Most high school stats still live on a clipboard, get typed up late at night and reach the coach two days later. A phone can do better: you log each play as it happens, credit the player, and the box score adds itself up. This guide covers how to set up before the season, how to keep up during a fast game, how to fix mistakes and what to do when the gym has no signal.
What you need
- A phone with a full charge and a small battery pack. Stat keeping keeps the screen on for two hours or more.
- A stats tool that works in a browser. StatsCastr runs in your phone's browser, so there's nothing to install. It also works on a tablet or laptop, and it's free right now.
- Both rosters with jersey numbers. Get the visiting team's roster from their coach or the game program before the day of the game.
- A seat with a view of the numbers. Half the battle is reading a jersey on a player running away from you. The scorer's table, the press box or the top of the bleachers near midcourt or midfield beats the end zone every time.
StatsCastr covers 10 sports: football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis, baseball and softball. Several have rule-set choices, so pick the right one when you create the game: high school (4×8:00) or college (2×20:00) basketball, standard (3×20) or youth (3×15) hockey, US high school or FIH field hockey, men's (4×12) or women's (4×15) lacrosse, and ITF-style advantage or US scholastic no-ad tennis.
Set up teams and rosters before the season
Do the typing once, at home, not in the bleachers.
- Create your teams with their colors and logo.
- Import the roster from a CSV. Use the columns number,name,position. Most coaches already have a spreadsheet; delete the extra columns and save it as CSV.
- Add the season and league if you want standings and season leaders. Schedule games ahead of time so game day starts with one tap. Scrimmages stay out of the standings, so you can log them without skewing the record.
- Check the visitors. Add the opponent's roster before you leave for the game. A missing roster means crediting plays to "unknown" all night.
Double-check jersey numbers against the program. Players switch numbers, and a wrong number turns into a wrong stat line.
Logging plays during the game
StatsCastr works the way a stat keeper thinks: log what happened, then credit who did it. A few habits keep you current:
- Log the play before you look up. Tap the result as soon as the whistle goes, then confirm the player. If you watch the celebration first, you'll miss the next play.
- Keep your thumb near undo. The last play can be undone in one tap.
- Use the stoppages to catch up. Timeouts, free throws, pitching changes and the break between sets are your chance to check the running totals against the scoreboard.
- If you're behind, skip the details, not the play. Log the result and come back to fix the player credit at the next break. A play that never gets logged is harder to rebuild than one with the wrong name on it.
What to track in each sport
You don't need every stat in your first game. Start with the ones coaches ask for, then add more once logging feels automatic.
| Sport | What StatsCastr tracks | Where people fall behind |
|---|---|---|
| Football | Completions, incompletions, pass TDs, INTs, rushes, sacks, third downs, red zone, penalties, first downs | Identifying the ball carrier in a pile. Watch the referee's spot, then the number. |
| Basketball | 2PT, 3PT and FT makes and misses, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers, fouls | Fast breaks. Log the shot first, the assist second. |
| Soccer | Goals, shots, shots on goal, saves, fouls, cards, corners, offsides, possession | Deciding shot versus shot on goal. Agree on the rule with the coach beforehand. |
| Volleyball | Kills, attacks, aces, serves, digs, assists, blocks, errors | Long rallies. Rally scoring means every point needs a result. |
| Ice hockey | Goals with assists, shots, hits, blocks, faceoffs, penalties, power-play goals, saves | Assists. Wait for the official's announcement if you're unsure. |
| Field hockey | Goals, assists, shots, saves, penalty corners, fouls, cards | Penalty corners come in bunches. Log each one. |
| Lacrosse | Goals, assists, shots, saves, turnovers, ground balls, plus faceoffs, penalties and man-up/man-down (men's) or draw controls, fouls and cards (women's) | Ground balls in traffic. |
| Tennis | Aces, double faults, winners, errors, break points, serve stats | Winner versus forced error. Pick a standard and stick to it. |
| Baseball and softball | Singles to home runs, walks, strikeouts, stolen bases, errors, with pitch results credited to the pitcher | Pitching changes. Make sure the new pitcher is credited. |
Fix mistakes without starting over
Everyone credits the wrong player sometimes. You can edit or delete any play, even after the final. The game stays final and the totals rebuild from the corrected plays, so you don't have to hunt through the box score fixing numbers by hand.
A good habit: sit down with the coach or the scorebook for five minutes after the game and compare the totals. Most disagreements come from one or two plays, and they're easy to find while the game is fresh.
When the signal drops
Gyms with metal roofs and fields at the edge of town often have no usable signal. StatsCastr saves new plays logged offline on your phone and sends them when you're back online, so keep logging. Two things to know:
- Editing needs a connection. If you make a mistake offline, note it and fix it once you have signal.
- Don't clear your browser data or switch phones while plays are waiting to send. They're stored on that device until you're back online.
Our guide to streaming with bad internet at the field has more ideas for weak connections.
After the final
- Export the box score. A US Letter PDF is ready to print or email to the coach and local paper. The CSV export includes team stats, player tables and the full play-by-play, which is what a coach wants for film review or season spreadsheets.
- Share the game link. Families can follow along live during the game, too. See how to share a live box score with fans.
- Check season leaders. If you set up the season, standings and leaders update from every game you log.
One account per stat keeper: StatsCastr doesn't have shared teams or multiple keepers on one game, so decide who owns stats for each team and stick with it. If your school streams games, those same stats can feed the broadcast graphics. See how to put live stats on your stream.
Stat keeper checklist
- Both rosters loaded and jersey numbers checked against the program.
- Game created with the right sport and rule set.
- Phone charged, battery pack in your bag, screen brightness up for outdoor games.
- A seat with a clear view of jersey numbers.
- Totals checked against the scoreboard at each break.
- Offline plays sent before you leave the venue.
- Box score exported and sent to the coach the same night.