Yough coach Harvey, Zuraw have special bond
As the Yough Lady Cougars made their way through the PIAA Class AAA softball playoffs, their families and friends were there along the way.
But so was another fan who head coach Dutch Harvey and the team adopted as one of their own.
The fan, Abbey Zuraw, will be entering fourth grade at West Newton Elementary in August and this past April, she found out that she was in remission from a lengthy battle with Hodgkin鈥檚 Lymphoma.
Abbey also happens to be my niece.
Thanks to the school year being out, Abbey was able to head to the WPIAL consolation game and the PIAA games with my parents, her grandparents, Bill and Brenda Hughes.
Knowing that Abbey was headed to Penn State University for the PIAA title game, Harvey sent me a text the night before asking to talk to her after the championship game.
After Yough won 1-0 and the players and coaches received their medals, Harvey pulled me aside in the interview room and asked me to bring Abbey over to the team.
He had told the girls in advance about Abbey鈥檚 story, what she had gone through, and that she would be at the game.
They asked to meet her.
As the girls celebrated with family and took countless pictures, Harvey gave Abbey a hug and told his players that she was there to see them.
The entire team stopped what they were doing on the spot and circled Abbey to give her hugs.
Each player signed Abbey鈥檚 just-printed 鈥淵ough PIAA champs鈥� t-shirt, as did the coaching staff, and Abbey was included in every team picture that followed.
Here was a team that just reached the pinnacle of its sport and the players put everything on hold to include a nine-year old in the celebration.
鈥淯ncle Billy, the girls are so nice,鈥� she told me as we walked away a few minutes later. 鈥淎nd they gave me this shovel!鈥�
The shovel she was referring to was the 鈥淒ig Deep鈥� shovel that Harvey used as motivation with the team.
After the first game of the season, Harvey and his staff picked the recipient who dug deep to help the team that game, and every game after, that player picked the next honoree.
The championship game recipient was senior Cassidy Pearce.
She would drive in the only run in Yough鈥檚 title win over Lampeter Strasburg, and when it came time to present a teammate with the 鈥淒ig Deep鈥� shovel from the championship game, the shovel was given to Pearce.
However, without hesitating, she asked Harvey if she could offer it to Abbey.
Harvey agreed, and Pearce presented Abbey with the shovel.
This past Tuesday, the team was honored with a parade in Herminie and Harvey asked Abbey to take part and to ride in his convertible with the team鈥檚 three seniors.
When asked about receiving the shovel, Abbey smiled.
鈥淚t made me feel happy,鈥� Abbey said while Harvey chuckled and smiled as he was standing right next to her. 鈥淚 feel like I am part of the team and Coach is a big friend.鈥�
For Harvey, a bond formed with Abbey at Penn State.
When asked what it meant to have her at the games and in the parade, Harvey shared that he had a health scare in recent months and how Abbey鈥檚 situation hit close to home.
He tried to speak and when he looked at her, he had to catch his breath.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice because of everything that she has gone through,鈥� he said while hesitating to get his emotions under control behind his sun glasses before continuing. 鈥淭o be able to put her with the (team), it was nice.
鈥淎t times, we all want to complain how bad something may be for us but then when you see someone as young as Abbey go through what she went through, our problems aren鈥檛 as big.鈥�
After the team was honored after the parade Tuesday, Harvey made sure to hug Abbey one last time.
鈥淭hanks for coming Abbey,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd thanks for being a part of our team.鈥�