Media Rugby Club is Undefeated

It was a private joke between Andrew Huppman and his older brother, Carl. After one of their first practices, they asked each other during the drive home if they knew what just happened. What they didn’t realize at the time was a love affair was beginning. A love affair with rugby, forging a brotherhood with other players throughout Delaware County.

That’s what the Media United Under-19 rugby club means to close to 50 high school players, from , Strath Haven, Springfield, Upper Darby, Marple Newtown, Penn Wood, Delco Christian and The Cornerstone School. The team is 4-0 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Under-19 League and led by a core of Penncrest players, like Andrew Huppman, Ian Kassab, and younger players like Alex Hershock, Jesse Barrad, Sean Kennedy and Alex Kron that represent the club’s future. They get a chance to team with players from different schools, like Media club key cog Jim Darby, a junior at Interboro.

For Huppman, it’s been an interesting odyssey that all began through an acquaintance of his uncle, who just so happened to be Media United’s coach, Chris Hunter.

"Coach Hunter worked with my uncle at Boeing, and he asked my uncle one time if he knew any big guys that would be interested in rugby," recalled Huppman, who plays scrum half and plans on playing at Bloomsburg in college. "That’s how it started. Carl was a senior at Penncrest at the time, I was a freshman. We went to our first practice, and we were an hour late. We just went out on the field and had no idea what we were doing. I remember the both of us laughing on the way home about how we had no idea what we were doing. We asked each other what was going on."

But that’s what started it for Huppman. And it’s a sport that he liked immediately. There is no let-up in rugby. The intensity is constant. It’s a sport that is character building, and rugged. You need to be able to take a hit as well as deliver it.

"Andrew is the one that introduced me to rugby," said Kassab, who plays fly half and is a close friend of Huppman’s. "I went to see Andrew play and I liked what I saw. I thought it was a lot of fun. That first day, they needed a player and I gave it a shot. The first time I touched the ball, they told me to run and I scored. I thought it was pretty fun.

"Once I stepped onto that field, there was this rush of adrenaline that took over. I knew it was for me. I loved it. I guess you can say it was love at first sight. When we recruited kids, it’s not as much about a team as we promote a brotherhood. We’re all from rival schools on the team, but once we met up and started playing together, it’s like we’re brothers. I do plan on playing in college. I’m going to West Virginia and I plan on playing there with that club. It has been a great experience for me. There is something about rugby that keeps dragging me in. I’ve played other sports, lacrosse, soccer, I was on crew. But there’s nothing like rugby."

It’s all Hunter and his assistant coach Matt Heavens wanted: An opportunity to represent the sport that they love and their commitment to young players.

"We had just 13 kids last year, this year we have close to 50," Heavens said. "We have two teams, an A-side and B-side for younger players, and everyone plays. That’s the most important thing. We’re trying to build character with these kids and our focus as a staff and a program is to teach the kids to play the right way. Rugby is a sport that is totally foreign to a lot of kids, but a funny thing happens when they start playing—they love it."

It’s something Hunter noted quickly, too. He’s in his sixth year as head coach of the club and he just stopped playing when he was 38. He’s 49 now, and if he could play again, he would.

"I’m the coach and I openly tell the kids that practice is boring, and we do take it easy somewhat, because we don’t want anyone getting hurt," Hunter said. "For new kids starting, I tell them to play in a game, see how they like it and let them determine what they want to do. In rugby, everyone can run with the ball. Certain positions on the field may get 25 or 30 tackles. If it’s action you want, this sport provides it. What’s made it more fun this year is that we have a team with a lot of talent."