Thomas CioppaWrestlingKadena, Okinawa

Last week — Scored two crucial pinfall victories to climb out of the knockout bracket, capture the 108-pound gold medal and help the Panthers seal their third straight individual freestyle team title in the 4th “Rumble on the Rock” tournament at Kubasaki High School.

Cioppa, a freshman, lost by decision earlier Saturday to Seoul American’s Devin Furner, and needed to beat Furner, the champion bracket representative, twice to win the gold. Cioppa pinned Furner twice, first in 1 minute, 34 seconds, then in 3 minutes, 5 seconds.

Coach Jeff Elliott describes Cioppa as a “very hardworking young man. He excels at wrestling for many reasons. … He leads by example when it comes to working in the practice room. Thomas is very coachable, listening and learning from each practice, match and situation he finds himself in. He learns from his mistakes and is not afraid to try something different when it is called for.”

Jordan ElliottBasketballSeoul American

Last week — Averaged 14.5 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals as the Falcons continued on target toward their 19th straight Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference Division I regular-season and tournament titles, beating Daegu American and Seoul Foreign to remain unbeaten against high school competition and atop the standings.

Elliott, a senior, netted 10 points, seven boards, three assists and four steals in the Falcons’ 64-15 home win Saturday over Seoul Foreign. The night before, Elliott scored 19 points and again had seven rebounds, three assists and four steals as Seoul American downed Daegu, 63-23, also at home.

Coach Billy Ratcliff says Elliott is “a leader both on and off the court. A phenomenal basketball player who has unparalleled court vision and makes players around her play at a much higher level. She can drive to the basket, shoot, make incredible passes and plays outstanding defense.”

Migrated