Hoops: Engel's appeal to PIAA denied

Rip Engel's appeal to the PIAA to play basketball at Pennsbury was denied by a 5-1 vote Wednesday. The senior formerly played at Council Rock North.

"I don't know all the details," said Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman, who was not in Mechanicsburg for the hearing. "I'm just disappointed for him. It's his senior season."

Engel, a point guard, played the last two seasons at C.R. North. He started his high school career at Roman Catholic.

"He's one of the top point guards in Bucks County," Coleman said. "We're at one level now - he would have taken us to a different level. But we'll never know now."

Last season, Engel and C.R. North, which competes against Pennsbury in the Suburban One League National Conference, fell to Harriton in the first round of the District 1 Class AAAA playoffs.

The first petition for Engel to play at Pennsbury was denied by a District 1 committee in September. The school then appealed to the PIAA on his behalf.