Wawasee senior Elisha Tipping signed Thursday with Marian University to continue his academic and football careers. Seated with Tipping are Katy Dilley and Malachi Tipping. In the back row are WHS athletic director Cory Schutz, WHS football assistant coach Jamie Salazar, WHS football assistant coach Frank Bumgardner, WHS principal Kim Nguyen and WHS assistant principal Steve Perek. (Photos by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – Although he is making quite a name for himself right now as a state-level wrestler, Elisha Tipping is hoping to make a name for himself at the next level on the gridiron.

Tipping signed Thursday afternoon to play football next fall at Marian University in Indianapolis after a quality season with the Warrior football program.

Tipping, who moved to Wawasee from Ohio as a junior, was a two-way interior lineman for the Warriors and coach Mike Eshbach. Tipping had a solid season on the defensive line, making a statement late in the season with eight tackles – three for loss – in a 7-6 win against Elkhart Memorial then backing it up with seven tackles and a sack in a 20-0 roast of Goshen in week nine.

“It was mostly the coaching staff at Marian that helped me make my decision,” Tipping said at Thursday’s signing. “They didn’t just care about me as a potential athlete, they cared about me as a person. It wasn’t about getting a text with them asking me how’s football or are you still working out, it was how is your family, how are your grades. I generally feel they care. On the visits they made me feel at home.”

Listed modestly at 6-2, 260 on his MaxPreps profile, Tipping was noted by some scouts during the season as too short for Division 1 despite his abilities and accomplishments. He’s hoping to prove some people wrong in Indianapolis.

“It was a little annoying hearing I’m too short to be any good at that level,” Tipping said with a wry grin. “They always say when you start peewee football that the low man wins. You would think being a little shorter would help there, but maybe some college coaches don’t think that way. Marian knows what they are getting with me, I just have to keep working.”

Tipping’s current gig, a 285-pounder for the top-ranked Wawasee wrestling program, has him preparing for a state appearance this weekend in Indianapolis. He was the Northern Lakes Conference champion, sectional runner-up as well as top four in both the regional and semi-state.

In all in his two years at Wawasee, Tipping has earned All-NLC in football and wrestling twice, All-State in football twice, team Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and is a scholar athlete.

Tipping plans to major in physical therapy, carrying a 3.4 GPA (9.2/12 scale) and ranks 60th in his graduating class.

“I’ve always valued education and having a good GPA, so I’ve got the grades in order,” Tipping said. “I’d like to get into physical therapy and eventually get my doctrine in that after too many years in school.”

Elisha Tipping is joined by some of his football and wrestling teammates for his signing with Marian.