Preston Raab is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Ironwood High School for AZPreps365.com

 

PHOENIX — When the briefcase closes, Andrew DiCarlo doesn’t just go home, he heads back to Ironwood High School, the place he once was a student. There, the construction attorney becomes something more: a coach, a mentor and a presence for players, especially for senior quarterback Khavontae Paul. 

“KP was one of the easiest kids I’ve ever coached,” DiCarlo said. “Even when he disagreed, he never made it known he just respected the role I had.”

Although Paul was never a quarterback, he embraced the role and made sure he could lead the team with his heart. Having DiCarlo on the field with him throughout his high school career gave him the support he needed to make the transition to full-time quarterback.

DiCarlo makes sure he can still be at Ironwood influencing the players like he once was. 

“The whole reason for me coaching here is to connect with kids who are in the same position that I was," DiCarlo said. “My goal in coaching and being here is to be that role model and that coach that I wish I had during my time here, and it's why I do it.”

The bond between Paul and DiCarlo started in Paul's sophomore year when he was a quarterback.

However, DiCarlo saw Paul as a running back and knew this would help both the team and Paul for the future.  

“The kid is a running back at heart and plays like a running back,” DiCarlo said. “It took some convincing in terms of, ‘Hey, this is going to be the best thing for the team.’”

Through the adjustments Paul found himself relying on DiCarlo not just necessarily as a coach but as somebody who could understand him when his helmet isn’t always on.

"It's pretty solid," Paul said. "He's like a father and a big brother at all at the same time. We make jokes but also teach me life lessons with every joke.” 

Although the bond between DiCarlo and Paul’s isn’t a decade-long friendship and fatherhood, it is, however, showing the growth of maturity.  

“The KP three years ago and the KP today are two completely different people that I think they're for the better,” DiCarlo said. “He's matured into a young man."

Paul will continue his journey to Black Hills College or Fort Lewis College but DiCarlo will always have the memories they shared in the three years of being together at Ironwood. 

“For me, it is just seeing him grow,” DiCarlo said. “I imagine it's what having kids is like; seeing the development that I've seen from him not only as an athlete but just kind of as an individual over the last tjree years.”

DiCarlo fueled students' development but his role with Paul was different. DiCarlo was a mentor and coach, along with the leadership of long-time Eagles head coach Tony Stillings, paving his development in his high school career. 

“He's a kid with a lot of integrity,” Stillings said. "He does the right things at the right times. Sometimes he's a little quiet but he's learned to grow out of that shell, which I think will help benefit him, too.”

The idea of growth and guidance connects directly to how DiCarlo views his role in Paul’s life.

“I think more of the impact whatever role that I had on KP was beneficial, not only in football, but also deciding what he wants to do in his life," DiCarlo said.

Although DiCarlo’s help on and especially off the field developed Paul to the person he is now, Paul said. DiCarlo hopes that when Paul heads off to college he is remembered in a way that he won’t be forgotten. 

“He's taught me to work hard and play with no regrets,” Paul said. “So that's basically how I've been playing my entire high school career. I just sprawl out till I can no more.”