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 Dec. 17, 2015)
Megan Lapioli does not take her time on the basketball court for granted. “You can’t ever tell when you’re not going to be able to play,” the Central Bucks East senior said. “I tell the girls that all the time.” Lapioli found out firsthand just how quickly the opportunity can be taken away. Not just once but twice. As a freshman and newcomer at Central Bucks East, Lapioli, who had moved to the area from New Jersey, was injured at a preseason practice. She broke both bones in her forearm, breaks so severe they required surgery. By midseason, Lapioli returned to the court, but the broken arm set her back. “Even now, anyone on my team can tell you – my left arm is physically weaker, but I just had to get through it,” Lapioli said.
After playing mainly jayvee as a sophomore swing player on a squad with five senior starters, Lapioli was seeing significant time for the varsity last year. Until East’s game at North Penn midway through the season when Lapioli took an elbow to the face going for a ball, resulting in a broken nose that required two surgeries and sidelined her for the remainder of the season. “The first time was definitely easier to go through,” Lapioli said. “When I broke my nose, it was so hard because we had been growing so much as a team, and I had been growing with the girls. I just loved playing with them.”
This season, a healthy Lapioli is a co-captain with fellow senior Kyra Scaliti. “For us, it was almost a no-brainer,” coach Liz Potash said. “We had two seniors in the program, but it wasn’t just that they were seniors that made them leaders to be captains, but she’s a really good leader. She’s a person the kids respect and look up to. She’s a positive person and works hard. I can’t say enough good things about her.” An eager student of the game, Lapioli will do whatever is asked. “She’s a smart basketball player,” Potash said. “She works really hard, she’s very dedicated. She comes to every workout in season and out of season. She’s just a really well-rounded good person.”
An excellent student, Lapioli, who takes a courseload of honors and AP classes, boasts a weight GPA of around 4.25. She is a member of the National Honor Society, she is a committee head for East’s first THON and also is an officer for Athletes Helping Athletes. Although she has not made a college choice, she plans to focus on communications design.
To read Lapioli’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/megan-lapioli-0058319
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Dec. 17, 2015)
It would seem that Pennridge senior Danny Long has found the winning formula. “He is the ultimate team player and competitor,” Rams’ basketball coach Dean Behrens said. “He is a winner. He has made every team he has been on better. If there is a game to be played and you are picking teams, my advice would be to pick Dan Long.” One man’s opinion? Hardly. To coach Danny Long is to love Danny Long and his will to win. “When I think of Danny, I think of the fierce competitor that he is,” said Pennridge baseball coach Tom Nuneviller. “He has the desire to win and will do what it takes to succeed on the baseball field or basketball court. Competition means something to Danny. If his team is not successful, he takes it personally and will find ways to make the entire team better.”
He is an incoming three-year starter in both basketball and baseball who wants the ball in his hands as a point guard on the hardwood and a shortstop/reliever on the diamond. “Any time I put on a uniform or a jersey or lace up sneakers or cleats, I want to go out there and win,” said Long, who will serve as team captain of both teams. When it comes to looking up the definition of the ultimate team captain, all the boxes are checked under Long’s name. “As a coach, you look at your players and see if anyone on your team has leadership qualities and you see how they conduct themselves,” said Nuneviller. “Danny has the qualities that you look for in an athlete to be that leader. It also is very important for the team and easier for the coach if your best player is also the hardest worker.”
Long will continue his baseball career at Monmouth University, but in his second sport – basketball, he recently surpassed the 1,000-point milestone with an opportunity to eclipse the school’s all-time scoring mark set by Tim Abruzzo, who is now manning the backcourt at Navy.
Long made his quest to realize his dream of playing collegiate baseball with his work in the classroom as his name can regularly be found on Pennridge’s distinguished honor roll. “It gives you a lot more options,” said Long, who will go in as an undecided major but believes the ultimate choice will be between business and education. “I’ve always been a good student, but it was an added incentive, knowing it would help me in the long run.” He was given no clear picture where he will fit in at Monmouth, but Long hopes to do what he always does – be a winner. “Whenever I get onto the field, I’ll do whatever I can do to help the team,” he said.
To read Long’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/danny-long-0058317
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