Writing & MediaFree
Game Recap From Your Box Score
Paste the box score and your notes. Get a headline, a recap in AP sports style and a social post, written with care for young athletes.
Paste the box score or scoring summary, add any notes or quotes you have, and River writes the recap. You get a headline, a story of about 300 to 500 words in AP sports style, and a short social post. The lede names the winner, the score with the winning total first, the play or player that decided it, and what was at stake. Then comes how the scoring unfolded, with every statistic taken from the box score you gave.
Many recap generators fill a thin box score with color that never happened: a coach's quote, a crowd on its feet, a season record from nowhere. In school and youth sports, those inventions reach families who were in the stands. River writes only what your material supports. Quotes appear only if you supplied them, records and next games only if you gave them, and anything missing is marked [CHECK] for you to fill. If the notes are short, the recap is too, and it says so.
It is built for athletic directors, coaches, team parents and booster club volunteers, and for local reporters covering several games a night. Pick where the recap will run. A newspaper version stays neutral between the teams, while a school or club site can root for the home side. Either way, the writing protects young athletes. It praises individuals by name, treats setbacks as team moments, and never singles out a player for an error. For more headline options, the headline and dek writer offers five.
How a good game story is built
A game story answers the reader's first question in its first sentence: who won, and by how much. AP style gives scores in figures with a hyphen, and the winning total always comes first, even when the losing team is the subject. Central lost to Lincoln 3-2, never 2-3. That opening sentence should also carry the reason for the result, such as a late goal or a standout game, and why it mattered, such as a playoff spot or a rivalry.
After the lede, the story follows the scoring in order, and the turning points get the most room. Numbers earn their place when they explain the result. As an illustrative example, a goalkeeper's seven saves matter in a one-goal game and mean little in a rout. Every figure should come from the official book or box score, not memory from the bleachers. Quotes add what numbers cannot, and they must be the speaker's actual words, attributed with said, as in the coach said.
Writing about students calls for extra care. Federal privacy rules let schools treat sports participation and the height and weight of team members as directory information. Families also have the right to opt out of those disclosures, so ask the school whether any player should not be named. Keep criticism away from individual teenagers. Records and standings should match the league's official numbers, never a guess. If a published recap gets a score or name wrong, the correction note writer drafts the fix.
How it works
Paste the box score
Paste or attach the box score or scoring summary, plus any notes and quotes from the game.
Pick where it runs
Choose a school or club site, a local newspaper, or a newsletter for parents and boosters.
River writes the recap
You get a headline, the recap and a social post, using only the facts and quotes you gave.
Check and publish
Fill any [CHECK] marks, confirm names against the roster, then ask for a preview of the next game.
What you get
- A lede with the winner, the score with the winning total first, the decisive play and the stakes
- The scoring told in order, with the turning points getting the most space
- Statistics taken only from your box score, and quotes only when you supplied them
- Records, standings and the next game included if you gave them, otherwise marked [CHECK] for you
- Care for young athletes: praise for individuals, setbacks as team moments, no player blamed for an error
- A headline in AP style and a short social post ready for the team's accounts
Common questions
Will it make up quotes from the coach?
No. A quote appears only if you supplied it, copied word for word and attributed with said. If you have none, the recap runs without quotes. A coach or player reading words they never said, in a story their family shares, is a fast way to lose a program's trust. If you want quotes next time, ask the coach one question right after the game.
How long is the recap?
About 300 to 500 words, which suits a school site, a newsletter or a local sports page. The length follows the material. A box score with only the final score and two scorers supports a shorter story, and River says so at the top rather than padding it with color. Ask for a 100-word version if you need one for announcements or a social caption.
Can it name the players?
Yes, using the names exactly as you supplied them. Before publishing, check your school's or league's media policy. Under federal privacy rules, families can ask a school not to release directory information such as sports participation, so some players should not be named. If you are unsure about a player, describe the play without the name and confirm with the coach.
What changes for a newspaper versus a school website?
The voice. A local newspaper recap stays neutral: no we or our, both teams named, and the losing side treated fairly. A school or club website or a boosters newsletter can use a home-team voice to celebrate a win or credit the effort in a loss. Either way the facts and the care for young athletes stay the same, and the rules in your house style guide still apply.
How does it handle a tough loss or a player's mistake?
It reports the result honestly, then focuses on what the team did well and the individual performances worth praising. A missed penalty, a dropped pass or an own goal by a young athlete becomes a team moment, without the player's name. In a loss, the story credits what the opponent did well rather than listing who fell short.
Which sports does it cover?
Any sport with a score, including football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, hockey and lacrosse. River follows the scoring format in your box score, such as quarters, sets, innings or periods, and uses the sport's own terms. For meets and tournaments with many results, paste the full results and say which events or athletes matter most to your readers.
Sources
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.
Game Recap From Your Box Score
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