If Spring-Ford wins, I want to hear this ...

A real winner

Spring-Ford's Sammi Haas, shown here holding the District 1-AAAA championship trophy, has had a big hand in the 50-3 combined record of the Rams' basketball and field hockey teams thus far as a senior.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com
Twitter: @MercSmokinD

Charlie Sheen likes to talk about Winning, but the haywire Hollywood star doesn't have anything on Spring-Ford's Sammi Haas.
Haas, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, has been a starter all season for the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams (31-2), who face District 3 No. 5 seed Cumberland Valley (26-6) for the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball championship Friday night at 6 p.m. at Hershey's Giant Center.
Back in the fall, Haas also started for the Rams' PAC-10 championship field hockey team, which won its first 19 games before falling in its district tournament opener.
That adds up to a 50-3 overall mark (94.3 percent) for teams Haas has been on this year.
That's some serious winning.
For The Mercury's state championship preview package, click on the links below:

Spring-Ford seeks golden culmination

Spring-Ford vs. Cumberland Valley breakdown

Spring-Ford's Stipa a star generations in the making

True Brit

Spring-Ford's Brittany Moore (10) matched her season high with 14 points in Tuesday's 58-44 PIAA-AAAA second round win over Wallenpaupack.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com
Twitter: @MercSmokinD

In addition to the obvious on-court talents that make Spring-Ford's girls basketball squad so special, the Rams have a couple of other qualities that make them such a formidable foe.
Most notably toughness: both mental and physcial.
The Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1-AAAA champion Rams have displayed a laser-like focus in the 31 games heading into Friday's PIAA quarterfinal against Dover.
In addition, they've shown an ability to gut it out through some nagging injuries.
Senior guard Brittany Moore suffered a high ankle sprain a few weeks before practice started, but made a remarkable recovery and wound up not missing any games. Though she admitted she was only about "70 to 80 percent" when the season tipped off, Moore has been back to full throttle since the second half of the regular season.
She matched her season-high with 14 points in Tuesday's 58-44 second-round win over Wallenpaupack, her third double-figure scoring effort over the past four contests.
Teammate Shelby Mueller, meanwhile, limped off the court at Villanova University's Pavilion during the third quarter of the District 1 final against Mount St. Joseph with an apparent ankle injury. Fortunately for the Rams, she was able to eventually re-enter the game.
Though she missed a few days of practice, Mueller was back in the starting lineup for the state tourney opener against Hershey.
And finally, fellow starter Sammi Haas had to leave the PIAA first-round game against Hershey after suffering a blow to her rib area during the fourth quarter of the Rams' 59-41 win. Haas, a staunch defender who does all the little things, was questionable for Tuesday's game but wound up starting and contributing six points, three steal, two assists and two rebound.

(For a preview of Spring-Ford's state quarterfinal against Dover, set for Friday at 6 at Garden Spot, click here).

Dan the (Stat) Man

Spring-Ford stat-man extraordinaire Dan Miscavage, and his brother Alex, right, hard at work at last week's District 1-AAAA girls basketball championship at Villanova University.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com
Twitter: @MercSmokinD

I like to joke around during football season that the running clock is "the sportswriter's best friend."

For anyone who has covered the Spring-Ford girls basketball team this winter, though, that title belongs to Dan Miscavage.

Miscavage, who wears many hats at Spring-Ford - he's the assistant athletic director as well as a social studies teacher - puts together a full statistical box score for each Rams home game.

And take it from someone who has done full boxes for high school games for more than 20 years - that is no small feat.

With my litany of added responsibilities during the past couple years, most notably live tweeting and shooting video, Miscavage's much-appreciated work has made my job a lot easier.

Many a fellow sportswriter has marvelled at Miscavage's handiwork when they've covered games at Spring-Ford. It almost has the feel of a college or professional event, with rosters and statistical information available to fans and media members alike upon entry to the gym.

Now that the Rams have hit the road for the remainder of their postseason, Dan and his brother Alex (who serves as his spotter) also make the trips to the various venues - much to the delight of those of us covering the game.

So here's a heartfelt tip of the cap from those of us on press row to Dan the (Stat) Man for a job well done.