SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Nov. 5, 2014)
A future in coaching might not be on Eryn Brady’s radar, but perhaps it should be. The Upper Merion senior certainly has given every indication she’d be a good one. “(Former assistant) Laura (Stiansen) and I used to joke about having a third coach, and it was Eryn,” UM volleyball coach Tony Funsten said. “If there was anything that had to be done, she was ready to do it. Eryn just has a certain calmness and maturity that her parents have brought out in her. She’s the type of player you would like to coach. She’s affable, she’s smart, she does the right thing, she tries to keep everybody happy, she’s a great captain, and she tries to keep the peace as much as she can with a team of high school girls.”
Brady’s maturity was evident after the Vikings saw their 107-match SOL winning streak snapped by Hatboro Horsham earlier this season. Players – and Brady includes herself in that number – were quick to point fingers and assess blame on others for the loss, and it didn’t take long for the senior captain to realize the team was heading down a dangerous path. “I sent out a long message about how – even though we lost, it doesn’t change a thing about our team or how I feel about our team, and we needed to make sure that from this loss we take away things we can improve upon,” Brady said. “I think that’s what we did.” Several weeks later, the Vikings captured the District One AAA title.
Playing volleyball isn’t just about winning championships for Brady, although she has won plenty as part of an Upper Merion team that has captured eight consecutive SOL titles and five of the last seven district crowns. “Volleyball really, really helped me learn how to come together with people you might normally not be friends with,” Brady said. “I’ve made friends in different circles because of volleyball.”
Brady, who has been in the starting lineup since she was a sophomore, also plays basketball. “Eryn is the type of player and young woman that makes it easy to coach,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “Driven, focused and always willing to put the team first, Eryn views each practice and game as a chance to take a step forward. Having worked her way up through each level of the Upper Merion girls’ basketball program, Eryn is a hallmark of perseverance. She is an outstanding student, a great teammate and a pleasure to coach.”
In addition to playing volleyball year round, Brady is the hospitality chair for Upper Merion’s Mini-Thon, and she also is a member of the school’s concert band and choir. Volleyball will be part of Brady’s future. York College of PA is her top choice, and she plans to major in business management or human resources.
To read Brady’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/eryn-brady-0048498
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Nov. 5, 2014)
It was a sight and sound no high school football coach wants to see and hear during a preseason scrimmage. But the feared blur and the thud of his quarterback’s jersey amid a sea of bodies was not a nightmare from which coach Adams Beach could awake. Josh Abrams was well on his way to securing the starting nod at quarterback when visions of losing him overcame the coach. In actuality, though, nobody on the opposing team hit Abrams. It was all on Abrams. “I like to hit, you know,” Abrams said. “People think quarterbacks don’t like to get hit. It’s not that I like getting hit, but I can handle it.” Beach described Abrams as “a linebacker playing quarterback.” “That’s his mentality,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “He’s out there, throwing a block in a scrimmage, and I’m screaming at the official.”
A lot of the growth of this year’s squad can be attributed to Abrams, who is the team’s spiritual leader. “I would say he is an emotional guy, but he is not a yeller and a screamer,” Beach said. “He doesn’t really need to be. He has the respect of the kids on the team. He knows where he is coming from and where he needs to be. A lot of kids don’t do that. He’s the kind of a guy who, as a coach, you want to hold up on a pedestal and say, ‘be like this guy.’”
The fact that Abrams is on the field marks an intriguing about-face as he had temporarily soured on the sport he began playing at a young age but felt reinvigorated when Beach returned to the helm last season. Going into this season, it became clear Abrams would have a good shot at winning the quarterback job. Abrams said his mother, Lisa, who has battled health issues, has been one of his biggest cheerleaders. “My parents have been there through everything,” said Abrams. “My mom has been right there, telling me I can’t give up.”
Beach described Abrams as “the All-American boy,” and with just cause. In addition to being the senior quarterback and team captain, Abrams is currently ranked third in the senior class and carries himself as a leader in the school community the way he does in the smaller and contained world of the football team’s family. “Everybody says, ‘If I had a son…’ All I can say is that if my son turns out like Josh, I’ll be happy. He has the respect of the student body. He works hard on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom. I’m just happy to have him.”
Abrams, who takes five AP classes and has broken 2,000 on the SAT, is eligible for a QuestBridge scholarship. He has listed eight schools, in order of preference, and would get a full ride to any upon acceptance. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School tops a list that also includes the likes of Yale and Stanford. He has already been accepted to non-QuestBridge schools like Penn State and Robert Morris. He hopes to one day become an actuary, and he hasn’t ruled out trying out as a walk on for the football team, but he is at peace with whatever comes next.
To view Abrams’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/josh-abrams-0048501
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