11-04-2025
Mineral Ridge record-holder earns Student Athlete of the Week
MINERAL RIDGE, Ohio (WKBN) – If you ask Mineral Ridge senior Dominic Pappagallo, there's always room for more improvement.
'If you think you're working hard, you can always work harder,' Pappagallo said.
He strives for more even as a four-time state qualifier in cross country while also placing top 10 three times, earning All-Ohio honors each time. To cap it all off, Pappagallo broke the school record with a 15:43 5K in his final race at the OHSAA State Meet.
'It was really satisfying because I knew it was always something there, but I didn't really know I could actually get it,' Pappagallo said. 'But when it happened, like it was so rewarding, it felt good.'
On top of being a cross country and track state qualifier, he is just as good in the classroom with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
'I've always put school first, so I'm always hard working with that. I'm also in my college classes right now,' Pappagallo said. 'So I have a pretty good group of friends where we constantly work hard in the classroom, and then I'm always getting out here to get my workouts in right after.'
The class president is also part of the band, the National Honor Society, the History Club and the Beta Club while also volunteering time with Angels for Animals.
'I just wanted to push myself in the classroom and out so I mean, my parents are teachers,' Pappagallo said. 'So they always motivated me to get good grades so I kind of just always stuck with it.'
Pappagallo's name will go down in history at Mineral Ridge with the conference two-mile record and as a two-time Trumbull Country champion in cross country, but there's so much more that goes into it for Pappagallo.
'I always motivate others to step out of their comfort zone and do more. The more you're involved in, the more you're having fun,' Pappagallo said. 'You've got to make the most of high school, so the more you put into it, the more you're going to get out.
Mineral Ridge senior Dominic Pappagallo is our Student Athlete of the Week
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