Terrific trio
Connellsville wrestling honors past champions at alumni banquet
There were plenty of champions — past, present and future — on hand during Saturday’s fourth annual alumni/booster banquet that was presented by the Greater Connellsville Wrestling Club (GCWC) at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Greensburg.
And while there were multiple champions in the banquet hall above the casino floor, the GCWC honored three individuals Saturday evening in George Harvey, John Richey and Jarrod King.
King competed for the Falcons from 2001-2004, and finished his high school career with a record of 160-17, which is second in program history behind Ashtin Primus (179-20), who is currently an assistant on head coach Bill Swink’s staff.
King won two state championships as a junior and senior, which included a perfect record of 42-0 as a senior, before committing to wrestle for Oklahoma in college.
King transferred to Edinboro, where he qualified for three NCAA Division I tournaments. King’s ultimate achievement on the mat came in 2009, when he won the national championship as the 12th seed. King was third in the country during his senior season in 2010.
“At Connellsville, you guys have a community that most of the country would be jealous of,” King said. “I remember seeing those guys win their first WPIAL as a team when I was a little kid, and I think I wore that shirt 10 years until I was in high school, and it started ripping because it was falling apart.
“Connellsville is second-to-none, and I thank you guys for the following you have given me over the years, and I still have people come up to me to this day and say, ‘Hey, I was at The Paint Room Bar and we turned on the TV to watch you win the national title,’ and that speaks of the community that’s here. That is what makes this sport, and this town, so special.”
King was introduced by current West Virginia head coach Tim Flynn, who was in the corner during King’s run to the national title as the head coach of the Fighting Scots.
Flynn compared King to the famed racehorse, “Seabiscuit,” which had a feature film made about him in 2003, as both stallions overcame injuries and other obstacles on their path to greatness.
“Jarrod had a lot of surgeries on one shoulder, and, like Seabiscuit, people thought he was done, but he just needed rest and time to heal. We took ‘Seabiscuit,’ and got him off the waiver wires back then, and I guess the rest is history.”
Flynn coached Jarrod’s brother, Matt, at Edinboro, and he joked about being invited to the banquet to introduce Jarrod. He ranks their father, Mark, as his favorite member of the family.
“I was kind of shocked when I was invited to speak about Jarrod with him only being my fourth-favorite King,” Flynn said. “Obviously, Mark is No. 1, but you passed Matt because he didn’t show today, so you are up to No. 3. I feel really close to the King family, so I really appreciate the invite.”
Richey was the Falcons’ second state champion, as he won the 130-pound championship in Class 3A the same night as teammate Kevin Saniga, who earned Connellsville’s first state title at 103 in 1991.
Richey was second in the state as a sophomore in 1989, as he was reversed with time expiring for a 5-4 loss to Lock Haven’s Brian Merrifield at 119. The loss was an obvious heartbreaker, but Richey came back strong and defeated Merrifield, 8-0, in the state quarterfinals two years later.
Richey had a career record of 143-11-1, which places him seventh in the program for all-time wins. His winning percentage of 92.86 is the best in Connellsville history.
Richey was fourth in the state in 1990 as a junior. He is also the only Falcon to win four WPIAL championships.
Richey wrestled for the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a three-time national qualifier.
“I would like to thank everybody from the way up,” Richey said. “The coaches took me from the bottom to the top. I guess I had to do some of the work, but they navigated, for sure. I also want to thank my parents for taking me everywhere for tournaments and matches. It didn’t matter if the snow was three-foot high, we would go to these events. I appreciate this recognition, and I am humbled to receive this award.”
Richey was introduced by Dave Bigam, who was a teammate of Richey. Dave’s brother, Jimmy, coached in the junior high program at Connellsville. Their brother, Matt, runs The Paint Room Bar and Grill in Connellsville.
Harvey was no slouch as a competitor, as he finished third in the state his senior season in 1982. He had a career record of 91-25-1 before wrestling for California University (now PennWest California) from 1982-85. Harvey had a collegiate record of 29-5-1 in a career that was hindered by injuries.
Harvey began his coaching career as the interim head coach at California from 1986-88. He coached five All-Americans, including Division II national champion Ken Hackman.
Harvey has coached for his alma mater, at one level or another, for nearly 35 years. He coached with Donnie Dolde at the junior high level, and has served as an assistant coach under all five head coaches in program history (Tom Dolde Sr., Dolde Jr., Jesse Swink, Mike Yancosky, Bill Swink). Wrestling at Connellsville Area High School was established in 1967.
In addition to his dedication on the mat, Harvey was instrumental in the construction of the new TC Shallenberger Wrestling Center as the project manager.
Harvey, who was inducted into the Connellsville Hall of Fame in 2004, was introduced by his son, Slade, on Saturday evening.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this, but I truly, truly appreciate it,” George Harvey said. “When I found out about this, I started thinking back to when my wrestling career started, which was in Donny Lynn’s barn emasculating about 12 bulls. He was my junior high gym teacher, and he said, ‘I think I would like for you to join the wrestling team.’
“And after that day, I just got addicted and couldn’t get enough of it. I could probably share stories until tomorrow of special wins and moments throughout my wrestling career, but one thing my son said during his speech tonight that really means a lot to me was, ‘wrestling family,’ because everyone I coached became part of my family.
“When I think through everything that involved me coaching and being involved with wrestling, I truly believe that I’m the lucky one because those boys, those teams and the wrestling family have helped me more than they’ll ever know, and for that, I am truly grateful.”