BUTLER TWP — 'Tis the season for Christmas spirit.

Pavlog Pawluk, a Butler High School senior, has been showing spirit on the athletic field for the past year. It hasn't been witnessed by a whole lot of people.

It's certainly been noticed.

“Of all the kids I've coached, he's one of my favorites,” said 26th-year Butler wrestling coach Scott Stoner. “I love this kid's attitude.”

Pawluk carries a 4.1 grade point average. He plans to study civil engineering in college.

He had the highest GPA among seniors on the Golden Tornado football team, though he never played a down in a varsity game. He had never played football before this past season.

Pawluk is in his second season on the wrestling team. He has never wrestled in a varsity match. He never won a junior varsity match before this season.

“I didn't know anything about wrestling when I joined the team last year,” Pawluk said. “I didn't know the rules, how you scored points, anything.

“I just wanted to try it.”

That's the same reason he joined the football team this year.

Pawluk had never been an athlete growing up. He began lifting weights when he was a freshman.

“I was getting picked on a lot,” he recalled. “There were never any fights, nothing like that, but I felt like I had to get a little stronger physically to defend myself.

“Since I've done that, things have been OK.”

And he grew curious about sports.

“Wrestling and football are the two I wanted to try,” Pawluk said.

When Pawluk commits to something, he commits.

“He reported to me and said he wanted to try out for punter,” Butler football coach Eric Christy said. “I suppose he could kick it 30 yards or so in practice, with no one coming at him, with no pressure.

“He didn't win the position, but Pavlog never quit working. He never missed a practice. Any situation we put him in during practice, we did so carefully. We're about the physical safety of these kids first. He didn't know the game and he's not that athletic.

“But he was part of the team. He worked hard. He learned football and he got better,” Christy added.

Pawluk has not given up on football yet.

He takes a football over to Highfield Park “as often as I can” and just practices punting on his own.

“If I can get good enough, maybe I'll walk on if I see a chance like that in college,” he said. “I'm not giving up.”

That story is no surprise to Stoner. Pawluk is six feet tall and weighs 155 pounds.

“He's not an athletic kid and he's not real skilled,” Stoner said. “But Pavlog works his butt off every day. His attitude and determination never change that way.

“This sport (wrestling) is lacking in numbers because of society today. Our society doesn't encourage hard work without immediate gratification. Pavlog defies all of that.”

Pawluk knew he would struggle to get varsity time on the mat from the day he joined the team.

“I was way behind everybody in training, knowledge, practice, everything,” he said. “All I could do was work to catch up as best I could.”

Stoner matches Pawluk up with different wrestlers in the practice room. The coach said he's been a positive influence on the rest of the team.

“He's one of the more popular guys in the room. They see how hard he works, how much he wants to learn,” the coach said.

As far as “immediate gratification” is concerned, Pawluk experienced none of it.

He lost his first five matches last season, all at the junior varsity level, each by pin. He did not score a point in any of the bouts.

Pawluk concluded last season with another loss — by a 13-6 decision.

“That last match was my favorite moment so far,” he said. “I didn't win, but I proved to myself I could score. I showed myself I can improve. It made me want to work that much harder.”

Pawluk has won two JV matches so far this year. His first was by a close decision. His second was by a pin in overtime.

“I couldn't believe I pinned somebody,” Pawluk said, smiling. “I can't tell you how exciting that was.”

Pawluk may never be part of an athletic team again after this wrestling season. He will likely never experience a varsity victory.

But he's leaving his mark.

“He wants to better himself. He doesn't need the quick reward,” Stoner said. “The experience, the willingness to work and try, are what's important.

“Watching him has been invaluable to myself and our team.”

Christy agreed.

“Our team emphasis is on zero ego,” he said. “There's no better way to explain zero ego than to look at Pavlog. He wanted to be part of a team. He wanted to keep going, keep learning.

“I'm not surprised he's still out there kicking a football. He's always trying to figure it out. He's never going to quit ... Kids like him wind up being successful in life.”