(EDITOR’S NOTE - CJ Hemerly is a part time writer for the The Lehigh Valley Press and the Lehighton Times News. He covered the 2015 PIAA Class 4A State Championship game between Damar Hamlin’s Pittsburgh Central Catholic team and Parkland High School)

By CJ Hemerly

tnsports@tnonline.com

Football is a sport that is played for entertainment purposes. Millions of past, present and future athletes play the game because it’s fun and they enjoy it.

But at the end of the day, whether it’s a career choice on the professional level, a way to help pay for college tuition, or just to be with friends on the high school level, it is just a sport.

Those who watched the National Football League game Monday night between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals - or those who heard news accounts during the past few days - know that Bills safety and Pennsylvania native Damar Hamlin was seriously injured when he made a tackle during the first quarter of the game.

The impact to his chest caused cardiac arrest, and he needed CPR on the field before being taken to the ICU at the University of Cincinnati hospital.

It was, unfortunately, an injury in a sport where there are many that happen throughout the course of a game, albeit one of the more serious ones ever in the history of the sport. Thankfully, it seems from reports that Hamlin is showing improvement although he is still listed in critical condition.

What a lot of people might not realize is that Hamlin is a Pennsylvania native and a five-year member the University of Pittsburgh football team, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team all-star status in 2020 - his final season with the Panthers. He was then drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

Hamlin, however, may most notably be remembered in this area for his final high school game. In the PIAA Class 4A state final in December of 2015, Hamlin and his Pittsburgh Central Catholic team defeated Parkland 21-18 to win a state championship. In that game, Central Catholic built a 21-0 third-quarter lead and then held on for the victory.

Playing safety, Hamlin was a force on a Vikings’ defensive unit that held a Parkland offense - which entered the contest averaging over 37 points a game - to a season-low total.

Hamlin was a memorable presence in the game as he delivered several huge tackles to help keep the Parkland offense under wraps.

That season, Hamlin was named first-team All-State, and was the Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year in Pennsylvania.

Hamlin’s injury has also brought to light his second love besides football - fashion. Hamlin started his own fashion line called “Chasing Millions” while at the University of Pittsburgh. He also began a charity foundation in his hometown of McKees Rock, Allegheny County, that organizes an annual Christmas toy drive. In the last few days, that fund has been saturated with donations from around the nation and has currently raised well over $5 million.

Whether or not Hamlin plays football again in his career, he has done a lot of good on and off the field and has brought the football community, of all ages, together.