Former Big Spring Wrestler, Gilliam was a CROWD Pleaser !!!
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THE CHOPS
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Former Big Spring Wrestler, Gilliam was a CROWD Pleaser !!!
Former Big Spring wrestler Gilliam was a crowd-pleaser
2/21/2007,
The Associated Press:
(AP) — Rick Gilliam, the former West Virginia University football lineman who died last week at age "29", was a rarity among high school heavyweight wrestlers while at Big Spring. He could fill an arena.
Gilliam, the "1996" PIAA Class (AAA) heavyweight wrestling champion, passed away at his Carlisle home last week for undetermined reasons.
Gilliam was recently honored by his high school for winning "100" matches during his career, a feat less frequent among heavyweight wrestlers than their lighter counterparts. Heavyweight matches are commonly not as high-scoring as lighter-weight matches, and many schools have problems finding heavyweights who are athletic and enjoy wrestling.
After wrestling and playing football in high school, Gilliam was a three-year starter on the offensive line at West Virginia.
Gilliam and Cedar Cliff's Coy Wire, who attended Stanford and now plays linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, engaged in a series of four highly anticipated matches during Gilliam's senior year.
The two split the four matches, all of which were close. Wire beat Gilliam to win sectional and District #3 championships before large crowds, but Gilliam won a dual meet match and defeated Wire 5-3 in overtime before a full house at Hersheypark Arena for the "1996" P.I.A.A. championship.
Gilliam is survived by his wife, Kendra Naugle Gilliam, an accomplished three-sport athlete at neighboring Boiling Springs High School, and a 1-year-old daughter, Mya.
____________________________________________________________________
JOB OPENED:@ Tommy Dolde led Connellsville to the PIAA Class (AAA) wrestling team championship, but that same success hasn't come to Dolde's football teams.
Dolde had his football coaching position opened by the Connellsville school board after his team went 6-13, including a 1-8 record last season.
"I didn't expect it," Dolde said. "I think they hired me for a job and didn't give me time to see the program though. Anything you do in education, it takes three to six years to see the results, no matter if it is instituting policy in the classroom or high school football."
Dolde is considering reapplying for the job. A chemistry and environmental science teacher at Connellsville, he will retain his wrestling coaching position.
______________________________________________________________________
PROGRAMS ICED:@ Two high school-level ice hockey teams in northeastern Pennsylvania had their seasons suspended following an on-ice brawl.
The Crestwood White and Scranton Lightning hockey teams were suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs by the Northeast Pennsylvania Scholastic Hockey League. Players from both teams left their benches for a fight that took part Jan. 31.
Ice hockey is not a PIAA sport, although high schools throughout the state have allowed club teams to use a school's name to represent the teams. Jurisdiction of the sport falls to organizations other than the PIAA.
The fight apparently started after a Crestwood player checked a Scranton player. Players from both teams came on to the ice, forcing parents to assist in restoring order. Police were called to the rink.
David Cawley, president of the NPSHL's executive board, contends the decision to suspend the teams for the rest of the season was correct, even though parents complained the penalty was too harsh.
"I don't see any other school tolerating an incident where parents are on the ice to help regain control of the situation and police are called to respond," Cawley said. "This is not the atmosphere we wish to condone for our sport."
______________________________________________________________________
LONG STREAK:@ North Penn outscored second-place Pennsbury 355-255 to claim the Suburban One League National Conference swimming team championship for the 34th consecutive year.
_______________________________________________________________________
NO FOOTBALL_YET:@ The New Hope-Solebury School Board has decided not to start high school football next season.
Boosters had hoped the board would approve starting a football program at the Bucks County school after they agreed to provide funding for five years — an amount estimated at $321,000.
The school has not had football since "1948", and board members said they did not believe this was proper time to add an expensive program.
"This is not the time to start a football program in our district," board member Barbara Burke-Stevenson said. "We believe that new programs should only be added if it is established that existing programs are supported with sufficient materials and resources to ensure excellence."
THE CHOPS....
2/21/2007,
The Associated Press:
(AP) — Rick Gilliam, the former West Virginia University football lineman who died last week at age "29", was a rarity among high school heavyweight wrestlers while at Big Spring. He could fill an arena.
Gilliam, the "1996" PIAA Class (AAA) heavyweight wrestling champion, passed away at his Carlisle home last week for undetermined reasons.
Gilliam was recently honored by his high school for winning "100" matches during his career, a feat less frequent among heavyweight wrestlers than their lighter counterparts. Heavyweight matches are commonly not as high-scoring as lighter-weight matches, and many schools have problems finding heavyweights who are athletic and enjoy wrestling.
After wrestling and playing football in high school, Gilliam was a three-year starter on the offensive line at West Virginia.
Gilliam and Cedar Cliff's Coy Wire, who attended Stanford and now plays linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, engaged in a series of four highly anticipated matches during Gilliam's senior year.
The two split the four matches, all of which were close. Wire beat Gilliam to win sectional and District #3 championships before large crowds, but Gilliam won a dual meet match and defeated Wire 5-3 in overtime before a full house at Hersheypark Arena for the "1996" P.I.A.A. championship.
Gilliam is survived by his wife, Kendra Naugle Gilliam, an accomplished three-sport athlete at neighboring Boiling Springs High School, and a 1-year-old daughter, Mya.
____________________________________________________________________
JOB OPENED:@ Tommy Dolde led Connellsville to the PIAA Class (AAA) wrestling team championship, but that same success hasn't come to Dolde's football teams.
Dolde had his football coaching position opened by the Connellsville school board after his team went 6-13, including a 1-8 record last season.
"I didn't expect it," Dolde said. "I think they hired me for a job and didn't give me time to see the program though. Anything you do in education, it takes three to six years to see the results, no matter if it is instituting policy in the classroom or high school football."
Dolde is considering reapplying for the job. A chemistry and environmental science teacher at Connellsville, he will retain his wrestling coaching position.
______________________________________________________________________
PROGRAMS ICED:@ Two high school-level ice hockey teams in northeastern Pennsylvania had their seasons suspended following an on-ice brawl.
The Crestwood White and Scranton Lightning hockey teams were suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs by the Northeast Pennsylvania Scholastic Hockey League. Players from both teams left their benches for a fight that took part Jan. 31.
Ice hockey is not a PIAA sport, although high schools throughout the state have allowed club teams to use a school's name to represent the teams. Jurisdiction of the sport falls to organizations other than the PIAA.
The fight apparently started after a Crestwood player checked a Scranton player. Players from both teams came on to the ice, forcing parents to assist in restoring order. Police were called to the rink.
David Cawley, president of the NPSHL's executive board, contends the decision to suspend the teams for the rest of the season was correct, even though parents complained the penalty was too harsh.
"I don't see any other school tolerating an incident where parents are on the ice to help regain control of the situation and police are called to respond," Cawley said. "This is not the atmosphere we wish to condone for our sport."
______________________________________________________________________
LONG STREAK:@ North Penn outscored second-place Pennsbury 355-255 to claim the Suburban One League National Conference swimming team championship for the 34th consecutive year.
_______________________________________________________________________
NO FOOTBALL_YET:@ The New Hope-Solebury School Board has decided not to start high school football next season.
Boosters had hoped the board would approve starting a football program at the Bucks County school after they agreed to provide funding for five years — an amount estimated at $321,000.
The school has not had football since "1948", and board members said they did not believe this was proper time to add an expensive program.
"This is not the time to start a football program in our district," board member Barbara Burke-Stevenson said. "We believe that new programs should only be added if it is established that existing programs are supported with sufficient materials and resources to ensure excellence."
THE CHOPS....