CTA's Day 4 Of Quarantine With Upper St. Clair's Ethan Dahlem

Upper St. Clair quarterback Ethan Dahlem visited the University of Pennsylvania back on Feb. 1, 2020.

SOURCE: (TWITTER, @edahlem22)

Check out Ethan Dahlem: Ethan Dahlem is currently a junior at Upper St. Clair High School as he is the starting quarterback on USC's football team and starts on the Boys basketball team at USC. This past WPIAL football season, in 2019, Dahlem led USC's football team to the WPIAL 5A playoffs as they defeated North Hills in the first round by a score of 34-16. As USC's quarterback in 2019, statistically Dahlem was ranked 12th in the WPIAL in passing yards with 2,218 and was even ranked 12th in the WPIAL in passing touchdowns with 17. In Dahlem's last basketball game as a junior he scored 18 points against WPIAL 6A champion Butler back on Mar. 11, 2020 in the second round of the PIAA 6A Boys basketball tournament.

Questions & Answers:

What have you been doing during this COVID-19 crisis?

Ethan Dahlem: "I’ve been doing mostly the same things everyday since the crisis has started. My day consists of eating, doing homework, working out, and playing Xbox. I throw with my little brother to work on my motion and footwork. I am doing the little things, so I can get better as an overall individual which will better me for the future."

Now, how has the adjustment been for you in learning in a classroom to now learning online?

ED: "The adjustment to online learning has been good. There is a lot more free time, so I can get assignments done faster rather than being in school. If there was online school regularly, I would honestly do it. I’m more productive when I am alone."

You are the star quarterback on Upper St. Clair's football team and a star guard on Upper St. Clair's Boys basketball team. What's it like being a multi-sport athlete?

ED: "It’s an honor to be a multi-sport athlete. Being an athlete in general takes a lot of time out of you. I can say that from experience because I don’t take breaks from sports. I think a lot of kids in high school miss out on playing another sport. I always hear them say, “ I wished I played last year, or maybe I should play another sport.” We only get one shot at high school. I know that it’s tough going to sport to sport. Trust me, going to basketball from football isn’t easy, but you just gotta do it cause it’s the right thing. Kids should want to get recognized in multiple sports to show people how athletic they are."

Would you rather see yourself having a collegiate career in football or basketball? ED: "I get asked that question a lot. It’s a tough question to answer, but my ultimate goal is to play football somewhere. I love both sports, but I think I have a better chance at football. I grew up loving basketball as a kid, but football started to grow on me as I kept getting better."

You have told us before that you have "Lazy Eye" in your left eye. You seem to play well in the sports you play with that condition. Does that affect you at all in your ability to sports?

ED: "I usually remember to put my contact in, so not that much. But when I forget, it gets blurry even though I’ve been used to it since I was 4 years old. I don’t let it affect my play."

What do you think your team learned from the 2019 season that can make you better in 2020?

ED: "I think that we learned how things work and how some might not . We started to get better defensively and that will be key for us next year. We also have to find out plays that work well for our offense."

Your wide receiver, David Pantelis, seems to be something special. He is getting offers from Division 1 schools and led the WPIAL in receiving yards in 2019. You both also start on Upper St. Clair's Boys basketball team. What's your relationship like with him?

ED: "I’ve been friends with him since 3rd grade. It’s always a blast to be around him. We’ve played basketball together our whole life. The funny thing is that we didn’t start playing football together until 7th grade. So we’ve had a good connection for awhile now. I think that we both have instincts where we know where the other one is on the field. It is definitely easier having a wide receiver like him around. Dude is able to turn nothing into something in a split second. I just have to get him the ball. It’s a pleasure to see him get finally noticed by colleges. He works his a** off. We’ve gotten so close that I consider him a brother. Definitely, family for sure."

Name me a song that can get you get hyped before a sports game.

ED: "I’d have to go with either Magic by Lil Skies or Life Goes On by Lil Baby."

Tell me that something that people would be surprised to know about you.

ED: "My uncle [Wes Dahlem] played college football at Penn State."

Brentaro Yamane: bythebossandgoat@gmail.com and Twitter @BYHilton13