Richmond High’s Sean Trimmer earning his merit badge on the gridiron

Sean Trimmer, a 17-year-old senior on the Richmond High School football team brings a unique set of skills to the gridiron.

He’s a Boy Scout.

The senior has been a Boy Scout since he was 11, and before that, a Cub Scout since the age of five. He is currently working on his project to become an Eagle Scout, the highest designation in the organization. Trimmer is the only Boy Scout on the team, and one of only a handful at Richmond High.

As a boy scout, Trimmer learns about personal character development, and what it means to be a responsible citizen. Through hands-on, outdoor activities such as camping, woodworking, aquatics and hiking, he learns how to be self-reliant and to be a leader.

“Sometimes when people get hurt I know what to do,” said Trimmer, of the first-aid knowledge he brings to the team. When his teammates sustain minor injuries, he is sometimes asked to assess the situation.

Armed with those skills, Trimmer hoped to apply them to football when he joined the Oilers this season.

“I heard about how things went the last couple of seasons, and I thought, maybe if I came out I can make a difference,” Trimmer said. “I’m having a really good time.”

This is Trimmer’s first year playing high school football, and he’s doubling as a tight end on offense and linebacker on defense. Though he lacks experience, Trimmer feels his years as a Boy Scout have allowed him to step up as a leader on the team.

“It definitely gives you leadership skills. As a Scout, I have to lead the younger guys, and I bring that here,” he said.

Trimmer also says his background as a Boy Scout has given him the lateral thinking abilities that have allowed him to gain extra yards in the game.

“It always gives me more critical skills in looking at the field. Which way to go, what you have to avoid, how to get there,” he said.

With the foundation laid from Boy Scouts put into practice on the gridiron, Trimmer says these two facets of his life have shaped who he is now, and he thinks they will also shape his future.

After high school, Trimmer plans to do his Emergency Medical Technician training, then attend CSU Monterey to study marine biology. He credits the Oilers’ coaching staff for helping to guide him along that path, and for being positive forces in his life.

“The coaches push us and motivate us to get there. They have tutoring sessions, and even when we don’t want to, we have to go,” he said, of Coach Tashaka Merriweather and his staff. “They really want to see us succeed.”