Niceville's Finch honored as a PARADE All-American

Roy Finch’s football profile already spoke for itself. Now, it speaks a little louder.

Not only is Finch regarded as one of Florida’s finest players, the Niceville running back is also considered one of the nation’s elite after being named a PARADE All-American.

Finch’s name is among the select list of 58 players on PARADE’s 47th annual All-America High School Football Team, which is chosen by a group of coaches, journalists, scouts and recruiters.

Finch, who’s committed to Oklahoma, is joined on the list by three other players from the state, with Dwyer’s Matt Elam perhaps being the most recognizable. Elam led Dwyer to a 42-14 victory over Finch’s Eagles in the Class 4A state championship game after rushing for 187 yard and three touchdowns, although he’s listed as a defensive back on PARADE’s team.

The other two Florida players chosen were Treasure Coast’s Jeff Luc and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Lamarcus Joyner. Luc was picked as a linebacker and Joyner as an all-purpose player.

All-purpose could certainly be used to describe Finch as well.

Combining his rushing, receiving and return totals, the Daily News’ two-time big school Player of the Year accumulated a remarkable 35 touchdowns his senior season. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Finch rushed for 1,670 yards and caught 30 passes for 507 yards.

“I knew that I would have to work extra hard and be more of a vocal leader and be a leader by how I played and practiced,” Finch recently said of his mindset entering his senior season. “I just wanted to come out and do the best that I could.”

Finch is ranked as the 94th best prospect in the Rivals 100 for the 2010 class. He’s rated as the fourth-best all-purpose back.