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 for week of May 18, 2021
Chloe Kramer isn’t the first athlete to compete in two sports in one season, and the Upper Moreland senior certainly won’t be the last. Chances are, however, she’s one of the most ambitious. At the SOL Freedom Division Track and Field Championships, Kramer – a softball player first and foremost - competed in four events: triple jump, javelin throw, 800m run and the 4x400 relay, earning silver medals in the javelin and relay. And oh, she also landed a gold since Upper Moreland won the team title. “SOL champs – it was one of the best feelings ever,” Kramer said. It’s hardly a surprise that her coaches in both sports sing her praises. “I’ve had the privilege of coaching Chloe for the past four years, and in all my years of coaching, I have honestly never had a student-athlete like Chloe,” UM track coach Doug Smith said. “Along with being a phenomenal athlete, she is a total team player, and she would always push herself to her limits and beyond, striving to be the best. She’s amazing.”
“Chloe is an exceptional kid,” UM softball coach Melanie Martino said. “Softball is her love, but she runs track, and her track coach said to me she definitely makes a difference by being able to run spring track.” For her part, Kramer, who also runs cross country, is just grateful her two coaches allowed her the privilege of competing in two sports this spring. “The coaches this year just clicked,” she said. “They worked really well with me, and together it was just…boy oh boy. I’ve loved it. From February when softball workouts started twice a week to having softball and track every day to softball every day to track occasionally to back here in May just simultaneously every week. I could not have a better end to my senior year.” Especially since the 2020-21 school year – with the nation in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic – began with so much uncertainty. “My heart is so much more full this year,” Kramer said. “Last year I was practicing outside alone hitting off a tee, but it’s not the same as being out on the field or being out on the track and just being able to actually do stuff with everybody, the whole positive vibe around.”
Kramer, according to Martino, plays a key role in creating that positive vibe as one of three senior captains. “She gets along with everyone, everyone like her, and she just keeps going,” Martino said. “We were struggling against Tennent the first time we played them, and she’s the one that comes in off the field and says, ‘We’ve got to stop playing like we’re trying not to lose and we have to start playing to have fun. We love the game of softball, and we have to play like we love it.’ It changed the tone of the game.” Kramer has been a consistent contributor in the field and at the plate. “She’s making diving catches in the outfield,” Martino said. “There’s a picture of her robbing someone of a home run hanging over our fence. She tried to rob one the other night and literally took the whole fence out because they have one of those portable fences. She is one of our most consistent batters, hands down. She bunts, steals. I time my players, and she’s the fastest kid on the team. She leads the team in stolen bases easily, and she’s a gifted student. She’s done Girl Scouts. She’s literally the whole package.” Kramer was the MVP of the cross country team last fall and the MVP of the softball team this spring. Throw in the fact that she was a key contributor to the track team’s run to the Freedom Division title, and it’s been quite a year.
An active participant in student life, Kramer is vice president of UM’s Key Club. This year, she was one of three overall chairs that led Upper Moreland’s Mini-Thon to raise money for childhood cancer. In the fall, Kramer - an excellent student - will enroll at Penn State-Altoona as part of the 2&2 program and will transfer to Penn State’s main campus after two years. Kramer is going in undeclared but is leaning towards the field of criminal justice. When next year rolls around, it’s a safe bet softball and track at Upper Moreland won’t be quite the same without her. “She’s just a leader, she’s always there to lift up a teammate,” Martino said. She’s that player that will literally give me a sac fly and she will turn around and say to my first base coach, ‘Did the run score?’ Never, ever, ever has she asked about her own stats. Never. She only cares about the team first. She’s just an all-around good kid.”
To read Kramer’s complete profile, please click on the following link: https://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/chloe-kramer-0095029
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete for week of May 18, 2021
Ever put on a coat you haven’t worn for a while and realize that there is not only money in your pocket, but a substantial amount? That’s how Harry S. Truman football coach Ben Johnson felt when Sincere Thomas, a recent transfer from Conwell-Egan, showed up for his senior year. “He’s a coach’s dream,” Johnson said. “As a coach, you always want a kid who has heart and tenacity. A kid who understands the rules, is a team leader and is coachable. He is everything you desire in a player.” As soon as he hit the practice field, there was no doubt that his new team had found something special. “He jumped right off the gridiron at us, so to speak,” said Johnson. Although he is no more than 5-7 and in the range of 160-165 pounds, Thomas deploys both natural skill (including speed in the 4.4 range) and the heart of a lion to make him a lethal multi-purpose offensive weapon. “He’s not the world’s biggest kid, but he certainly plays like he is the biggest kid on the field,” said Johnson, whose coaching staff was able to focus on what Thomas could do and not what he couldn’t do.
Thomas was grateful to be featured in the offense of his new school. “It was a hard to decision (to transfer), but everything happens for a reason. That’s what I always say,” Thomas said. The game plan, when it comes to utilizing Thomas, is both simple and yet complex – line him up at various positions and get the ball in his hands. In a six-game season, he caught 35 passes for 848 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 11 times for another 319 yards and 5 touchdowns from scrimmage. Add in another 185 yards in returns – along with a touchdown – and we are looking at 1,352 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. He also had five touchdowns in one game against Reading. “He’s just a phenomenal player,” said Johnson. “He’s a real playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. We can line him up at running back. We can line him up at slot receiver. He’s our kickoff returner. He’s our punt returner. And, he’s also a defensive back when we need him to be. He’s a very fast kid and a very good athlete.”
Just like he plays bigger than he looks, Thomas leads without being an in-your-face yeller and a screamer. “He’s not one of those loud kids,” said Johnson. “He’s a quiet person and he leads by example. He will address the team if it’s needed, but he believes that his actions speak louder than his words. If he does it, they’ll follow.” Off the field, Thomas is just as impressive – and just as unstoppable -- as he is on it. “It’s the same thing with the academics,” said Johnson. “He has his free time and he uses his free time wisely. He puts his best foot forward and works hard for everything he has. He’s a true definition of a blue collar individual.” Although Johnson does not teach at Truman, he monitors the grades of all of his players. “I keep very close track of that, and he is a phenomenal student. He has a 3.65 GPA,” said the coach. “He is the true definition of a student-athlete. He also does things in his spare time in the community. No character issues and comes from a great and supportive family. His numbers on the field are the same as his impressive numbers in the classroom. This is a kid who works hard, both athletically and academically. Both of those two go hand in hand. He gives 100 percent with football and 100 percent in the classroom.”
In terms of the next landing spot, the picture is a bit murky. Thomas is hearing from Division I schools (Temple, Rutgers, etc.) as a preferred walk-on -- and some at the Division II level -- but he is also considering going the prep school route to get more exposure. Wherever he does land, Johnson sees it as just another launching pad. “The sky is the limit for him,” said Johnson. “He is a Division I caliber kid, but the sky is the limit for him. He is definitely going to land on his feet. He has some opportunities right now that he is exploring. This kid is going to be great, no matter what he does – in life, athletically, academically. He is going to be one of the biggest success stories out of Truman High School. I personally believe that. His attitude, his persona – everything he has displayed with us – lets us know that this kid is going to be great.”
To read Thomas’ complete profile, please click on the following link: https://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/sincere-thomas-0095030
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