Walsh an athlete for all seasons

In today's world of specialization, where many talented high school athletes opt to pass on a couple of sports to concentrate on just one, Catholic Memorial senior Charlie Walsh is clearly the exception to the rule.

You name the season and sport at CMH, and there's a very good chance you'll see Walsh on the field, court or diamond. Walsh ranks high on the list of the top athletes ever to compete in the highly competitive Classic 8 Conference since the league was formed in the fall of 1997.

Walsh has a busy calendar once school begins in late August.

To get the school year going , the longtime Oconomowoc resident plays football for the highly successful Crusaders. Once fall turns to winter, it's on to the basketball court for the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder. When winter turns to spring and summer, Walsh can be found where else, but on the baseball field for Memorial.

"It's kind of been that way for me for a long time," Walsh said about his busy sports schedule. "I started playing sports way back in grade school when I was at St. Jerome's, and have just kept playing. I just love playing sports, competing against other schools. It's a big part of my life."

Not only is the left-handed Walsh an outstanding competitor, he's also an excellent leader, good classmate and a fun guy in the hallways.

"Charlie is a dying breed of athlete," said CMH baseball coach Tim Gotzler. "Rather than give up a sport or two, like a lot of kids choose to do these days, he plays them all, and plays them all well. He's very good on the field and in the lockerroom, and he's a popular kid in school. He just an All-American kid. He's the kind of athlete every guy would love to coach."

Winning ways

If Walsh stays healthy the remainder of this year, he's going to graduate from Memorial as one of the school's most decorated athletes. He'll have earned a total of 10 varsity letters, getting four in baseball and three each in football and basketball.

Going into this week's WIAA postseason football playoffs, Walsh and his CMH teammates also have their eyes on a team prize.

As a sophomore in the winter of 2010, Walsh was a prominent member of the school's Division 2 state championship basketball team. He started at guard the entire season, opposite the gifted T.J. Bray, perhaps the best basketball player in school history.

Last year in football, Walsh started at outside linebacker, where the Crusaders reached the state championship game at Camp Randall Stadium before falling to powerful West De Pere. In that game, he finished with five tackles and had one run from scrimmage of 25 yards, the second longest run in the game. He also caught one pass for 22 yards.

Besides being one of the defensive leaders last year, he also played quarterback three games during the regular season when starter Dominic Zanoni went down with an injury.

This year, he's the starting quarterback for Memorial, leading the Crusaders to a solid 6-3 record heading into the Division 3 opening round this weekend against Pewaukee.

Air apparent

Walsh is a huge threat at the quarterback position. His best game of the season probably came on Sept. 23 when he completed 13 of 20 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries in a wild 58-34 victory over Milwaukee Pius.

"He's a big, strong kid and a big threat every time he touches the ball," said first-year KM coach Darnell Wiltz. "You can tell just by looking at him that he's a very good athlete."

On the baseball field, Walsh plays outfield and also pitches for CMH. This past season, he batted .312 for the season, one of the top averages on the team.

So, what sport does he like best?

"I really can't answer that," Walsh said. "The sport I'm playing at the time is the one I like the most. But I do want to go to college next year, and I'm thinking about just playing baseball. It's hard to play more than one sport at that level. For now though, I just want to finish my high school career the best I can."

There's a good chance success will follow.

"Charlie is a special athlete and a special kid," Gotzler added. "He has great values and is an excellent role model. He's always there helping us out when he have youth programs, and he embraces that role of helping out the younger kids. Charlie is the kind of athlete we preach about at Catholic Memorial."