When Andie Paschal arrived at Mancos High School in the fall of 2011, her combination of height and athletic ability all but guaranteed that she would be a star.
Sure enough, in just her first season of high school athletics, she hammered down 76 kills, made 79 digs and amassed 97 total blocks while helping the Mancos volleyball team finish 20-7 and advance to the state tournament.
"It was kind of intimidating being a little freshman up at (state), but it was super fun," Paschal said. "It was kind of crazy because it was a huge building and there were five different matches going on at once. It was really neat though."
While injuries and other interests kept Paschal off the volleyball court for the remainder of her high school career, she played a key role for the Mancos basketball as a freshman and sophomore and senior and averaged 5.9 points per game during her final season.
"I had a really good time with the girls and the coaches," said Paschal, when asked about basketball. "We were really close, and it was fun forming all of the relationships with everyone."
Asked to describe her style of play, the post-player, who became known for fundamentally sound footwork and aggressive rebounding, said that she did her best to let the game come to her.
"I'm a player who likes to look for what is open," Paschal said. "I don't like to force things."
In addition to her contributions on the volleyball and basketball courts, Paschal suited up for the Mancos High School cross-country team during her sophomore season and despite battling a foot injury, positively impacted the Lady Jays squad.
"Cross-country was more of a thing that I did for fun to get into shape for basketball," Paschal said. "I really liked my coach, Brady Archer. He was very accommodating to everyone's needs."
A standout student, Paschal transferred to Animas High School during her junior year in hopes of preparing herself for college before returning to Mancos High School her senior year.
Paschal, who plans to attend Hastings College next fall, said that she especially enjoys English, but may end up majoring in political science.
"I took a women's literature class at Fort Lewis, and I really liked reading stories from different centuries," Paschal said. I may major in political science though, because it wraps up all of my interests into one major."
As for what she will remember most about her time at Mancos High School, Paschal mentioned her peers and the school's close-knit community.
"Since Mancos is such a small school, I became really close with a lot of kids in my class," she said. "I'll remember all of my friendships with everyone."
