A’town’s Mottram, R’ville’s Twamley to get scholar recognition
Robbinsville and Allentown high schools have been running co-op athletic programs in swimming and ice hockey in recent years. Each has maintained its own separate football team but, if they had combined, they would have had the top one-two punch of brains and brawns in the area for the past four years.
Allentown’s Ricky Mottram and Robbinsville’s Taylor Twamley will be awarded for their excellence on and off the gridiron as their respective schools’ honorees at the 55th Annual George Wah Scholar-Leader-Athlete Awards Dinner.
The dinner takes place at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village. Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased for families, individuals or organizations by calling Ron Hoehn at 609731-6610.
There will be 23 schools representing six counties whose players will be honored. Each receives a $1,000 scholarship, while three standouts will earn the $5,000 Jack Stephan Scholarship, the $2,500 Ron Rick Sr. Scholarship and the $1,500 Ed Cook Scholarship. A silent auction of sports memorabilia provided by Best Authentics will also be held.
A team captain, Mottram was a dangerous running back and outstanding linebacker in leading Allentown to a sectional title this year. He was the 12th Man TD Club’s Frank “Mammy” Piscopo Memorial Award Winner, Defensive Player of the Year in the state, first-team All-State, and 1st-team AllGroup IV and All-Conference.
“Rick has been the rock of our program for four years and we will miss him dearly,” coach Jay Graber said. “Simply put, he is the finest young man to ever come out of our program. He is an exceptionally hard-working young man that excels not only academically and athletically, but also as a natural leader. All of Rick’ s hard work and success in school has translated on the field, as he became a dominant player in our program because of his relentless and positive attitude.”
With an unweighted GPA of 4.0 and a weighted GPA of nearly 4.5, Mottram is a member of Allentown’s Student Council, Science League, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, History National Honor Society and Math Honor Society. He has been Student of the Month and co-captain on the Relay for Life team, and has tutored, worked the girls’ basketball concession stand and been a JV basketball clock manager.
“Richard is one of a handful of students who study to learn for its intrinsicvalue, not simply for the grade itself,” Allentown chemistry teacher Ron Hazlett said .“He excels when the material and concepts are the most difficult, and always attempts the most demanding problems offered for extra credit and further study. He possesses an admirable understanding of mathematics and can use his knowledge as a tool for solving the most challenging exercises in the physical sciences.”
Just as he doesn’t do work just for a grade, Mottram isn’t accepting this award just for the scholarship. He heavily researched the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame to see just what type of organization is honoring him.
“I am amazed at the history and the genesis for many current referencesand the names of people I have read about and respected,” Mottram said. “Men of character like Jackie Robinson and the late John Glenn. Great players like Roger Staubach and Bo Jackson, and coaches like Eddie Robinson and Pop Warner. The history is overwhelming but critical for us to understand so we can assure our sport endures for generations to come.”
Twamley has captained both the Ravens football and lacrosse teams. He has been a three-year varsity performer on the gridiron, earning an Offensive and Defensive Leader Award on his team. He was also a first-team All-Liberty Division defensive back and won the Mini Maxwell Football Club award.
“Having been on the football staffs of many highly-touted academic institutions (Pascack Valley High, The College of New Jersey, Princeton University)I can at test that Tay lo rTw am ley is one of the most intelligent football players, if not the most intelligent, I have ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Ravens coach Andrew Patterson said. “This past season, even while shattering all of Robbinsville’s single-season quarterback records, his intangible qualities overshadowed his statistical performances.
“He was our thermostat, not the thermometer. While other players’ temperatures and emotions rise and fall with the peaks and valleys of the game, Taylor sets the temperature of those around him. Cool and calm on both offense and defense, Taylor is a class act who shows his teammates how to act under pressure to get a job done. He’s respected by his coaches, teachers, and peers.”
Possessing a 4.24 GPA, Twamley’s extracurricular activities include Virtual Enterprise International, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America and Project Unify. He has volunteered as a camp counselor for the Special Olympics and Robbins ville Youth Football Camp; and has tutored at the Ku mon Learning Center in Robbinsville.
Twamley is looking to major in business in college.
“Taylor’s strong work ethic was exemplified when creating a grant proposal for Investors Bank in order to fund our student-run virtual business known as FITspiration,” RHS business teacher Shae Fahey said. “Taylor’s willingness to take risk and reach beyond his comfort zone provided opportunities and experiences that other students in the class would never have had without the grant. Taylor’ s determination not only proves beneficial in his academics, but in his athletic challenges as well.
“Taylor has the necessary tools and traits required to be a successful businessman. Having earned a leadership role as Chief Sales Officer of FITspiration his senior year, he is entrusted with discovering successful strategies that will bring profit to the virtual business. The trust I have in Taylor to execute such an endeavor proves his unique abilities and diligent spirit.”