SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of April 14, 2016)
Olivia Morano’s coaches can tell you all about her dominance in the throwing events in track and field. They can speak of her tireless efforts in the paint and her never-ending hustle on both ends of the basketball court. And they will…eventually. But before they tell you about the kind of athlete that Morano is, they’re more than happy to rave about the type of person she is. “The first thing that comes to my mind about Olivia is that she’s so kind and caring toward other people,” said Quakertown girls’ basketball coach Brittany Remmey. “She’s one of the sweetest kids, and she’s very generous as well. She’s the first person to go up to someone who’s having a bad day and try to cheer them up. She genuinely cares.” Added track and field coach Jason Anderson, “Olivia is always chipping in and helping out anywhere she can. It’s always great to see someone be successful when they’re such a good role model for the rest of the team. Olivia is a very positive, moral person. She’s in Girl Scouts, she’s active in her church, she’s a very kind person.”
Neither coach would likely be surprised to know that Morano credits others for making her the person she is today. “My parents both are amazing people – they raised me to be an independent and loving person,” Morano said. “They always push me to be a better person, have positive feedback for others, be a good friend. I get it from them, and from my brothers, and from my troop leader in Girl Scouts who is like my second mom, and my coaches and teachers, my teammates and friends. One of your biggest roles in life is when people look to you and see how you react to things. You have to bring the attitude you have through school, on the court, as a person, in the world today. I try to bring positivity.”
Morano developed and led a project that saw the basketball team purchase gifts for a Quakertown Elementary School student and his family. The idea was born when Morano read a student article posted on the school’s web site concerning how to help those less fortunate during the holiday season. “That was one of the highlights of the year,” Remmey said.
Morano’s contributions on the athletic fields are more than noteworthy as well. As a javelin, discus and shot put thrower, she is the leading point scorer for the track and field team. She has proven to be nearly unbeatable in the javelin and discus. Morano had qualified for districts in all three throwing events by the second meet of the season.
As someone with a strong desire to connect and make a positive impact on others, it’s not a surprise that Morano is looking toward a career in education. She will head to Kutztown University in the fall. In addition to her studies, she will compete in the throwing events for the Division II Bears.
To read Morano’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/olivia-morano-0061241
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 14, 2016)
John Bernhardt may be in his first year as the baseball coach at Wissahickon after moving north up Route 309 from Cheltenham, but he has been on the job long enough to have a pretty good sense of what senior second baseman and tri-captain Blake Rapoport is all about. “Blake is a dynamite kid,” said Bernhardt. “He’s someone who is completely selfless. He’s wise beyond his years. He’s a guy who works his butt off in whatever he does, whether it’s on the field or in the classroom. He comes from a great family who have taught him so well and raised him into an unbelievably respected young man. Blake always is the first to do things I ask and truly leads by example. He makes sure the guys follow what I say. He truly leads by example.”
Rapoport - who will continue his baseball career at Lehigh University while majoring in accounting or finance – says it starts at home and extends from there. From his love of sports to his leadership qualities to his excellence in the classroom, Rapoport credits the love and guidance of his parents, Stacy and Marc, and his younger brother, Max. He was instantly attracted to sports attending games involving the Philadelphia teams, competing in three sports when he arrived at the high school. He stayed with baseball and basketball with baseball emerging as his primary sport. He began playing for the Philly Bandits, an elite travel team. Between his standout play on the diamond and a strong academic record, schools began knocking on his door. Lehigh won out over the likes of Lafayette, La Salle, St. Joe’s, Bucknell, Villanova and Rollins (Fla.).
During this past winter’s basketball season, Rapoport found himself sitting while his brother, a sophomore, earned a spot in the starting five. He understood the deal. The baseball commitment means less offseason time for basketball, but Rapoport hung in for a variety of reasons and does not regret it. Coach Kyle Wilson believed he added key intangibles to a younger squad. “He was outstanding,” the Trojans’ coach said. “He was one of the hardest working players every day, and he always expressed a team-first attitude. I was fortunate to have coached him. He is a great athlete, a true competitor and a class act.”
As evidenced by the list of schools recruiting him, Rapoport is the complete package as a student-athlete. He has taken almost entirely honors and AP classes. As for his overall Wissahickon experience, he says it was a home run. “I love school,” he said. “I’m not just saying that, I really do. “ Because of sports and schoolwork, he was not able to get as deeply involved as he would have liked, but he was elected as a class officer.
To read Rapoport’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/blake-rapaport-0061240
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