Friday night home games draw large crowds at Pacelli High School during football season. Supporting the Vikings football team is a long-held tradition for those with a connection to the small private school in Columbus. On those nights, a group of youngsters usually start up a game of tag football between the football and softball fields.
It was wasn’t that long ago that Pacelli senior Luke Dawahare was one of those kids who could be found playing in the shadows of the stadium lights.
“It seems like I have been coming to games here at Pacelli all my life. I used to play football right over there while my brother was playing on the field. I have a lot of good memories here,” says Dawahare.
Today Dawahare, 17, is in the middle of his last football season at Pacelli. He started off at St. Anne/Pacelli School in kindergarten. In the sixth grade Dawahare decided to go from playing pick-up games with friends to the more organized sport of middle school football at Pacelli.
He saw time as an outside linebacker but that was short-lived. The 5’7,” 160-pound athlete has never been the biggest guy on the roster. He is, however, based on some opinions, the ideal size for a high school varsity running back, a position that he has playing (along with cornerback) since middle school.
It takes Dawahare several seconds to answer which position he favors the most. With notable reluctance, he gives up that the cornerback position carries a little more substance for him. It kind of stands to reason that a guy with a 4.4 Grade Point Average might be using another skillset in addition to physical talent when playing football. For Dawahare, playing cornerback puts him head to head mentally with his opponents.
“I guess cornerback would be my favorite by just a little bit because I like to take time to read the quarterback. To read his eyes and try to think what he is thinking and then play tricks with that,” he says with a slight smile.
Academics and top grades have always been an important part of Dawahare’s school experience. His parents set the bar high for their three sons and Dawahare has had little trouble meeting or exceeding their expectations. His mind has the natural tendency to want to figure things out, to analyze why something works like it does or to design a better way of doing something.
For those reasons and more, Dawahare’s favorite subject in school is math. Any kind of math. He also has plans to become a mechanical engineer with hopes of attending Notre Dame to gain his college education.
Easy going and friendly, Dawahare becomes serious when discussing his future. He loves sports and even admits he will be more than a little sorry to end his playing time once the season is over but the senior wisely understands his life after high school will be successful due to his classroom activities.
“A good education is what I am looking for and the good schools want people who can maintain their academic standards. There is money in academic scholarships just like there is for athletic scholarships. I feel confident I have learned here what I needed in order to make it at college,” says Dawahare.
For this last year on the Pacelli gridiron, Dawahare prepared throughout the summer. He is counting on the Vikings making the playoffs and becoming region champs. He loves just about everything there is about football and playing it at Pacelli. Dawahare isn’t just an athlete looking to satisfy his own personal goals, either. He takes great pride in being able to wear the red jersey of a Viking.
“I have enjoyed playing football since the first time I came on the field. The coaches have been great and the fans that support us could not be any better anywhere. It’s an honor to be on the team. There is something about playing football for a school like Pacelli,” he says.
Football is one of two sports Dawahare participates in for his school. He has been playing soccer since he was three years old. The outside back position player is not only a member of the Vikings varsity soccer team but also plays club soccer. The two sports sometimes clash because club soccer with the local Red Star team has games in the fall. Unwilling to give up either sport (Dawahare has been a team captain for Red Star for years), he has time management down to a science and made some big sacrifices.
“I have football practice after school. From six o’clock to six-thirty I do homework. Seven-thirty to nine o’clock is soccer practice. One time we had a home football game and after it was over we drove through the night to Orlando for Red Star,” Dawahare says laughing and shaking his head.
Soccer is so important to him; he may give it a try as a walk-on at whatever college he attends next fall. He is also looking forward to another season playing the sport for the Vikings in the spring but is more than a little focused at the present time on football.
When the stadium lights are turned off at the end of the season and Dawahare has played his last game, he says it will be bittersweet. For as long as he can remember, Dawahare has had a connection to St. Anne Catholic Church or its schools. His mom even works in the school office.
“I’ve been at Pacelli all my life. God has blessed me. I have great memories with my friends and been a part of a great athletic program. I hope I have been a good role model for kids who want to play here but I also think I am ready for the next step. It’s time,” he says.
Getting to know Luke:
Family: Parents, Anne and William Dawahare; two brothers
Favorite food: Fruit
Pets: A dog, Daisy
Favorite place to eat: Moe’s
Music he likes: Hip hop
Church he attends: St. Anne Catholic Church
Last book he read: Seal Team 6
Ritual before a game: Visualize the game
Favorite athlete: Jozy Altidore
Favorite team (college or professional): Notre Dame/ Ravens
Person he most admires: My mom
The best thing about attending Pacelli High School: Being with friends all the time
Columbus Valley/Academic Athlete/October 2014
Luke Dawahare
Pacelli High School
Columbus, Georgia
By Beth Welch
Photos by Jerry Christenson
Friday nights in the fall are all about football for Pacelli athlete
