebook,’’ Elkinson said of Dunn. “I responded and follow him now on Facebook. He asked me if I knew I was the school’s all-time scoring leader. I told him I had no idea I was and I didn’t know how many points I had scored. I was both surprised and shocked but also honored and humbled by the news.’’
Elkinson said he was pleased Dunn reached out and is delighted with his extensive research. The book became available in June. “I’m glad he told me about the record and I’m definitely buying the book,’’ Elkinson said. “If he’s ever in Holliston, I’d want to meet him and if I’m ever in Pineville, I look him up.’’
Dunn, who works in the surety bond industry, is 59, married and the father of three, living in Pineville, N.C. (near Charlotte). He graduated from Holliston High in 1976, but is originally from New Jersey. He arrived in Holliston at age 12 when his father’s work involved a transfer. Dunn wanted to play varsity football but couldn’t.
His personal story is moving and reveals why football moved to a back burner.
Dunn was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor at 18 months and had surgery to remove his right kidney. Doctors told his parents he probably wouldn’t live past five. With the help of his parents and their church, Dunn became a Christian at age seven. Instead of a football career at Holliston with the “Big Red Machine’’ during coach Tom Caito’s successful run in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dunn strictly was a kicker on Holliston’s sophomore and jayvee teams. He also played some basketball.
“My football experience wasn’t what I wanted it to be, because I was restricted with just one kidney,’’ Dunn said. “But, in college, I was able to letter in baseball for four years at Houghton College and Messiah College, as a pitcher, shortstop and centerfielder.’’
Throughout his life, Dunn had a love for statistics, numbers and math. He put his talent and passion to use when he wrote his first book — the Messiah College Baseball Encyclopedia, published in 1990. His second book, published in 2015, is a faith-based work titled God’s Word Written in the Stars.
“Holliston Panther Football’’ is Dunn’s third book, an endeavor he undertook when he discovered that most of the team’s records had been lost prior to the new millennium. He decided the entire history of Holliston’s ultra successful program needed to be written so records and statistics could be referenced.
“I love football, and I wanted all of Holliston’s stories, statistics and facts not to be lost,’’ he emphasized. “Caito’s teams had won many titles, and I developed a curiosity about that era.’’
Dunn spent countless hours at Milford and Framingham’s public libraries, scrolling through 100 years of newspaper microfilm. He also checked out historical society records and interviewed players, coaches and fans. “It became a labor or love for the town, the school, the Panther football program and all the great people I got to know in the process,’’ Dunn noted.
Elkinson says he was delighted to be part of an elite football program and “being part of Holliston’s football history is great.’’
Elkinson graduated from Holliston in 2015 and played on the school’s 2014 Super Bowl team that demolished Wahconah Regional (located in Dalton) by a 43-0 margin. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder ran for five touchdowns and 212 yards in that lopsided contest.
“Since my freshman year, the goal was to win a Super Bowl,’’ Elkinson said. “In 2014, it was mission accomplished. I remember sitting out the entire fourth quarter and mildly celebrating with my teammates. Playing at Gillette Stadium was awesome.’’
Other memorable moments for Elkinson, who played slot receiver, safety, cornerback and special teams, included his longest run — 90 yards against Foxboro in the 2014 playoffs — and three touchdowns and 220 yards receiving his senior year against Hopkinton.
Dunn’s research on Elkinson reveals the following: 330 total points (42 as a sophomore, 166 as a junior and 122 his senior year). His 166 points as a junior involved seven rushing TDs, 15 on receptions, two two-point conversions, two TDs on punt returns, one on a kickoff and two via interceptions.
Elkinson’s overall statistics are abundant: rushing yards (1,138); receiving yards (2,275 on 99 receptions); kick return yardage (551); punt return yardage (231); interception return yardage (42); all-purpose yards (4,324); total yards (3,413); and total points scored (330).
According to Dunn, scouts had this to say about Elkinson’s style and technique — “Great hands; exceptional speed; patient when waiting for blockers to open holes; and good instincts.’’
Elkinson isn’t playing football at Hartford because the sport was discontinued before he arrived. Elkinson, nevertheless, was recruited by the university for lacrosse, and he was awarded a scholarship. “I had an opportunity to play football at a few colleges but lacrosse is my first love, although I like football, too,’’ he said. “I committed early in my senior year to Hartford for lacrosse. Bentley, Ithaca and Amherst were colleges that showed interest for football.’’
Calling head coach Todd Kiley and all of Holliston’s other coaches “a family that helped me mature and grow as a person,’’ Elkinson admired teammates like quarterbacks Nick Athy and Matt Jeye, and defensive backs A.J. Schnelock and Derek DeCastro. “The quarterbacks were accurate and threw to me a lot, while the defensive backs made me a better receiver,’’ Elkinson noted.
A captain at Holliston in lacrosse and football, Elkinson has finished his second year of lacrosse and is having a solid career in the sport as he majors in entrepreneurial studies. A midfielder, Elkinson was second on the team his soph season in ground balls and is likely heading for all-star recognition in the America East Conference.
But, before his third lacrosse season arrives, it’s a good bet a majority of football fans in Holliston will know that his 330 career points in football are significant in the town’s history and for a football program that has enjoyed a plethora of dynasties.
Zach Elkinson hasn’t met Ken Dunn yet but the latter’s book has created a link that’s bound to produce a meeting in the not too distant future.
The book, which costs $24.95, is available on Amazon.com using the words “Holliston Panther Football.’’