By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Chase Tripp is used to chasing down what he wants, whether that be a quarterback or a certain goal.
The 6-2, 245-pound defensive lineman for the Washington Pam Pack came up with one of the biggest sacks of his career Wednesday, tackling the opportunity to play Division I football at Winston-Salem State.
Tripp, who models his game after Carolina Panthers’ great Julius Peppers and Houston Texans’ star Mario Williams, will play defensive end for the Rams. He’s looking to make an immediate impact.
While Tripp, who plans to major in business, would love to join Peppers and Williams in the NFL, that’s not his reason for playing college football.
Tripp, who was named to the Washington Daily News All-Area First Team on defense his junior and senior seasons, feels that he’ll fit in well with the Rams.
Washington Pam Pack coach Sport Sawyer believes Tripp has a solid college football career ahead of him.
Tripp praised Sawyer and Jon Blank, Washington’s defensive coordinator, for helping him to succeed.
Tripp, who finished with a dozen sacks and over 75 tackles as a senior, ran the 40 in 4.7 seconds and benched 325 pounds in preseason camps.
He had several memorable moments during his final year with the Pam Pack, but one game especially stood out.
Helping to partake in his most recent football memory were his parents, Sterling and Linda Tripp, who joined Chase on signing day.
He’ll be looking to make more memories with the Rams, and he’ll be looking to help turn around the program.
Winston-Salem State, which plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, went 3-8 last year. The Rams will enter their fourth year of a five-year transition to the NCAA Division I level when they kick off the 2009 season Sept. 5 at home against North Carolina A&T.