Boys athlete of the week
// The Post-Gazette’s top male performer from the past seven days
North Catholic track and field
The past week: Paschall took home first place in the 400 meters at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association Championships on Saturday, finishing with a time of 50.52 seconds. He also finished in second place in the 100 meters with a time of 11.21.
Check this out: Paschall finished in fifth place in the 200 meters at the WPIAL Class 2A championships as a freshman in 2019. After his sophomore season got wiped away by the COVID-19 pandemic, he competed at the AAU national championships last summer and took home sixth place in the 200 meters with a personal-best time of 21.72. What was it like being part of the North Catholic basketball team that made it to the WPIAL championship game this year? I had a high ankle sprain so I missed most of the season, and I ended up not playing because track was right around the corner and I figured it wasn’t worth another injury. I talked to the coaches and decided not to play this season.
Were you still able to attend the WPIAL championship game in person? I still traveled with the team. I took stats for them. But it’s not the same not playing a sport that you love. I’d played since I was in third grade.
How long have you been running track competitively? I started in fifth grade, but I didn’t really take it seriously until I was in eighth grade. Then that summer I ran for a club team, the Stallions, and that’s when it all took off for me.
Have you had any college coaches reach out to you about running track at the next level? Yeah, I’ve actually had a handful of coaches reach out to me, so that’s been a pretty cool experience. A couple Ivy League schools. Harvard, Princeton, Penn. What’s one thing someone would be surprised to know about you? Probably that I do musicals and drama on the side.
What’s your favorite role you’ve performed in a musical? I was the lead in “Willy Wonka” my freshman year, but I think the most fun I’ve had doing a musical was “Anything Goes” in spring 2019.
Did you study Gene Wilder’s or Johnny Depp’s portrayals of Willy Wonka for your performance? I was definitely more of a Gene Wilder type of Willy Wonka.
Was it nerve-racking getting on stage in front of all those people and playing such a big role as a freshman? You’d be surprised — I don’t get as nervous for [acting] as I do for track. The way I see it, I’m a different person. I’m not me, I’m my character. I’m just out there doing what I do.