It’s time to talk trench warfare!

For today’s profile article, I’d like to take our attention down to the great city of Boca Raton to highlight one of Palm Beach County’s rising defensive phenoms- Spanish River Defensive Tackle, Zach Stelus (’28).

Standing in at a staggering 6 foot 2, 275lbs at just 15 years old, Zach Stelus is what people describe as ‘a space eater’. During his freshman season, Stelus made his presence felt, appearing in all 10 games, recording 54 total tackles, 4 sacks and a mind boggling 38 QB hurries. Stelus is a frequent resident in the back field, being able to bully offensive linemen with his elite swim move, while disrupting the run or giving opposing QB’s absolutely no time to let the play develop.

The weight room is a priority to Stelus, and it shows. Before his freshman season ended, Zach became a member of Spanish River’s 1,000lb club, after recording 325 bench, 500 squad and a 500 deadlift.

I’ve always been a visual learner, so let’s just turn on the tape from River’s spring game vs Treasure Coast to get a good gauge on the absolute nightmare this kid is defensively.

This off-season, Zach put the hours in the lab to make sure he was more than prepared for his upcoming sophomore campaign.

“I’m heading into this season feeling confident and prepared. I’ve had great practices, picked up new techniques, and built on the progress I made last year. I’m more experienced and ready to compete at a higher level.” Stelus shared with me. “This summer, I focused on improving my speed, strength, and agility.Off the field, I worked on building stronger bonds with my teammates, knowing that trust and chemistry are just as important as physical performance.“

Over the past year, Zach has proved himself a leader on and off the field. Zach’s position coach, Mike Hall Sr., absolutely sang his praises during a quick interview I had with him.

“Zach is that dominate inside force every defense needs. He dominates against the run and can get after the QB, a dual threat at the DT position. He is a gym rat and one of the strongest players on the team.” Coach Hall Sr. stated. “Zach is a great young man. He works hard in the classroom and is a great teammate, Zach is a very coachable young man.”

I’m personally quite excited to see Zach Stelus and the Spanish River Sharks dominate this upcoming season. Expect big things from that River front seven.