A PLAN TO START A WHOLE NEW LIFE
One of the most hardworking juniors this offseason for Port Richmond has been Sam Paasewe. He's been training to obtain the currently vacant outside linebacker and inside linebacker positions and/or vacant defensive end position. Head Coach Lou Vesce wants Paasewe playing the outside linebacker position because his body is too small to play the defensive end spot. He can be a dominate linebacker with his great speed and superb strength. He can give quarterbacks nightmares and that's what is expected of him and that's also what he plans to do this year.
Growing up in Michigan, Sam obtained the nickname 'Detroit' with his fellow teammates and it has been commonly used as his nickname around the whole high school. Before coming to Port Richmond in 2007 for his sophomore year in high school, Detroit already had some football experience. Playing football in his 8th grade junior high school known as the Charleston Chargers where he would play defensive end for his first football team. Graduating out of Charleston, Detroit made his way to Fitzgerald High School for his freshman year. He played on the Warren Michigan Spartans who went 4-3 where he started on defense playing defensive end and on offense played runningback. But there was a problem.
During his freshman year in high school his parents contemplated about moving. They decided it was 'time to start a whole new life'. Time to get out of Michigan, and that's where the transition to Staten Island NY began. "It was the first time seeing Spanish people, I never saw them before, back in Michigan all you see is black and white people, no Spanish people. It was a weird transition for Detroit but in the summer of 2007 he still did not know what school he was going to. My parents wanted me to go to Curtis, I didn't want to, I wanted to go to Port Richmond, it was closer to home.. I didn't want to wake up early everyday to get to Curtis." So Detroit ended up in Port Richmond, starting the year not on the football team, not knowing a single person.
In his first week of school getting to know people was hard for Detroit, he was an outcast almost, he was like an incoming freshman who had no friends coming to the school, like an undrafted rookie that teams new nothing about, that scouts knew nothing about, that nobody knew anything about. Eventually, Detroit caught the eye of another built guy like him except of latin decent, and also he was showing off the schools football jersey while Detoit was not. The first person Detroit became friends with in the school was Peter Curcio who currently is a sophomore and played on Varsity this year as a sophomore. Peter told Detroit to come to Port Richmond's junior varisty's first game of the season at Port Richmond. The JV Raiders would lose but, Detroit did not want to be a spectator. He decided to be a part of the Raider football program.
Junior Varsity Head Coach Fred Manning noticed potential in Detroit just by his size. So, Detroit didn't even have to try out for the JV football team. After playing a full year on Junior Varsity in 2007, he played Varsity as a junior this year and has been working very hard, possibly the most out of everyone on the team this offseason. He wants it, he wants to start, he wants to be a part of a dominating defense. He's been getting stronger. His max bench press has gone from 225 to 275 this offseason. Detroit has grown to enjoy the team and his teammates. He plans on starting at inside linebacker, outside linebacker or defensive end. "Apply yourself, if you want to succeed you have to apply yourself" Detroit was quoted.
But Detroit does not plan on just making a living off of football hopefully. He also has been talking about being a businessman or salesman in the future. As a senior now he wants to play football in college but he also wants to be involved in a business program and become a salesman. When you think of a salesman you genuinely don't think of an African American muscular man who plays football. Sam wants to put an end to the stereotypes as he works to become a business man and a football player. Hey, he can do it, after all, all you have to do is "Apply Yourself."
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