Struthers Wildcats come together to help young student

Yahoo

10-02-2025

STRUTHERS, Ohio (WKBN) — Sometimes students need a little motivation to get to school, and that's exactly what Struthers High School football coach John Pascarella provided for one student.
After hearing a young Wildcat was struggling with going to kindergarten, he wanted to help.
Knowing the student looked up to the football team, he created a 4-and-a-half-minute video in which Pascarella and the players shared words of encouragement and support.
'I figured, just do a quick video for him and get the big guys involved, and the rest was history. They did a really good job with it,' Pascarella said.
Some players even shared their experience of kindergarten as part of the video.
'It's OK to, you know, be sad that your parents aren't there, but realizing that you have people there who love you just as much and who care for you just as much, it really helps you get through school,' said Christian Pascarella, a Struthers football alumnus.Pascarella said it worked; the student didn't have trouble making it to school the next day.
'It feels really good to know that one small thing can have such a big difference,' he said.
The players were relieved they were able to uplift another Wildcat, too.
'I felt like I did something like [good], and as soon as Pasc told us that the kid, you know, was able to go to school the next day — no problems — it made me feel really good about what we did,' said Michael Scavnicky, a linebacker/fullback.
While Pascarella is hoping to win games next fall, he is also hoping to teach important life lessons to his players.
'They're starting to realize that something small like that can have such a huge impact, so we'll take that victory right now,' he said.
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