Spring-Ford picks up win over Methacton
Girls’ squad defeats Methacton for first time; boys complete sweep with resounding victory
FAIRVIEW VILLAGE » It was a tall order for the members of Spring-Ford’s boys and girls track teams to contend with Wednesday.
The students had to process the tragic death of a schoolmate, Julia Ann Morath, which occurred on April 7. Following services in the morning, the Rams then hit the road for a meet with Methacton, with control of the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s Liberty Division up for grabs.
The second part of the equation went well, both Spring-Ford teams winning their meets. The boys topped the Warriors by a score of 93-57 while the girls posted a monumental 82-68 victory.
“That was the first time our girls beat Methacton since they came into the league,” SF head coach Danielle Stauffer said.
Early on, though, Stauffer wasn’t sure of the extent to which their schoolmate’s death would impact their mood coming into the meet. But the Rams (both 2-0)
“Our middle and distance events are always good. They’re reliable, and we have depth there. It has a lot to do with the quality of the kids.”
– Danielle Stauffer, Spring-Ford track and field head coach.
made the matter a moot one, solid showings on the track complemented by big performances in the field.
“I was happy to see the kids step up,” Stauffer said. “They had a lot to let out. It was tough, but they all stepped up.”
The Spring-Ford boys were led on the track by Stephen Chapman and Grant Smith, both of whom won two individual events. Chapman swept the hurdles, going 40.73 in the 300 intermediates and 15.6 in the 100 highs while Smith headed the sprints with an 11.4 in the 100 and 22.99 in the 200.
“Chapman had 14-1/4 points today,” Stauffer noted. “He won both hurdles, finished second in the 200 and ran a leg of the 4x400.
“Grant Smith ... he’s not tall, he’s not big, but he just got fast,” she added.
The Ram boys won all but three races, getting other firsts from Jacob McKenna in the 1,600 (42.95), Milan Sharma in the 800 (20.08) and Zach Smith in the 3,200 (10:21.2). They also took the 4x800 and 4x400 in respective times of 8:10.7 and 3:36.65.
“Our middle and distance events are always good,” Stauffer said. “They’re reliable, and we have depth there. It has a lot to do with the quality of the kids.”
On the girls’ side, Spring-Ford was led by the two-win outings of Bella Marchini and Brigitte Smith. Marchini took the 1,600 (5:25.3) and 3,200 (12:26.2) while Smith topped the shot put and discus with respective throws of 31-11 1/2 and 90-8, in addition to a first in the 4900 (5:02.4).
But more pleasant surprises came from Jordan Sigler and Melissa Israel. Sigler won the 100 hurdles in 16.57 while Israel took the pole vault by clearing the 11-foot mark.
“That was unexpected,” Stauffer said of Sigler’s effort. “I expected a second or third. And Israel got the record in the pole vault. The old mark was 10-8, so that was pretty big.”
Max Jones accounted for Methacton’s lone individual first on the track, taking the 400 (52.38) in complement to the Warriors (1-1) winning the 4x100 relay (45.08). They got other firsts in the field from Pat Maloney (discus, 149-10) and John Keenan (javelin, 160-7).
For the Methacton girls (1-1), Lauren Prusacki headed the sprints with firsts in the 100 (12.44) and 200 (2:54.9) while the Warrior girls also won the 4x100 (5:02.4) and 4x400. In the field, Rainah Dunham had a first in the triple jump (39-2).