FLAT ROCK — Complications from COVID claimed the life of Chris Elliott in April of 2021.
The impact of the former Flat Rock teacher and coach continues to be felt throughout the community.
Evan Szalay is one of many youngsters whose life was altered by Elliott.
“In the eighth grade, Coach Elliott asked me every day at school about football,” said Szalay, a recent Flat Rock graduate. “Every day he would say, ‘Why aren’t you playing football?’”
Those words echoed in his mind after Elliott’s untimely death.
Szalay felt an obligation to give football a chance.
“Probably not,” Szalay said when asked if he would have gotten on the gridiron without Elliott’s influence. “I was going to be a straight baseball guy. He was such a great guy. He even came to some of my travel baseball games.”
The son of Tim and Sarah Szalay even went against the wishes of his parents to put on the pads.
“I begged him not to play,” his father said. “He was so skinny in eighth grade. I was worried about injury. He was so dynamic on the baseball field I felt like that was his path to the next level. When I saw him on the football field for the first time, I knew he had a chance to be special.”
Szalay was special in more than one sport.
He capped his high school career by being named All-Monroe County Region in both football and baseball. He earned special mention All-Region in basketball.
Szalay will continue his athletic career in the fall as a football player at Saginaw Valley State University.
He has been voted Monroe County Region Boys Athlete of the Year for 2025-26.
The winner was picked by combining votes by our sportswriters with the results of an online poll of Monroe News readers.
“Evan is the perfect example of what it means to be a student-athlete,” Flat Rock baseball coach Kevin Foley said. “Aside from his natural athletic ability, it’s his work ethic and competitive spirit that makes him elite in the classroom and the playing field.”
Owns all the records
For a guy who was late to embrace football, Szalay was pretty good at the game.
He caught 44 passes for 711 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior.
That gave him career-record totals of 123 receptions, 2,009 yards and 27 TDs.
Most of the records he set were taken from his older brother Adam.
“I kind of feel bad sometimes,” he said. “He went to our second game against SMCC. When I caught my second touchdown one of his buddies turned to him and said, ‘Already?’ He said, ‘Yeah, already.’ But he seemed pretty happy for me.”
And he made it look easy.
“He just glided on the field,” Flat Rock football coach Buck Reaume said. “I am not even sure if glided is a word, but that’s what he did. He’s just so smooth in everything he does.”
Szalay also was a standout in the defensive backfield, leading the team in interceptions.
“He was our best cornerback,” Reaume said. “He will do whatever it takes to win.”
That “whatever” included blocking.
“We had a lot of conversations about football,” Flat Rock boys basketball coach Rick Smith said. “He loved talking about his blocking. I could tell watching his games that he took a lot of pride in blocking.
“He broke all our school records in receiving, but he was a really good blocker.”
Szalay said the joy he feels in catching a touchdown pass is about equal to the thrill of throwing a block that frees a teammate to score.
“Both are pretty satisfying,” he said. “I think blocking is really important.”
Injury alters course
Szalay’s connection to football was cemented oddly by a football injury.
“After we lost to Notre Dame Prep (in the state playoffs) his junior year he told me that he’s had a problem with his hand and wrist since one of the first days of practice,” his father said. “Come to find out he had broken his scaphoid and it needed surgery. He missed all of junior year basketball and baseball.
“When I asked him if regrets not telling us sooner about the injury he told me he wouldn’t have changed a thing. That’s when I realized his path had changed.”
Evan described it a different way.
“My junior year, I had an injury that I played through,” he said. “That opened a lot of doors for me.”
Even if his path had changed, Szalay continued playing his other sports.
The time lost to the injury was a handicap in the basketball and baseball seasons, however.
His senior season on the basketball court got off to a slow start.
He was the best player for the Rams over the final games, averaging 16.5 points per game.
“He had a hand injury the year before,” Smith said. “He missed his entire junior year. It took him time to get back into the swing of things. It’s hard to be off that long.
“At the beginning of the year, he was a little hesitant, but we kept coaching him up. We had a lot of faith in things he could do for our team.”
Overall, Szalay averaged 8.5 points and 6 rebounds per game.
“He’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached,” Smith said. “The kid could do just about anything.”
Thievery pays on diamond
The post-injury lag didn’t hamper Szalay in baseball as it did in basketball.
He did a lot of great things on the diamond this spring, hitting .370 while driving in 25 runs and scoring 30.
His most impressive stat was stolen bases with 27.
Despite missing his entire junior season, Szalay finished with a school-record 61 steals for his career.
“My coach from 9u to 15u always told me, ‘When the pitcher’s heel goes, you go,’” Szalay said of his stolen-base prowess. “I’ve been doing that ever since.”
Foley said Szalay earned the respect of his teammates.
“What’s most impressive about Evan is his leadership qualities and the way he interacts with his coaches and teammates,” the coach said. “Flat Rock High School is going to miss him, but he will be remembered for a very long time as one of the very best student athletes. It was a privilege to coach him.”
2025-26 VOTING
Evan Szalay, Flat Rock 47
Luke Beaudrie, Jefferson 45
Christian Craanen, SMCC 40
Cam Fairchild, Dundee 33
Trent Ison, Gibraltar Carlson 22
Reece Kalb, Summerfield 21
Cash Moczydlowsky, Huron 18
Lukas Linzell, SMCC 17
Cam Dessellier, Milan 15
Brek Ruddy, Whiteford 12
Brock Cousino, SMCC 10
Drew Ruddy, Whiteford 2
WINNERS
2026: Evan Szalay, Flat Rock
2025: Tyler Dafoe, Summerfield
2024: Jack Mills, Airport
2023: Ben Przytula, Carlson
2022: Cole Geisige, Whiteford
2021: Chase Molnar, Huron
2020: Hunter Assenmacher, Ida
2019: Brendan Dafoe, Summerfield
2018: Thomas Eitniear, Whiteford
2017: Joey Wiemer, Bedford
2016: Zach Kohn, Gibraltar Carlson
2015: Bryce Windham, SMCC
2014: Colin Lake, Whiteford
2013: Scott McCormick, Airport
2012: Kyle Ready, Gibraltar Carlson
2011: Jared Kujawa, Bedford
2010: Zac Richardson, Huron
2009: David Box, Milan
2008: Josh DuPree, Whiteford
2007: Audie Cole, Monroe
2006: Josh Winter, Bedford
2005: Aaron Roelfs, Erie Mason
2004: Kyle Upchurch, Erie Mason
2003: Casey Steffen, Flat Rock
2002: Dan Fugate, Dundee
2001: Jim Duffy, Airport
2000: Jim Duffy, Airport
1999: Carl Ford, Monroe
1998: Adam Ruffner, Carlson
1997: Scott Ciacelli, Summerfield
1996: Myke Thom, SMCC
1995: Craig Maddux, Jefferson
1994: Corey Simpson, Whiteford
1993: Ryan Stahr, Flat Rock
1992: Jamie Mossburg, Airport
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Flat Rock’s Evan Szalay named Region Boys Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Niles Kruger, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
