CR SOUTH:Rappos punch tickets to NCAAs

Penn senior Rick Rappo's wrestling career at Penn
came to an end recently at the NCAA championships.

There was a pair of Council Rock wrestlers in St. Louis March 19-20 for the NCAA Division I championships. Both were named Rappo.

Rick Rappo, a University of Pennsylvania senior, competed at 141 pounds. Mike Rappo, a University of North Carolina sophomore, was in the 133-pound bracket.

Both brothers won state wrestling titles during their time at Council Rock South. Rick was the first ever state champion at the school - in any sport - when he won the PIAA Class AAA title at 103 pounds in 2004.

The second time Rick has qualified for the NCAA Championships, Rick drew fifth-seeded Marcus Hoehn of Missouri.

Rick entered the tournament with an 18-7 record and a third-place finish at the EIWA Championships. Anyone questioning his standing in the field could look at Rick's win via fall over the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Michigan’s Kellen Russell.

Hoehn entered the match with a 29-8 record and a Big 12 championship belt to his credit. The two grapplers had three common opponents this season. Rick was unbeaten against those wrestlers while Hoehn was 3-1.

But Hoehn got past Rick in the opening round and Rappo's wrestling career at Penn unfortunately came to an end in his next match with a 7-0 loss to Boise State’s Cory Fish.

Rappo had a tough time with Fish, giving up a takedown in the first period and then being turned in the second. Fish added a reversal in the final frame for the final score.

Mike, meanwhile, won two state title belts for the Golden Hawks, first capturing the 119-pound state championship in 2005 and then taking the 130-pound crown in '06.

Making his NCAA debut March 19, Mike dropped a 5-4 decision to Filip Novachkov, who posted a 22-7 record during the season for Cal Poly. Later in the day, Mike lost in a 9-3 decision to Missouri sophomore Todd Schavrien.

During the regular season at UNC, Mike went 24-8, including nine major decisions, two technical falls and one pin. He also finished second at the ACC Championships, fourth at the Reno Tournament of Champions and fifth at the Southern Scuffle.

Carolina sent seven wrestlers to nationals for the first time since 2003. It marked the most NCAA qualifiers for the Tar Heels under sixth-year head coach C.D. Mock, a former Council Rock wrestling coach originally from Newtown.

A 1978 graduate of CRHS, Mock won a state title himself during his senior campaign for the Indians.
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Compiled by Sports Editor Steve Sherman.