By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
When Fluco football coach Steve Szarmach announced his resignation, a search for a new coach began. Fluco Athletic Director Scott Morris said that 34 applications were received from near and far. The search ended with the selection of a candidate from nearby Buckingham County. On Feb. 9 Josh Wallace, 33, was announced as the new Fluco football coach.
Wallace is originally from Arizona, where he played football for two years at Glendale Community College. From there, he moved to Liberty University where he played defensive back and on special teams. Wallace has coached at Petersburg, Va., and for the last two years he was the head coach at Buckingham County. His Buckingham squad finished the 2017 season with four consecutive wins to end the year at 5-5.
A large contingent of Fluco football players, teachers and administrators were on hand for the announcement of Wallace’s selection. Wallace spoke briefly and also answered questions from student athletes. Wallace said he hopes to move the football program in the right direction by emphasizing hard work and sacrifice. He noted he was excited to see all the players in the room for the announcement.
When questioned by one of the players about whether his primary emphasis would be offense or defense, Wallace responded that there are three aspects that a football team must concentrate on: offense, defense and special teams. And here, he mentioned his special teams experience in college where he was a kick returner.
Wallace noted that he is looking to put together a top coaching staff, but no decisions have been made, of course, since he has just taken the reins. He was asked about moving from the 2A level at Buckingham to the 3A level at Fluvanna and he indicated that he did not see that as a serious problem, but he did acknowledge that the Flucos play a tough schedule in the Jefferson District. However, he did note that to be the best you must play the best.
Finally, Wallace indicated that he felt that Fluvanna seemed like a good location for him and his family. He will teach physical education at the high school this fall.
