Garden City football's Zach Olson wins 50th Martone Award as Nassau's top lineman
Zach Olson of Garden City, 2024 winner of the Martone Award for most outstanding lineman in Nassau County, poses for a portrait at the annual NCHSFCA Gridiron Banquet at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Monday. Credit: James Escher
Zach Olson is a true force.
At 6-5 and 280 pounds, the Garden City junior has the sheer size to command the line of scrimmage. But his athleticism adds to the intangibles on both sides of the ball.
Playing left guard for the Garden City football team, Olson led an offensive line that helped the Trojans score a program-record 502 points. At defensive tackle, facing plenty of attention, Olson tallied 45 tackles (eight for loss), two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Garden City’s run of dominance continued this season by winning an unprecedented fourth straight Long Island title and a Long Island-record 54th straight game in a 12-0 season.
Olson, who has been as vital to the Trojans’ success as anyone, was awarded the 50th Martone Award as Nassau’s top lineman Monday night at the Nassau County High School Football Coaches Association awards banquet at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
“He had a really, really great season,” Garden City coach Dave Ettinger said. “He’s versatile in what he can do. He can roadblock you if he needs to, but he also is athletic enough at that size to pull.”
Olson is Garden City’s first Martone Award recipient since Sawyer Olson, his older brother, won the award in 2022.
“He’s the total package,” said Manhasset coach Jay Iaquinta, who faced Garden City twice this season. “Good size, very athletic and plays with an edge.”
Olson had a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery in a 49-14 win over Manhasset in the Nassau Conference III title game. He helped block for 322 yards and had a tackle for loss in a 31-28 win over Sayville in the Long Island Class III championship.
“He takes up a lot of space,” Ettinger said. “Very hard to block single. He got doubled and tripled often. He just kept getting better and better throughout the season on both sides of the ball.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.