Bumming around town with Bill Bumerton

Bumerton is a retired Navy fighter pilot who had been missing in action for several years while he traversed the globe looking for greener grass. He discovered the grass is only greener here (it’s blue in Kentucky), so he returned to again take charge of his 1954 green Hudson Hornet that had been in storage, refilled his pipe, and is continuing his smokin’ ways. Here is what he recently told us at the Sports Paper.

Brett Rypien (11)

You talked to Ed Fisher today and the former South Kitsap football coach gave extremely high praise for Shadle Park junior quarterback Brett Rypien, nephew of Mark Rypien. Here is what Fisher said: “I’ve played golf with him and with Mark and I’m thinking he’s the real deal. I compare him to Jack Locker, who Adam (Fisher’s son, football coach of East Valley of Spokane) and I coached against when he was at Ferndale, Jon Kitna, when he was at Lincoln, and Marques Tuiasosopo when he was at Woodinville. My evaluation is he is the best one I ever seen.” Rypien threw for (a state record for 11-man football) 631 yards and eight touchdowns, and ran for another one in a 63-42 victory over Shadle Park Thursday night. He threw for 480 yards in the first half! “He’s not fast. You take those three guys and Locker and Tuiasosopo could run,” Fisher said. “Brett can run, but not as good as those two. But when he takes off he’s looking down field and chucking that thing. He threw 47 times in the first half last night. He’s talented and a great kid – an absolutely great kid. He has a 3.9 (grade-point average) in AP classes, says yes sir, no sure, and thank you. He plays baseball. He’s a catcher and started as a freshman. His mom is Chris Tormey’s sister, and that is where he gets (athletic) genes.” Tormey is the defensive coorindator and secondary coach at Wyoming. He coached at Washington under Don James and Jim Lambright from 1984-94. Rypien broke the 11-man single game passing record he sat last year at 577 yards. The 44 pass completions he threw in the game is also an 11-man football record for the state. And his eight TD passes is just one off the 11-man record of nine set by Brian Lindgren of DeSales in 1998. Fisher, by the way big Dawg, is no longer helping his son Adam at East Valley. He stopped a year go because he didn’t have the full time to give to his assistant coaching gig.