PIO by day, Paul Wappel enjoys Friday Night Rivals during the football season

Beyond his daily duties as a public information officer based in Springfield, Paul Wappel has a fun Friday-night gig: high school football sportscaster. Sportscasting is not new to Wappel, who has done the job off and on since the late ‘80s, when he interviewed greats such as Michael Jordan and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Tell us about the gig?

I’ve been doing play-by-play of Central Illinois high school football games that are broadcasted live on WBUI-TV (CW23, which is ABC NewsChannel 20’s sister station in Springfield) for a program called “Friday Night Rivals” eight of the last nine years – high school football games weren’t played in fall 2020 due to COVID-19. We do nine regular season games, and the production includes seven cameras, graphics and instant replay. Some of the high schools that have hosted games include Springfield, Sacred Heart- Griffin, Williamsville, Taylorville, Pleasant Plains, Lincoln, Auburn and Decatur St. Teresa.

One of the most rewarding parts of being involved with these football games is putting not only the athletes, coaches and schools in the spotlight, but the communities, both small and large, in the spotlight as well.

How did you get the job?

In 2015, I got a phone call from ABC NewsChannel 20 asking me if I’d be interested in auditioning for play-by-play for a new program called “Friday Night Rivals” they were starting that fall. I tried out, was offered the position and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it since.

My first broadcasting job as a sportscaster was at WEEK-TV Channel 25 (NBC) in Peoria. It was during my brief time there that I got to do a one-on-one interview with Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan a few hours before the game in which he scored 61 points to hit the 3,000-point mark for the season. I moved to Springfield and was a sports anchor/sports reporter at WICS-TV Channel 20 (now referred to as ABC NewsChannel 20) from 1987-1995. My experience there included covering high school sports, University of Illinois football and basketball (including the 1989 Flyin’ Illini), a flight with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, bungee jumping, skydiving and a live segment from Busch Stadium during the 1987 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals.

What do you enjoy about it?

I’ve always loved high school sports, and there’s nothing better than a high school football game on a Friday night in Central Illinois! Earlier this season, the Athens-Williamsville game had an incredible finish and Williamsville won a thriller 36-35 in overtime. The players, coaches and volunteers put everything they have into these games, and that makes them fun for everyone. My dad, who was an assistant high school basket­ball coach at East St. Louis Senior High School, always said he enjoyed high school sports the most. I agree.

How can people tune in?

The “Friday Night Rivals” high school football games can be seen live on WBUI-TV (CW23) and streamed live on WICS ABC NewsChan­nel20’s Facebook page starting at 7 p.m. each Friday during the regular season. From 6:30-7 p.m., we do a live high school football preview show that’s also shown on WBUI-TV.