Published: March 14, 2008 09:40 am         

Cumberland, O'Connell pipeline to the Point

It's a small world, and when it's ACIT week it gets even smaller. Who are these people? And just where are they coming from?

Oh, yeah. Baltimore, Washington, Arlington, Richmond, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City. As Jeff Spicoli once said, "Hey ... I know that guy."

Admit it, no matter where in the world you go, it seems like you run into somebody from Cumberland or the Cumberland area. I don't know why it works that way, it just does.

Ask Cumberland native Matt Dillon Sr. if you don't believe me. The son of Cumberland residents Ed and JoAnn Dillon, Matt graduated from Bishop Walsh High School. He went away to college, grew up, got a job, met a girl, fell in love, got married and started a family. Matt and his wife Kristen have four children: Sarah, a student at the University of Virginia; Michael, 10 years old; and Madison, seven years old. In between, the Dillons had a son - a very large son, who they named Matt Jr.

The Dillons live in Ashburn, Va., and when it came time for Matt Jr. to go to high school, the Dillons sent him to Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, known in these parts for having a pretty fair basketball team as the Knights are in town this weekend to play in a tournament they recently won three years in a row.

As for Matt Jr., he doesn't play basketball. He went out for football, and he was pretty good at it. He played four years for the Knights, being named All-WCAC two years running as a 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive tackle.

Matt Jr. was such a good football player, he drew the attention of a lot of major colleges. Since he has the grades to go anywhere, carrying a 4.12 grade-point average at O'Connell, a lot of the major colleges calling were really, really good colleges. You gotta have your stuff together if you want to get into one of these bad boys, and Matt Dillon Jr. does.

On national signing day, he signed a letter of intent to play football at the United States Military Academy at West Point. You know ... On, brave old Army team!

Seems Matt Jr. had some pretty good heads-up on the place since two of his friends are already there playing football, and are the sons of Matt's football coach, Cumberland's Steve Trimble, who starred at Fort Hill High School and the University of Maryland before playing and coaching in the NFL and USFL.

"When we sent Matt to O'Connell, I had no idea Steve was the football coach," Matt Sr. said the other day. "It's just funny how it works out. I remembered Steve from playing with my brother Jeff in football and basketball. As it turns out, Matt and Steve's boys are the best of friends."

A wide receiver and punt return specialist, Jeremy Trimble, a former guard for Coach Joe Wootten's championship O'Connell basketball teams, will graduate from West Point in the spring. He completed his football career at West Point by being named the Black Knights' team most valuable player along with strong safety Caleb Campbell.

Jeremy Trimble finished as the Black Knights' career leader in receptions (176), receiving yards (2,330) and touchdown catches (15). He had 61 catches, 907 receiving yards (14.9) and seven touchdown receptions this past season. He ranked second nationally in punt return average his junior season, and eighth his senior season. He closed his Army career ranked second on the school's career punt return yardage list with 606 yards, second only to Glenn Davis' total of 1,057 yards. Trimble's 16.4 career average lists first in West Point history among players with at least 20 punt returns.

Jeremy's brother Jordan is a freshman cornerback for Army, while Justin Trimble is a junior at O'Connell and was an All-WCAC defensive back last season.

Matt Dillon Jr. is a member of the National Honor Society and is one of 10 boys nominated for the top student-athlete in the Washington metropolitan area. The people at West Point think so highly of him he will be one of the boys going directly to the academy without being redshirted. Matt Jr. wants to get into the military medical program.

He likely isn't the last West Point will hear of Bishop O'Connell and the Dillon family. Ten-year-old Michael Dillon has already announced his intentions to play football for The Long Gray Line.

Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.