2023 PFN Player Profile: Getting to know Dallas Mountaineers (WR/DB)- Zach Paczewski

Tagged under: District 2, News, Player Previews

PFN Staff | July 6, 2023

Player Name: Zach Paczewski

School: Dallas Mountaineers

Class Of: 2024

Jersey Number: 3

Ht: 5’10 – Wt: 180

Notable Awards or Recognitions:

2021 NPF Football WVC 4A All-Star

2021 Times-Leader All-Star

Twitter: @Zachpaczewski

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Coaches Comments

“3-year starter 3 Sport athlete with tremendous skill set. SE, DB, TB, PR, KR, and Punter can also play QB. Also plays basketball and is getting D1 baseball looks”.

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Let’s get to know Zach a little more.

Why do you play football:

I play football simply just because I just love the game itself. I play it for me. As a kid, I always dreamed of playing football and I would beg my parents every day to play. For Dallas one day. At that time I was still in pee-wee soccer. I got the same answer every time, and it was always no. One day it changed and when I was 9 I started playing. It has changed me and made me a better person in every way possible. I just play to have fun and because I love the game. I love being and doing the best I can with a lot of supporters.

You got hurt last year early on but came back late in the season how has your injury healed:

Ya, it was a tuff injury to go through. At first, we thought it was a lot worse than it was. Thankfully I was back to playing with only missing a month of games. I was really planning on having a big season. That season my knee never felt the same and the way it should have, but it was healed enough for me to play with it. It took a while to regain all my strength and comfort back in my knee, but I worked as hard as I can at Pro Rehab with my dad rehabbing it. By last winter I was feeling 100% percent. Pain-free.

You have started since Sophomore Year now you’re a senior how have you taken on that role as a senior leader:

Playing as a sophomore really helped me develop my game a lot. That was my first time ever playing wide receiver, being that I used to be a quarterback growing up. It has taught me so much about the game and how physical and fast varsity football is. I was never scared for the task and I always came prepared every day to practice and on game days. I looked up to the senior captains every year, and now it’s my turn to hold that role. My goal is to step up for myself and for the younger kids and to teach them everything that I have learned in my years. I plan on leading the team by example on and off the field and showing them how to act physically and mentally.

What was last season like for you:

Last season was a tuff season. I think we had the best team in the district last year, and we just had a down slope at the worst timing. It hurt me that I was out for a couple of games due to an injury. It made me think that you never know when your last play is going to be playing football, so you have to play every play like it’s your last. We had a couple of tuff injuries and I think that hurt the team in many ways. We all learned that same lesson to give 100% every play with football and just in life. I didn’t have my best year, but I’m looking for a big upcoming senior season this year and to reach our goal to be playing in the district championship.

Tell us something about playing for Coach Mannello and Dallas that stands out, that others may not know:

Playing for Coach Mannello is a pleasure. There aren’t many words to describe it. You just have to be there and be on his team to know what I’m talking about. I think many of the kids in the past from Dallas Football would say the same. He strives for us to be the best men we can be off the field before striving us to be the best on the field. He had changed many lives and has given so many kids an extra life that would work out in their favor. The bond that we have at Dallas Football is unreal. We know that no matter how much time goes by we will always have Coach Mannello by our side. Playing for Dallas is just actually playing for this community and playing for one another. On Friday nights when you see all the people in the stands watching you play, that’s when you know what playing for Dallas feels like.

Since 2018 you guys have either played in the district or district semifinal what’s the most important step to get back there:

I would say by keeping the team close and staying together. We’re all very talented football players, so the rest will follow as long as we stay together.

What are some personal and team goals this season:

My personal goals are to lead this team to a victory every game and do the best I can every time I step onto the field. I want to have the best season of my life because it will be the last time I am ever playing the game of football. I have high hopes and expectations to be at my best. The goal for the team is to get back to the District Championship and get better every day.

You guys have won the Old Shoe 9 out of the past 10 years now talk about that Rivalry: This Rivalry is big. Most of us grew up being best friends with the other team. It’s a game you don’t want to lose. It brings out so many people, people from all over the Back Mountain just for one game each year. It goes back a lot of years from now and the goal is to win the shoe and keep it at Dallas every year. My dad has played for the old shoe even when he was back in high school, so it means something to me to keep the shoe at our school every year.

This past year you played for the Baseball State title tells us about the atmosphere of a state title game: The atmosphere of playing on that state title team is second to none. You don’t get better memories than the memoirs that we have made on that team. Playing for Dallas in the biggest game of the year with the most people is amazing. It’s nothing but an incredible experience. Not every day you play for a state championship game where almost everyone never even gets that chance once in their life. Our team has worked so hard and we have been playing together since we were 9 to achieve that goal. We fell short but are looking stronger and better next season. Hopefully, we can do the same in football, and make another name for ourselves since 2019.

Who is the best player you have played with or played against: The best player I have ever played with is probably Parker Bolesta. I’ve played with him since 7th grade and he has always been the guy from that young of an age. He was a true football player and one of the best in our area. He taught me a lot about the game and how to be better, and even more he taught me work ethic. He was always working to get better and that has carried down to me.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/14831643/Zach-Paczewski

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