Jan 19, 2019 3 min read

Trinity’s Whitmer

wins at Top Gun

The Trinity High School wrestling team competed Friday and Saturday at the Top Gun Tournament in Alliance, Ohio, and for the first time in school history the Hillers finished in the top 10 in the team standings, sparked by individual champion Cole Whitmer.

Whitmer, a junior, won the 195-pound weight class, beating the top seed along the way, and helped the Hillers to a ninth-place finish in the team scoring.

Whitmer, who was the No. 3 seed, went 4-0 over the two days and knocked off top-seeded Jake Loar of Tuslawa (Ohio), 8-5, in the semifinals. That sent Whitmer into the finals against Jacob McCluskey of Delaware Hayes (Ohio). Whitmer scored an escape in the second period and was able to ride out McCluskey in the third for a 1-0 victory.

Whitmer was one of three Hillers to be placewinners. Gianna Martini finished third in the 126-pound weight class and A.D. Nelson finished sixth at 120.

Trinity was one of two WPIAL schools at Top Gun, which this year is ranked the sixth-toughest tournament in the country. West Allegheny placed 11th in the team standings and had a champion in Jordan Waters at 126.

West best

at Shrine Game

Brett Rypien displayed some of his pedigree in the East-West Shrine Game.

Rypien and Easton Stick each threw a touchdown pass to help the West beat the East 21-17 on Saturday.

Rypien, a Boise State product and nephew of Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, was 10 of 14 for 134 yards.

Scouts from a number of NFL teams talked with Rypien during a week of workouts preceding the game.

“Overall it was a great week,” Rypien said. “I thought I came down here and did what I needed to do as far as what I wanted to show the scouts.”

Stick, from North Dakota State, completed 5 of 8 passes for 51 yards.

Purdue’s David Blough had two touchdowns and 149 yards on 10-of-15 passing.

“It was a good day,” Blough said. “I think we had a good opportunity to showcase what I can do, so that was special. I’m thankful for it all and I’m just glad I got to be a part of.”

Rypien connected on a 22-yard scoring strike with LSU’s Nick Brossette during the first drive of the game.

“Thought I was pretty accurate with the ball for the most part,” Rypien said.

Nebraska’s Devine Ozigbo had a two-yard TD run midway through the second as the West took a 14-0 lead. The score was set up by a fumble return by Michigan’s Tyree Kinnel.

On the first play following an interception by BJ Blunt of McNeese State, Stick threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Arizona State’s Shawn Poindexter that made 21-0 five minutes into the third.

The East got to 21-14 during the final three minutes of the third when Blough threw 6- and 18-yard TD passes to Terry Godwin II of Georgia. Godwin had four receptions for 80 yards.

Matthew Gay of Utah had a 47-yard field goal that cut the East deficit to 21-17 with 4 minutes left.

West’s Darrin Hall Jr. of Pitt was the leading rusher with 77 yards on 12 carries.