Garden City senior Zach Olson wins Martone Award as Nassau's top lineman for second straight year
Zach Olson of Garden City before the Long Island Class II football championship against East Islip on Nov. 29 at Stony Brook. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Garden City has had many great linemen come through its program, but two-way standout Zach Olson will go down as one of the very best to wear the maroon and white.
Already the first player to win four Long Island football championships, Olson (6-5, 285 pounds) was named the county’s top lineman for the second straight year. He earned the Martone Award on Wednesday night at Crest Hollow Country Club.
“Definitely happy for him,” Garden City coach Dave Ettinger said. “Winning an award like that twice is difficult. To do it as a junior and then again with pressure on you is an outstanding accomplishment.”
Olson is the first repeat winner since East Meadow’s John Elliott in 2005 and 2006.
His impact extended well beyond the field. A Harvard commit, Olson was exemplary in the Garden City community and in the classroom
“He’s done a great job with the GC Thunder youth program,” Ettinger said. “He’s a giant to those little kids, and they get excited when he’s around. In the classroom he gets great grades, and that outstanding mind translates to the field.”
On the field, Olson helped lead Garden City to its 10th straight county title as a force on both sides of the ball. He’s played a pivotal role in the program’s 66-game win streak, the longest in the nation.
“Athletically, we even put him on the edge at times,” Ettinger said. “At his size, that’s not normal for a high school kid.”
In the Long Island championship game, Olson delivered one of the best performances of his career, powering Garden City to its fifth straight title.
“What a way to go out,” Ettinger said. “He had arguably his best game in his final high school game — a special memory and a great way to finish.”
Now, he leaves with that memory — and a second Martone.
