Times News Online

BY ED HEDES

Jason Zimmerman always seemed to light a fire under every part of the Northwestern Lehigh athletic program since he took over as athletic director years back.

He has worked his way up to being a league officer in the Colonial League and then on to the District 11 committee of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.

On July 1, Zimmerman takes over as the main man in the district after being elected as the district chairman to succeed Jack Wabby, who is retiring after 33 years on the committee and as PIAA treasurer.

Heartache for Hope

BY SHAWN MCFARLAND

Over the last couple of years, concussions have been pushed to the front of the sports world. Concussion awareness has risen dramatically mainly due to the rapid growth of head injuries in football and hockey. Whereas years ago players would be able to talk themselves back into the game just minutes after taking a serious blow, now a plethora of tests must be done by a team's training staff before the player can even think about going back out and competing.

It could be a big weekend for golf

Golf's popularity peaked a few years back, when Tiger Woods was rewriting record books.

If the sport is ever going to regain that level of attention, this weekend could be when it starts.

The greatest tournament of the year started yesterday and the stage seems to be set for one of the best Masters we've seen in years. Storylines abound and more will surely be created over the next three days.

At the top of the list, of course, is Tiger's reemergence. His well-documented struggles on and off the course look to be behind him.

The PIAA needs to bring back balanced brackets

BY EMMETT MCCALL

With the PIAA basketball championships taking place today and tomorrow at Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at a few faults that I have with the way the state tournament is run.

I'd love to see a return to the days of separate Eastern and Western playoffs in the state.

Several years ago when Philadelphia teams joined the PIAA, the 32-team state tournament brackets in each of the classes were altered to reflect where the majority of the teams in each class were located.

State wrestling memories

BY ED HEDES

It's been a long time since I sat on press row at the PIAA Wrestling Championships.

In the past 25-plus years, I've made the trip to Hershey only twice.

Once was about 12 years ago when the PIAA still called the old HersheyPark Arena its home for the basketball and wrestling championships.

The other was in 2009 when THE TIMES NEWS had numerous wrestlers make it out of regionals.

Since I was scheduled to cover a PIAA Girls Basketball game that weekend in Leola, the trip out a day earlier was definitely on the bill.

PEDs are still haunting MLB

Apparently, it still pays off to cheat in Major League Baseball.

The ritual of pitchers and catchers reporting signals the coming of spring, warm weather, leaves on the trees, and a new season of baseball. For the past few seasons, there was an excitement about the game as the shroud of the 2004 PED debacle and the Barry Bonds steroids case faded.

That cloud has returned. Despite the increased testing and awareness of the performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), the game is still dealing with the issue in light of the recent events surrounding the games better known names.

Overtime

Meaningful games left

Playing meaningful games late in the season is the goal of all high school football teams. For six of the nine teams in...

Top All-Area performers

It's hard to believe, but the 2011 high school football season is already into the home stretch. The first eight weeks...

Heartbreak weekend

It was a week full of fantastic finishes on the local high school football scene. Unfortunately for area teams, almost...

Area teams in D11 hunt

With only four weeks remaining in the regular season, the lead of this week's OVERTIME column will focus on the playoff...

Grid proposal gets second vote

The talk first surfaced back in July, when the PIAA Board of Directors unanimously passed at its first reading a...

PV welcomes back Mitchell

There was plenty of good news for the Panther Valley football team on Friday night. Not only did the Panthers beat Jim...

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