H-S Athlete of the Week: Colin Whyte, West Greene
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H-S Athlete of the Week: Colin Whyte, West Greene
Name: Colin Whyte
School: West Greene
Class: Senior
Sport: Wrestling
Whyte’s week: The Pioneers’ 285-pound star earned himself a post-Christmas present in placing fourth at the 59th Annual Powerade Wrestling tournament on Tuesday before wrapping up his week with a championship in the TriCADA tournament, which was held at his home gymnasium.
The Powerade is ranked as the toughest in Pennsylvania and second in the country by WrestlingReport.com. Whyte, who was seventh last season at Powerade, reached the podium for the second-straight year.
“I felt like I improved and got after it at this year’s Powerade,” Whyte said. “I got to my shots, but I wish I would have finished those in my third-place match. I went back in the room and worked on finishing those shots.”
Whyte won his first TriCADA tournament at West Greene on Saturday. He pinned all four of his opponents for the title. Whyte wrestled seven matches at Powerade, and was 5-2.
“It felt good to finally get it done at TriCADA and win it,” Whyte said. “The matches at Powerade were highly competitive, but I have to be ready for that when I get to the individual postseason tournaments and when I wrestle in college.”
Not your typical heavyweight: Whyte competes in the largest weight class at the high school level, but those who watch him compete would think they are observing someone who is much lighter, as he shoots single and double-leg attacks instead of looking for throws.
“I wasn’t a heavyweight in elementary and junior high, so I always shot single and double legs,” Whyte said. “When I was younger, the emphasis was to use the little leagues and junior high to learn the fundamentals. I started wrestling at a young age, but I wasn’t winning every match. I don’t think I placed in the state until my eighth-grade year.”
Moving up the list: Whyte spent a total of seven minutes and six seconds in his four bouts at TriCADA. He improved his season record to 20-3 and has a mark of 136-33.
Whyte tied Kory Bissett (Class of 2027) for second on the all-time wins list at West Greene. Bissett is the head coach of the Pioneers junior high team.
Whyte’s uncle, Shawn Whyte, who serves as West Greene’s assistant coach with Colin’s father, Gary, has the most victories in program history with 148.
“I really don’t pay attention to records,” Colin Whyte said. “Obviously, with my uncle having the most wins at West Greene, I am aware of it, but I just focus on each match that is in front of me.”
Father … and uncle … know best: Whyte relishes having his father and uncle as his coaches.
“They both had great wrestling careers in high school at West Greene, and they know all about the sport,” Whyte said. “It is awesome having them in my corner when I compete.”
While his dad and uncle handle the work on the mat, Whyte’s family has been supportive since Day 1.
“In my core family, I have one sister, but she doesn’t wrestle, but my family always comes to watch my matches,” Whyte said. “They are always my biggest supporters, and I am extremely grateful for them. My little cousins from my Uncle Shawn always come over and get pictures with me, along with the rest of my family.”
The next level: Whyte placed fourth in the state last season at 285. He is a two-time PIAA qualifier, and has committed to Kent State to continue his academic and wrestling careers.
Out with a bang: While he has college wrestling to look forward to, Whyte wants to finish the season strong and become the first state champion in program history at West Greene.
“I want to go for that state title, but there will be some very tough competition along the way,” Whyte said. “It would be awesome to cap off my high school career with a state championship, but if not, I will place as high as I can.”
Compiled by Jonathan Guth