Trinity lineman Helmkamp commits to West Point
Trinity football senior two-way lineman Braeden Helmkamp recently announced that he will continue his athletic and academic career next year at Army West Point.
Helmkamp, a 6-5 270-pound offensive tackle and defensive end, who had been offered 17 Division I scholarships, will join the Cadets next year to play for head coach Jeff Monken. Army had a 6-6 record last year.
“Army was one of the best options of all the offers I had,” said Helmkamp, who has a 4.4 grade-point average and is a three-year letterwinner. “Army was the only FBS offer I received so far, and from knowing people who went there, I know there will be great opportunities.”
Some of the other schools that offered Helmkamp were Columbia, Brown, Penn, Robert Morris, Maine, Fordham, Lafayette, Stony Brook, Richmond, and Duquesne, among others.
Second-year Hillers football coach Dan Knause, who also serves as an assistant principal at Trinity High School, spoke about the type of person and leader that Army is getting.
“With our players, one of our mottos is, ‘person, student, player,’ and we want our players to have character first,” Knause said. “Braeden epitomizes what we want from our scholar-athletes, and he is a leader.
“When you go to West Point, it tells you Braeden is a great kid, and he is a great teammate He fills up water jugs when no one is looking and leads by example. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
Knause also spoke about what Helmkamp, who is also on Trinity’s baseball team, offers as a player.
“He is extremely athletic, a late bloomer by football standards, and has all the intangibles,” Knause said. “He is athletic, strong, and flexible. He truly is a Division I recruit based off the measurables.”
Helmkamp received his offer from Army on May 19, and he went twice to West Point on visits.
“I went in June and again the last weekend of July,” he said. “I will major in Kinesiology and will either play offensive tackle or defensive end.”
When asked about his accomplishment, Helmkamp instantly gave praise to his position coaches: offensive line coach Liam Ryan, defensive line coach Alex Smith and assistant offensive line coach Tony Mendicino.
“They have helped me so much,” Helmkamp said. “They make sure I lead and prepare the young guys to the best of their abilities.”
Another coach that helped in the process is Trinity’s defensive back coach, Marc Giorgi, although the Trinity football program will now be a house divided. Giorgi, a Charleroi graduate, played safety for Navy from 1999-2001, graduated with a degree in Oceanography and served as a Marines Corp. helicopter pilot.
“He is an awesome resource because he knows what the academy life is like,” Helmkamp said.
While Giorgi played on the opposite side of the Army-Navy rivalry, he is proud of Helmkamp.
“Braeden let me know (Army offensive line) Coach (Mike) Viti was coming in to see him, and it makes you pause and hold your breath,” Giorgi said. “To be considered, I know what an honor it is, and if anyone deserves that attention, it is Braeden. He epitomizes what you want in a service academy football player.”
Giorgi went into more detail.
“Our families are friends, and I didn’t want to interfere or be biased, but I wanted to be a resource,” he said. “I let the family know I was available but in no way did I want to persuade him. He is signing up for more than just college football.”
Will Giorgi cheer against Helmkamp the one day a year when Army and Navy play each other?
“I am happy for him 365 days a year,” Giorgi said. “If there is one kid that would make me want to wear an Army football t-shirt, it is Braeden Helmkamp.”