"Tyler exemplifies hard work and class," said his wrestling coach Bill Evans. "He does all the things people say they are going to do. The slogans you see on the T-shirts, the inspirational quotes, Tyler does them. He knows what it takes to be successful."

In his every endeavor, from exhibition ping-pong matches to pinning opponents to the mat, Wilps is a winner. He's a success on the gridiron or the tennis courts, not to mention in the classroom and community, because of his diligence and attention to detail.

"Tyler is a first-rate kid. A class act," said his football coach Chris Saluga.

"He's extremely aggressive. While he may be undersized, he makes up for that with his tenacity, intelligence and love of the game."

He's a three-sport athlete--an all-conference defensive end in a senior class that produced the best run in school history, a 100-match winner in wrestling, and remarkably a tennis standout.

"If I did not participate in a sport, I wouldn't know what to do with myself," said the 17-year-old son of Lisa Wilps.

"I enjoy football. I do it because I like it. I play football for me. Tennis is for fun, too.

"I love my racket sports. No helmet. No head gear. It's just a relaxing sport.

"Like table tennis. That's the best. I pride myself in my skills. We have a table at home and in the locker room. I try to compete and I try to win."

In wrestling, Wilps wins regularly.

This winter, the 171-pound grappler is undefeated in 17 bouts and ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL, behind Butler's Cole Baxter (18-0).

Wilps is coming off a victory at the Allegheny County tournament.

In winning the 171 weight class, he scored his 100th career victory by edging Nick Bonaccorsi, 2-1, in overtime of his semifinal match. He then upended top-ranked Matthew Cunningham from Shady Side Academy, 1-0, in the championship bout.

For his efforts, Wilps garnered Outstanding Wrestler honors in the tournament. He earned the distinction primarily because the weight class was considered the most difficult. It featured three PIAA qualifiers from a year ago as well as eight regional qualifiers.

"I was pleased with the tournament I had," Wilps said. "I wrestled the whole six minutes hard and smart."

Since he started wrestling in kindergarten, Wilps has known no other way to compete. His father, Jeff, introduced him to the sport. He was a standout wrestler at the University of Pittsburgh during his college days.

"(My dad) never pushed too hard," Wilps said. "He showed me what to do and how to do things and how tough it was and the energy required. But a lot of wrestling you do yourself and I want to be the best I can be. I never want to stop building, getting stronger, working hard, until I'm at the top. That's the reason I work so hard. It's my nature."

Wilps' competitive nature surfaces in the classroom. Last semester, he posted a 4.8. Overall, he maintains a 4.2 QPA. He's also a member of the National Honor Society. While his athletics have not generate scholarship offers, his academics garnered interest from Ivy League schools such as Columbia and Brown as well as Duke. Hence, Wilps accepted an offer to wrestle at the University of Pittsburgh. He hopes to major in medicine with the expectation of working with athletes.

"I really liked Pitt. Plus, it was a local school," said Wilps. "Pitt has a good coach and there are good people in the program."

One of those people is his brother. Matt Wilps is ranked No. 21 in the country in the 197-pound weight class.

"Tyler has found a good home at Pitt and people who care about him," said Evans.

"Wrestling is a grueling sport and Tyler consistently does the work necessary to be good. Not sometimes. All the time. And, that's what it takes to be a champion."

After near-misses his junior year when he finished as the WPIAL and regional runner-up not to mention the eight-place finisher in the state, Wilps hopes to go out a winner. While Baxter and the rest of the competition he faced in the county tournament are formidable opponents, his nemeses, Troy Reaghard has dropped to 160 this season. The West Allegheny senior scored a double-overtime, 2-1, victory against Wilps in last year's WPIAL/Southwest Regional tournament.

"Definitely winning a state title is the ultimate goal," said Wilps. "I know I have the ability. Absolutely, I know how hard and tough it is."

That's why Wilps is putting in the extra preparation time. In addition to his high school practices, Wilps trains at the Iron Horse Wrestling Club in Mt. Lebanon several times a week. Additionally, he lifts and runs on his own, typically covering three extra miles around the circle at his home.

Wilps shrugged and said, "you do what you have to do." For example, the Allegheny County tournament consumed him. "It was all I thought about for the past two weeks. I prepared for it. I do what I have to do. I don't let what others do change how I wrestle or affect my work ethic."

So as he prepares for his run for a state title, Wilps will put in the extra work even though he knows Cunningham will not be an opponent as he competes in Class AA. "I'm going to keep working hard. Working out, lifting, running and doing the extra push-ups."

Push-ups are just part of the pre-math warm-up. Prior to his 8-1 win over Mt. Lebanon rival Scott Allen, Wilps performed a mere 20 push-ups. He admits he can do between 60 to 70 in a minute.

"I just do the push-ups before a match to get things working. I like to be sweating before I take to the mat. I don't want to go into a match cold."

Wilps, who has competed in Junior Nationals in freestyle wrestling last summer in Fargo, N.D., will be the hot topic throughout the preliminary tournaments leading up to the state finals.

"Tyler is capable of a state title. He is," said Evans, "but the goal is the section tournament. The idea is to advance, advance, advance. Tyler's got a shot, but you don't want to get that far ahead of yourself. It's 12 straight wins. You want to take it one match at a time. Stay healthy. Stay strong. And peak at the right time."