Tom Moore Introduced As New Head Coach At Gallia Academy

[BBallin fool]

GOOD LUCK!!!

[marklduckworth]

Like every coach in S.E. Ohio at any level I have tremendous repsect for Coach Oz. I am sure he is happy they chose an insider to pick up where he left off instead of conducting a nationwide search for the best possible candidate.

I have coached against Tom Moore for many years. I know that he has beat us in J.V. games when we have had more talent. I am not ashamed to admit this and I give credit where credit is due.

I remember as a young J.V. coach at Marietta in 1989 or maybe 1990 we were playing at Galia. We won a hard fought J.V. game and Coach Oz came to me before the varsity game and told me how much effort our kids gave that night and that he was impressed with their defense. I have never forgotten this.

I can honestly say that I have always been impressed with the effort of Coach Tom Moore and the effort of his teams. The "next seat over" will be a challenge. I wish him all the luck in the world except for when the Warriors are in town. I also know that Tom Moore is the type of person we need in coaching. If he wasn't, then he would not have been on Coach Oz's staff all these years.

Good luck my friend.................

[Raiderball]

Good luck Coach Moore

[trojandave]

I know that Coach Moore has had some very good JV teams over the last 5-6 years at GAHS.......didn't the JV squad win the SEOAL a couple of years ago?.......I know that 2 years ago the GAHS JV crushed the Portsmouth JV by 30 points in both games.

[Charge]

After reading this newspaper article it saddens me even more to learn the only people to apply for the position were people from Coach Osborne’s basketball family. I also learned some of the clowns on the fool board were also from his basketball family. Where is the loyalty and respect?

[theassassin]

can anyone tell me why the school board would realease the names of the other applicants?

[DRUNK 1]

Yeah, they didn't even call the best coach in Eastern history. He could've been had!

[Regulator]

I know that Coach Moore has had some very good JV teams over the last 5-6 years at GAHS.......didn't the JV squad win the SEOAL a couple of years ago?.......I know that 2 years ago the GAHS JV crushed the Portsmouth JV by 30 points in both games.

And that has to do with what?

Comparing JV teams 2 years ago is like comparing apples to oranges. One team may have had a lot of Juniors down, or brought up some freshmen for the Varsity, etc..... Not a lot of comparisons if you ask me. Win at the Varsity level!!

[Hardwood]

can anyone tell me why the school board would realease the names of the other applicants?

I am going to guess they put the names in the newspaper to try and save face. They ask some coaches already employed by other school districts, to fill the position and got denied like an inbound pass, so by putting their names in it made it look like there was a lot of interest in the job, and hid the fact that they fired a great coach, with no idea who they were going to replace him with.

[fasteach]

you know i do not have an opinion on this but i have got to say something.however you feel about JO and however you feel about the BO. coach moore is gonna get the idea you hate him. the kids reading this are too.
he did not do anything. before you run this guy out of town, see if he can coach get behind him and the kids or gahs will pay. look at the mess we have here, in meigs, because of stuff like this. i would not wish that on anyone
jotting you should know, can this guy coach?
78, do you want the devils like the marauders?
well like i said, heck no!

[jottings]

Tom will give it his best shot. Five or six teams, maybe seven, have numerous lettermen (and several are still underclassmen) returning next year. GAHS has three starters returning from a 7-14 squad.

Ironton, Chesapeake, Warren Local, Portsmouth, Chillicothe and possibly Athens and Logan will be tough to beat.

[fasteach]

i know that, that is NOT what you want. i also know your blood is blue. i'm just pointing it out to you. i have nothing but respect for the blue. if you knew me you would know that. all i'm saying is get behind coach moore because right now in this heat he needs support. anything that has happened is not what he wanted or asked for. let's, as in you get basketball rolling in G town

[FANOSPORTS]

can anyone tell me why the school board would realease the names of the other applicants?

I am going to guess they put the names in the newspaper to try and save face. They ask some coaches already employed by other school districts, to fill the position and got denied like an inbound pass, so by putting their names in it made it look like there was a lot of interest in the job, and hid the fact that they fired a great coach, with no idea who they were going to replace him with.

It's probably true but who were the other coaches from other schools that anyone is aware of that turned it down. Heck, if the Tribune named the one's that didn't get the job (I believe both Ellcessor and Harrison (little Gary I presume) both played for Oz then they might as well have put the names of other coaches "outside" the district that they tried to get. That would only be fair wouldn't it ?

[trojandave]

Regulator: I have seen in the 40 years of watching high school basketball JV coaches who became very good varsity coaches when given the chance........the same could be said about Coach Moore with time.

Mike Lovenguth was a JV coach at Portsmouth for a number of years before he went to Wheelersburg and had some very good varsity teams.......his 1989 team made it to the state semifinals before losing to North College Hill.

[Hardwood]

Fanosports, I think they were trying to save face, putting the coaches that turned them down in the newspaper, would only make them look bad. Fasteach, you need to go back and read all your posts on the Meigs site, I think that would bring you off your soap box pretty quick, or at least it should. I will also say hiring a J.V coach makes sense to me when your head coach retires or moves on to another team, but to fire a head coach and hire his JV coach makes no sense. This board got rid of Coach Osborne, with no idea who they were going to replace him with. I think if you look at the list of applicants, you see there are not any with head coaching experience that should have told the board, no respected head coach wants to work for someone who had such little respect for a class act coach that gave those 41 years of service.

[fasteach]

hardwood, i will tell you what i have told the others, do you really want gahs to end up like meigs? do not compare gallia to meigs. the coach we got cannot be compared to a good jv coach. he is closer to oh say, escapee from idontknowhowtocoachville. do you really want the blue devils 1-19? and lastly send moore to us and we will send benny to you. our board would have hired moore if he had applied. they have been serching for a coach for 3 years and STILL HAVEN'T FOUND ONE!

[FANOSPORTS]

hardwood, i will tell you what i have told the others, do you really want gahs to end up like meigs? do not compare gallia to meigs. the coach we got cannot be compared to a good jv coach. he is closer to oh say, escapee from idontknowhowtocoachville. do you really want the blue devils 1-19? and lastly send moore to us and we will send benny to you. our board would have hired moore if he had applied. they have been serching for a coach for 3 years and STILL HAVEN'T FOUND ONE!

It's sad to say but Meigs will never be the same (and you can even say that for Pomeroy, Middleport and Rutland before that) in any sport as they used to be in their heyday. There is no tax money, businesses or jobs and it continues to lose quality people and families that were in these towns for generations and because of this, you are left with very little to choose from in the athletic department especially. All of Meigs county today is like a ghost town even before dark and that saddens me every time I visit and remember how vibrant it used to be when I was a kid with a lot of things to do, places to go and people to meet. The only thing open after dark anymore is the McDonalds and everyone in the good ole USA has one of those. Oh well, so much for my ranting but It's a shame. I hope they get some coaches at Meigs that can win but with what they have to work with nowadays leaves a little to be desired IMO. Since this is a GAHS thread some examples of people that I can think of right off the top of my head that left the Meigs area for greener pastures at GAHS years ago include Willard "Buddy" Moore (GAHS football coach and later retired from Middletown schools as athletic director I believe), Chip Haggerty (Jaymes his son starred at GAHS) and Rick VanMatre (Coached for "Oz" and recently retired at Greenfield McClain) were all from Middleport alone. Bob Eastman of "Foodland" went to high school in Pomeroy and we all know what the Eastman family has done for GAHS in the last 3 or 4 decades. Bob Barnitz "Bob's Market & Greenhouses" is also from Pomeroy and has an influence in the Gallipolis area. Any school district has to have something to keep people there and Meigs just doesn't have it anymore and hasn't for quite a while. With that being said, GO MARAUDERS !!!!!

[fasteach]

fan, you have hit the nail on the head. gahs, please don't go down this road.

[FANOSPORTS]

The only thing open after dark anymore is the McDonalds and everyone in the good ole USA has one of those.

You dont have a Wendys? How about the Cafe on the river?

I buy part of your argument with a couple of exceptions: I fail to see what restaurants and greenhouses have to do with quality athletes.

As far as ghost town river villages...you obviously havent driven down 2nd Ave. in Gallipolis lately. Most of the businesses; ie Thomas Clothiers, Haskins-Tanner, GC Murphy, a pharmacy, Johnson's Supermarket, and now Paul Davies Jewelers are either closed or are closing. In their places are flea market type Mom & Pop shops. Where did they all go? Well in many instances out on Eastern Avenue in the form of Walmart.

Numbers? In the 2003-04 OHSAA census, Meigs had 285 boys and 259 girls. GAHS was at 310 and 268.

The last census has Meigs at 253/263 and GAHS at 247/263, but yet Gallia Academy is perceived as being larger because of their past.

As far as geography (where someone was born and educated compared to where they are now), virtually EVERY small community has a similar story to tell.

Yes, Gallipolis is blessed to have businesses like Holzer and the Eastman family, but we arent the only ones to benefit from their philanthropic hearts.

Most school districts in this area only had to pay in the 15-20% range for their share of the new facilities. Rock Hill, I was told only had to pay 8% and that was picked up in it's entirety by a business in the area, so in effect they go their new school for free. Gallipolis property owners on the other hand are paying 36% of our building project and will be for quite some time.

Do not misunderstand me. While I may not know all the particulars about life in Meigs County, my point is we are all hurting in one area or the other and to varying degrees.

One thing I dont understand or agree with is the assertion that men who went into the coaching profession with Meigs County roots should have stayed there to keep your sports programs from declining. Out of the almost 800 high school head football coaches, I wonder how many of them have stayed true to their roots?

You told me I didnt want to go there, but there are two or more sides to every thought, and usually the truth lies somewhere in between. I believe you need to go a little deeper if you think your athletic programs are declining.

For all the things you say Gallipolis has over Meigs County, our football team has had three straight .500 or worse football seasons, and basketball three straight losing seasons (22-43). We too need a strong dose of introspection.

I'm not disagreeing with your points 4ever, all I am trying to say in a nutshell I guess is that when entrepreneurs and local people with strong ties to the community leave then there has to be something to take their place or it all eventually all falls apart and in Meigs county, I just don't think the Meigs area will ever be as viable as it used to be and that affects both academics and athletics in the school system.

Note: And yes, Walmart since taking over the landscape has really, really put a cog in the chain in small towns across america whether they want to admit it or not. (Bars, bakeries, grocery stores, hardware stores, appliances, pharmacies, Ben Franklin's have all been replaced by them) in Meigs County while the only things they didn't replace (movie theaters, hotels, pool halls and gasoline stations for instance) have gone belly up also. And my final point, at least GAHS has Holzer's, the Eastman's, GDC , Rio Grande College , Gallipolis Career College and the Gavin Plant among others to at least make Gallia County somewhat of a destination place for families who want to remain in southern ohio while Meigs has no entities anymore that makes it a truly viable place to live and raise a family while at the same time wanting to make a decent wage and maybe retire someday. Don't get me wrong, there are some very good coaches and sports minded people I know down there that still try hard to make it work and a lot of them will do it till they die but I think in the overall scheme of things, the future is not very bright. I've not lived there in over 20 years now so I could be mistaken (JMHO). Again, GO MARAUDERS !!!!!

[fasteach]

what i am saying is gahs needs to look at the mistakes that we made and not make them. wheter that is athletics, schools community whatever. only a fool does the same thing and expects a different result. frankly meigs' football, baseball and track are fine. it is basketball that's so bad. we seem to hire a coach every 3 years, fire him and get someone worse. with every firing the kids lose community support until now there is none. that is not the place the blue wants to go now is it?