Floyd's Walsh wins Zellner Award

James Walsh calls Floyd football a lifestyle. He likens it to a men's club in which only the strong survive.

Walsh, a 6-2, 270-pound two-way lineman, was one of Floyd's co-captains and a key as the young Colonials rose to the Suffolk Division I championship.

"We were a very young team and no one expected us to win this year," Walsh said. "But there are expectations within our own program and our community. And guys commit year-round to reaching their potential and giving it everything they have for Floyd football."

Walsh's dedication and tenacious play for the Colonials helped him win the Bob Zellner Award as Suffolk's most outstanding lineman last night at the Suffolk County Coaches Association dinner at the Hyatt Hotel in Hauppauge.

The right guard was the anchor of an offensive line that surged through the playoffs, knocking off highly regarded Longwood and previously unbeaten Sachem North to win the Division I crown. He also played defensive end and had 59 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

"It can be very hard because the bar is very high at Floyd," said Walsh, who bench-presses 375 pounds and squats 500. "We matured throughout the season as a team, and the improvement was obvious in the playoffs. We had the chance to come back and beat the two teams that we lost against during the season."

Walsh, a four-year varsity player and two-year starter, said he'll never forget the way the younger players rose to the occasion and the Colonials came back to win the title.

SEE PHOTOSHistory of Class I LI Championship

"Two years in a row we beat Sachem North in the championship game when they were undefeated," Walsh said. "That's a credit to our coaching staff and their game preparation. And it awarded us the privilege of playing in the Long Island Championships. No one can take that achievement away."

Floyd coach Paul Longo cited Walsh as a relentless player with leadership qualities on and off the field.

"He was really our only two-way starter," Longo said. "We don't like having guys both ways unless it's absolutely necessary. We needed him to play defense with a young group of guys. And it was a great move."

The burly Walsh comes from a family of professional lumberjacks in British Columbia. His mom, Stephanie, is of French-Canadian descent, and he believes he gets his size and raw power from those bloodlines.

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"We are defined by hard work in everything we do in our lives," he said. "It's a way of living, a lifestyle."

Just like Floyd football.