Handing off his knowledge to football athletes, coach Mario Patton is the new running back coach.
Patton has coached for 16 years, but this year is more meaningful than others.
“I had an opportunity to come home and coach at my alma mater. I could not pass on this opportunity,” Patton said. “It has been the experience of a lifetime so far, not many people get this opportunity.”
Patton originally coached wide receivers, defensive backs and kickoff and punt returners at Ritenour High School.
“I think the kids feel like I am a ‘players’ coach’ who is fun, but serious about getting the best out of our student athletes,” Patton said. “My goals are simple, take advantage of the time that we have together. Also I would like for us to stay healthy and win.”
Patton is also related to junior Ja’marion Wayne, who is coming off a season where he broke records.
“Being able to coach a family member is really unbelievable because in all of my coaching years, I have never had that opportunity,” Patton said. “His mom and I are cousins, but we grew up more like brother and sister.”
Restrictions like having to stand six feet apart and wear a face mask have made it difficult to interact with players, but Patton connects with his personality.
“I will continue to build relationships with our student athletes by staying engaged during practices, drills and working around the setbacks that occur on the field,” Patton said.
Patton is now set to get started working with football athletes.
“I remember the call from Mr. Kessler stated that everything was finalized. I was so excited because this is a dream come true. I have always wanted to come back to my home school to give back and go through some of the same experiences that I did,” Patton said. “Coming back to West is one of the best decisions that I have made in my life. This is my dream coaching job.”
![Alumni Grant Aden and Emily Dickson take a photo with their former Latin teacher Tom Herpel to commemorate their engagement. The two have dated for six years and will be living together in Omaha, Neb. as of summer 2022. “What I'm most excited about getting married is coming back to St. Louis at some point. I think as much as I [pretend] I don't like St. Louis, we definitely want to come back to raise our family,” Dickson said. “I'm looking forward to that, and Grant wants to be a pediatrician. He's just so good with kids. I'm excited about that chapter of our lives.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/IMG_8191-e1643644632556-900x657.jpg)
![Celebrating his one year sobriety mark, Trevor Shukers and his fiancée Courtney Jaboor smile with their two children: Hailee [6 years] and Sutton [20 months]. Hailee was diagnosed with autism in the middle of last year. “My three girls have all helped me find a purpose for life,” Shukers said. “I believe Hailee is part of God's reason for helping me and giving me another chance, she needs me. Little does she know I need her more than she needs me. The girls have given me a life better than I could have ever imagined.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-5553-e1632769906996-675x900.jpg)
![Standing at the top of the hill, alumnus James Forsen smiles for the camera. Forsen has not been treating COVID-19 patients, but it is likely that more health professionals will be needed on the front lines. “I think everybody is stepping up to their roles. I cannot say I have been on the front lines, so this week, I may be and probably will be,” Forsen said. “So far, I haven’t spent time in the emergency room, and I have not spent time in the ICUs. That’ll probably change this week [because] I think everybody realizes there is a risk to it.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/drforsen-900x675.jpg)
![Beginning his private chef business, alumnus Andrew Peterson decided to create a website to promote. Although the website makes marketing easier, Peterson has noticed that his business has been primarily popularized due to word of mouth. “Just over winter break, I did a dinner for a buddy, and his dad is a photographer, so he took a bunch of pictures for my website,” Peterson said. “It is really just people's word. It is like when you’re going to Amazon, and you see that one of the things has one five star review, but then another one has four hundred 4 star reviews. It is the same deal. [The food] is only as good as the people that are reviewing your food says it is.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/andrew.jpg)
![As she looks over a student's shoulder, alumna Alexis Franklin hosts a Meet and Greet event at Tower Grove Park to introduce prospective parents to the Sudbury education model. Franklin opened up the school last August and began enrolling students. “We have a really supportive group of parents who jump at every opportunity to help me out,” Franklin said. “They’re really trying to talk to their friends and try to get new kids involved. [They’re] really supportive and positive.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sudbury2-900x596.jpg)
![Alongside club sponsors Andrea Horn and Tim Burkard, assistant principal Kate Piffel prompts a discussion at the first Black Student Union (BSU) meeting. She accepted suggestions for BSU from members like BSU Leader and junior Tanatswa Zirengani, who moved from Zimbabwe in 2021. “Moving here and transitioning into a new school [and] lifestyle, [BSU] became [a place] where I could be myself and talk about issues that I felt comfortable talking about back home. BSU [also] gave me the opportunity to venture into the post-high-school experience, telling me [some] things to expect,” Zirengani said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0120-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/462488499_2973926416100522_5057718068659607183_n-1200x925.jpg)
![Sophomore Isaiah Meese smiles after his Eagle Scout Ceremony. Meese has participated in the scouting program since first grade, learning new aspects of life and growing a community of a second family. “I almost didn’t do [boy scouting], but I'm glad I eventually did start doing it. I regret that I wasn't [working towards Eagle Scout during COVID]. It might not always seem like the most rewarding thing, but if you put your time into it, there's a good chance you'll get quite a lot out of it: friends, new activities and hobbies, or just more experience,” Meese said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1004-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Justin Lutz arranges his collection of basketball sports cards. Lutz started his first hand at entrepreneurship with an online store on eBay, dealing and trading in the sports card market. “I was already collecting sports cards [before], so I knew a lot of these players and I understood the market. I ventured into other sports, but I really stayed with the ones that I knew the most, [like] basketball. It’s really important to focus on what you know because it's so much easier than starting completely from scratch in a market that you don't understand. Find something that you're interested in," Lutz said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-design-2.png)
![Standing in front of the American Sign Language program’s mural, junior Brooke Hoenecke signs with freshman Darren Young. Hoenecke began cadet teaching for ASL this year alongside working towards earning her seal of biliteracy. “I was in ASL class when I received the email [that I qualified for the seal]. I was jumping up and down with my teacher and the rest of the class. One of the reasons why I took cadet teaching this year was so that I could prepare for the Seal of Biliteracy and be immersed in ASL,” Hoenecke said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hoenecke.jpeg)
![With a keen eye for detail, senior Natalie Lashly writes her signature onto the senior hand wall. After some encouragement from her friends, Lashly applied to make the hand wall with her Lorax-inspired design. "I thought the [bright] colors would be fun. Our quote on the wall is 'Let us grow,’ based on the 'Let it grow' song [from the movie]. [I was hoping that the design would] make the cafeteria feel more exciting," Lashly said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0099-1200x801.jpg)
![Walking onto the field, freshman Erastus Adewusi wears a pink jersey in remembrance of cancer awareness month. With the number seven on his jersey, Adewusi reflects on his life in Nigeria before moving to America. “I [used to wake up] at 5:30 a.m. and school would end at 5 p.m. [versus] now,” Adewusi said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0029-1200x800.jpg)
