Lifetime wanderer Federinko rooted in at Atholton

Paul Federinko is only 17 years old, but he's already seen - and lived - in more places then many of us ever will. The rising senior lineman from Atholton has resided in six different states and two different countries, never staying for more than a few years in any one locale. He spent his first six months in Virginia; a year in North Carolina; an eight-year stint in Ohio; four years in Oklahoma; another four across the pond in England; and a little more than half a year in Maryland.

"My mom is in the Air Force, so I've had to move around a lot," said the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Federinko. "I can't get tied down to one area because I'm just always on the move. You get used to it. I'm here [in Maryland] now, but then I'll graduate and be on the move again."

Regardless of where Federinko's been or where he plans to go, football has been apart of his life. That includes the last four years in England, where "real" football takes precedent over American football.

At Lakenheath High, which is located on the Royal Air Force base in England, Federinko spent his first two years at a school where football was hardly the main attraction. Home games were played on afternoons in front of a handful of spectators. Road trips lasted 12 to 14 hours because the nearest teams were in Germany, Belgium and Span. What's more, there were only half-a-dozen games on the schedule, which gave Federinko little chance to show what he could do over a typical 10-game season in the States.

"It could be tough sometimes, but I had a great experience," Federinko said. "We got to play in a lot of different places, see a lot of different things you wouldn't normally see just staying on the base and going to school. It was cool."

Federinko started on varsity from Day One of his freshman year. Of course, that comes with a caveat. Unlike the United States, Lakenheath -- and most European schools for that matter -- didn't exactly have kids beating down the locker room doors to don pads and helmets. In fact, only a handful of players even showed up for workouts at all.

But Federinko was dedicated; he earned his varsity status through hard work, not necessarily because Lakenheath lacked bodies.

"Not only was he big and athletic, but he was an intelligent football player with a head for the game," Lakenheath coach Matthew Martinez told the Baltimore Sun last year. "Paul continued to work on his strength, agility and flexibility, and that's what set him apart from the rest of the big guys in our league."

Problem was, there weren't very many quality big guys to challenge him. Except for some of the German teams, the competition wasn't the greatest, according to Federinko. And although he worked hard, he didn't have the chance to train as religiously as he would have over in the United States.

"At Lakenheath, I couldn't just concentrate on football," Federinko said. "Basically you were expected to play three or four sports. If you were an athlete there, that's what you did."

Federinko enjoyed trying different sports, but he also wanted to play football in college. It's hard enough to get a recruiter's attention overseas, but it's even more difficult when you're attention is divided four ways.

"My brother, Alex, was a quarterback over [in England] and he worked his tail off trying to get some looks," Federinko said. "But the most he got was Division-II and I-AA looks. He walked on at James Madison, but it didn't work out."

But after two years trying to build himself up in England, Federinko caught a break. His mother was to be re-stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Federinko was on the move yet again, but this time it was for the better. He would now have an opportunity to play under the Friday night lights.

In the months before they left England, the Federinkos began researching schools in Maryland. When they saw what Atholton had to offer in terms of academics and football, they moved into the Raiders' school zone.

Soon after arriving at school, rumor spread about the new kid roaming the hallways. He wasn't hard to spot; "Big Paul" was probably the largest kid on campus.

Needless to say, Atholton's football coach, Kyle Schmitt, wanted to meet him.

"I heard from guidance that there was this huge kid coming from England that I might want to take a look at," Schmitt said. "So, naturally, I was interested. I got one look at Paul and he fit the bill."

But before Federinko hit the field, he had to acclimate himself to his new school. It didn't take long. Having lived in the States for 12 years and then on an American military base, he knew the culture well. Plus he was a rather easy-going guy, so he wasn't hard to get along with.

"He came in and made friends really quickly," said Atholton quarterback Brian McMahon. "He's quiet, but he's really friendly."

But while Federinko fit in socially, the jury was still out on whether he could play varsity football at a high level. Sure, he had the size, but there were questions about his strength and conditioning. Federinko lifted as much as he could in England, but it hardly measured up to what elite varsity U.S. players were doing.

At first Federinko struggled to keep up with Atholton's up-tempo routine, and on the field he tended to tire quickly. Schmitt liked the kid's effort, but he wasn't ready to insert him into the starting lineup.

"We saw flashes early on, but we had to get him a little stronger and get him integrated into our system," Schmitt said. "So we started him out on defense because the transition there isn't as difficult. But by late September he was too good to keep out of the lineup as a tackle."

Federinko started his first game at left tackle in Week 4 against Howard. Atholton lost, 32-28, but the new offensive lineman more than held his own.

"Our other left tackle was pretty good, but our offensive success picked up with Paul on the left side," McMahon said. "We scored 28 points when he moved over there, and our run blocking definitely improved."

But Federinko's statement game came the next week against River Hill. The Howard County powerhouse, known for its stellar line play, hadn't lost a conference game since 2005. It was a daunting task, to say the least. Especially for a tackle who would be starting just his second game.

But Federinko responded to the challenge. In fact, he flat out dominated. By his count, he recorded about six pancake blocks and routinely pushed his man back to the second level.

On one play Atholton ran a counter to Federinko's side, He proceeded to flatten the defensive end before bulling over a linebacker. Atholton's running back took advantage of the huge hole and scampered 40 yards.

"That was probably the high point for me," Federinko said. "It was definitely one of my best games."

With Ferdeinko's help, Atholton pulled off the colossal upset, 10-0.

From there, the Raiders went on a five-game winning streak where they averaged 31 points per game. That was no accident. Federinko routinely created lanes for running backs, and he gave McMahon plenty of time to throw. What's more, he didn't allow a single sack all season.

"I trusted Paul to have my back," McMahon said. "Right off the bus he's intimidating because of his size, but he also moves well, gets off his blocks and gets after defenders. He was a big asset for us."

Schmitt, a former lineman himself, was particularly impressed.

"By the end of the year," he said, "Paul was our best lineman."

He wasn't just Atholton's best lineman. Federinko was arguably one of the top three linemen in the county. Even college coaches started to notice. Last year both Penn State and Maryland paid Atohlton a visit to check out Big Paul.

Apparently the move from England paid off.

"It would have been tough to get a [college] look overseas," Federinko said. "So this was a great opportunity for me."

But does Federinko really have a chance to make it to Division I? For all of his improvements, he's still a raw talent.

Schmitt said Federinko's footwork is a work in progress, and his upper-body strength must improve. He also has a tendency to bend at the waste instead of the knees, signaling the need for more flexibility.

But with another offseason in Atholton's training program, Federinko could easily develop into one of the top lineman prospects in Maryland, according to his coach. After that, a college scholarship could be waiting.

"I played line myself in college, and Paul has what it takes to play at a high level in college," Schmitt said. "Hopefully next year we'll be getting ready for him to sign on the line at a Division-I school."

Not bad for a kid who spent the last four years in soccer country.