ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: West Orange Times: Paul Atwood

What was the Father Devine event like?

It was probably one of the larger events for wrestling, because this is obviously the national team going to the best tournament you can get to. I had four matches.

How did it compare to varsity wrestling?

There was a huge difference, because for West Orange, the varsity team, you wrestle people who could be … middle school to senior, so usually a varsity lineup is juniors and seniors. Being a freshman wrestling at West Orange, it was an undertaking to be a freshman in the first year of wrestling to be taking on seniors who could have been wrestling for four years. The matches I wrestle for West Orange are at a higher caliber than the ones I wrestled for the qualifier, because I was wrestling people who were born in 2000, 2001 at the qualifier.

How does it feel to have won both events?

It's an amazing feeling, because there's so many people at my training center that I've talked to that dream of going to Fargo. … It's one of the steps to getting a scholarship or becoming a (prestigious) wrestler. … One of the coaches at my training center said 80% of people that get scholarships … go to Fargo.

What do you think of top amateur wrestlers?

It's a high standard. Their work ethic is insane. They practice most hours of the day. At my training center, we have two Olympic wrestlers that are going to be competing – we have one that's on the team, and then we have an alternate. … It's an extreme commitment, and if I was able to work that hard and get that far, it would be a tremendous honor. Ben Provisor and Geordan Speiller, they are heroes in the wrestling aspect.

Does the difference of 25 pounds mean lots of cutting?

Coach (Kristen Iannuzzi) has us on a strict running schedule. I started the season with West Orange at 215 pounds; by the end of the season, I was at 195. … Of course, with the way I eat, I did have to cut a little weight to get back down to 195.

How did you get into wrestling?

Back in middle school, I played basketball and I played football. When I played basketball … I was a decent player, but I was great friends with the coach, and he would always grab me by the shoulder. He'd say, 'Why are you playing basketball? You're so big and muscular, you should be wrestling.' I went to Foundation Academy as a middle-schooler … and when I came here for high school, that's one of the things I was considering. My football season ended early. Wrestling is a great option, and I fell in love with the way she handles the team. She runs it like a brotherhood, so you have accountability with your fellow teammates, whereas I've been on other teams where everybody plays for himself; it's just a collection of players.

Have you thought about what is after high school?

I've actually been thinking about it a lot. You ask a senior and they don't know what they're doing. My brother went through that. I hope to either get accepted into a military academy and become a Marine and retire into the FBI and wrestle at the Marine college or, if I don't get accepted into the academy, go into college wrestling and becoming a firefighter.

What is your favorite class?

I'd probably say my first-period Spanish 2 Honors. I'm a very academic guy – I just got Student of the Month. Academics before sports, right? I know the teacher, and she trusts me. We have respect for each other, and that's a lot. I go in there early, I finish up early, and she'll let me have the rest of the class for personal time. As long as I accomplish the work, she trusts me to be on my own.

– Zak Kerr