Brother Rice senior Will Gilhooly gets some interesting reactions when fellow wrestlers find out who his grandfather was.
Gilhooly is the grandson of Bill Weick, the legendary coach at Tilden, Mount Carmel and Brother Rice who died in August at the age of 85.
Weick won two NCAA national championships as a wrestler before beginning a coaching career that lasted more than 50 years. He coached on five Olympic teams and led Mount Carmel to three state titles before finishing his career at Rice.
“People are shocked when they hear who my grandpa was,” Gilhooly said. “They think it’s really cool that he was an Olympic coach and everything. It puts a little pressure on me to live up to that, but I try not to think about it and just wrestle my way.”
Gilhooly grew up around the wrestling mat, spending much of his childhood watching his grandfather’s teams. He began wrestling when he was 4.
“(Weick) was so much into wrestling,” Gilhooly said. “He was always going around talking to someone about it. His passion rubbed off on me. I always wanted to wrestle.”
Brother Rice coach Ken Bringe said Gilhooly, a 182-pounder, has made strides this season. Gilhooly is currently recovering from a hand injury, but hopes to be back for regionals.
“He’s taken on some challenges this year and done some good things,” Bringe said. “We moved him all the way up to 220 and he caught a kid from Richards.
“He’s a constant reminder of Bill. Of course, you don’t really need a constant reminder of him. He’s always here in this room. A lot of things we say in practice are what we call ‘Weick-isms.'”
Gilhooly, whose brother Kevin is a freshman in Rice’s wrestling program, fondly remembers annual wrestling trips with his grandfather.
“I went to nationals with him every year, and it was amazing how many people he knew,” he said. “We couldn’t walk 10 feet without seeing someone he knew. It was crazy.
“It’s really cool just to think about the legacy he left and the impact he made on wrestling. It’s amazing that my brother and I are here now, continuing on the tradition.”
The big stage: Lincoln-Way West and Lincoln-Way Central competed in the Singlets on Stage event Jan. 11, holding their dual on the stage at Central’s auditorium.
“It was all about the kids having a good time,” West coach Brian Glynn said. “I think they enjoyed it, the fans enjoyed it. It’s all about promoting our sport and getting some more people out to watch us.”
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Before each match, wrestlers were introduced and ran down the aisles of the auditorium and on to the stage while music played in the background.
“Getting a walk-out song and coming out under the lights was really cool,” West freshman Javen Estrada said. “It was a really fun event. I enjoyed it a lot.”
The Warriors, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, rolled to a 61-12 win.
Resume builder: The top three wrestlers in the 2A rankings at 120 — Lemont’s Kyle Schickel, St. Rita’s Tommy Russell and Brother Rice’s Hassan Johnson — all are set to compete in the Lemont Regional.
Russell hopes his title at Saturday’s Illini Classic at Lincoln-Way East, and his win over previously undefeated Ben Anderson of St. Charles East in the final, will help him with seeding.
“Anderson beat Schickel, so I needed this win,” Russell said. “I have a win over Hassan, so I should be in good shape. It’s the toughest regional in the state. It’s going to be a challenge.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Top 10
With last week’s ranking in parentheses
1. Mount Carmel (1)
2. Lincoln-Way West (2)
3. Lockport (3)
4. Sandburg (4)
5. Lincoln-Way East (5)
6. Andrew (6)
7. Providence (8)
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8. Richards (7)
9. Lemont (10)
10. Stagg (9)
Wrestler of the Week: Wrestling for the first time this season after returning from an injury, Providence junior Jake Lindsey won the 113-pound title at the Geneseo Invitational with two pins and a tech fall.