EXCERPTS:

The Class B division was introduced in 1940 with Coaldale dominating the competition for the first seven meets, although there was no competition between 1943 and 1946 because of war time travel restrictions.

Coaldale held onto to the crown in 1941, then won again from 1947 to 1951. Parkland ended the Tigers' reign in 1952, but Summit Hill (1953), Lansford (1954) and Nesquehoning (1957) kept the Carbon County-Panther Valley area in the winners' circle until Palmerton won six straight from 1961 to 1966.

Coaldale held nine of the 15 records in Class B including the mile and half-mile relays. All of those marks were set in 1940 and 1941-before my time here at the Morning Call.

The first record performance in districts I reported was by the Tigers' 1947 mile relay team which bettered their school's 1941 mark.

Then in 1948 Coaldale's Joe Rilo made my day by setting a record in the broad jump.

The 1954 championships in Pottsville produced the most copy for me as Breslin set records in the 100 and 440 and Bob Shubeck of Coaldale cracked marks in the shot put and discus throws.

Also in 1960, Coaldale's Burt Gbur scored a triple with wins in the discus, shot put and high jump events.

FULL ARTICLE:

Pottsville High's Veterans' Memorial Stadium will be the scene of the 61st annual PIAA District 11 track and field championships next spring.

At least the boys and girls Class 3A competition will be held there on is May 15, 1996.

The Class 2A championships will remain at Northern Lehigh on the following day, according to an announcement by Jack Wabby, district committee chairman, during the recent district dinner meeting in Lehighton.

The site will seem new to the current generation of 3A participants, but it's not.

Back when I first arrived at the Morning Call sports desk in 1946, the district meet was already based there, entirely, both Class A and B divisions. Just for boys only, though, you have to remember.

The extravaganza stayed in Pottsville for the next five years until 1951 when the championships were moved to Allentown High Stadium.

I recall covering the district committee meeting held in Nesquehoning High when the shift was disclosed.

The late D.L. Learn of Palmerton, district committee chairman at the time, proclaimed "in shifting the site from Pottsville's Veterans' Memorial Stadium where it has been under the direction of William J. Breslin for the past five years, the committee has in mind alternating the sites between the two East Penn League schools."

And that's what happened. When asked by Learn how Pottsville might feel about the move, Lloyd Martz of Pottsville, who was the school directors' representative on the district committee, said, "It would be a welcome relief of the burden and will enable our people to enjoy the meet as spectators for a change."

Finally in 1964, Allentown High track coach Paul Clymer was granted his request to host the meet every year.

The meet remained in ASD stadium until it was moved to Lafayette's Metzger Field in 1977 and finally switched to Northern Lehigh High in 1980 where an all-weather track was the main attraction.

Now Pottsville has a similar facility. Could it become an alternating event again between the two sectors of the district?

If so, I have fond memories of the way it worked before, handling the coverage whenever the meet was in Pottsville every other year.

Actually, districts were first established in 1932 when the district was formed, breaking away from District 1. Where? Nobody seems to know. There was only one classification back then and Bethlehem won the first title.

After a year's absence, the meet resumed in 1934 with Lansford winning the crown. Bethlehem returned to power for the next three years before Lansford claimed the championship in 1938.

The Class B division was introduced in 1940 with Coaldale dominating the competition for the first seven meets, although there was no competition between 1943 and 1946 because of war time travel restrictions.

Coaldale held onto to the crown in 1941, then won again from 1947 to 1951. Parkland ended the Tigers' reign in 1952, but Summit Hill (1953), Lansford (1954) and Nesquehoning (1957) kept the Carbon County-Panther Valley area in the winners' circle until Palmerton won six straight from 1961 to 1966.

The Blue Bombers added another in 1970 and, in fact, had been the Class B champs eight out of those 10 years,

What involved 260 entries from 18 schools back in 1947 when I first came on the scene, now had reached 600 participants from 35 schools in 1970.

And it would soon double as girls competition was introduced in 1974.

Actually, Harry Fetterman welcomed the gals to practice with his boys team at Tamaqua in 1973 but Palmerton High got into the act in a very big way in 1975 when Debbie Rodriquez, as a single performer without the benefit of a full team, set district (18-3) and state (18-10) records in the long jump.

Returning to the northern reaches of the five-county district, even if it is for only the 3A competition, makes me feel good recalling some of the great moments back when I alternated covering the meet.

At first (1947), the CC-PV area had only one record holder in Class A (Lansford's Joe Brestovansky: half mile run in 2 min, 3.3 sec. set in 1935), but a bunch in Class B.

Coaldale held nine of the 15 records in Class B including the mile and half-mile relays. All of those marks were set in 1940 and 1941-before my time here at the Morning Call.

The first record performance in districts I reported was by the Tigers' 1947 mile relay team which bettered their school's 1941 mark.

Then in 1948 Coaldale's Joe Rilo made my day by setting a record in the broad jump. In 1949, Summit Hill's Walt O'Gurek set a new Class B high jump record and Charlie Repenic of Lansford added another new mark in the javelin.

There were no records set in Pottsville in 1950 and I missed the record run of Lehighton's Lamont Smith in the 1951 Class A mile because it was the year ASD hosted the competition.

Smith went on to also win the state crown that year.

Allentown again was the site of the 1952 meet, but I was back in Pottsville in 1953. There were no record performances to report, but, Summit Hill's Bobby Breslin swept the 100, 220 and 440 dashes in leading the Hillers to the title.

The 1954 championships in Pottsville produced the most copy for me as Breslin set records in the 100 and 440 and Bob Shubeck of Coaldale cracked marks in the shot put and discus throws.

Russ Earley of Lansford broke the 180-yard low hurdles record in the 1956 meet in Pottsville. No records were set there in 1958 or in 1960 but Roy Semmel of Lehighton won the Class A pole vault in '60 while Lafay Hope of Tamaqua captured the Class A mile after having won the half-mile run the year before.

Also in 1960, Coaldale's Burt Gbur scored a triple with wins in the discus, shot put and high jump events.

Palmerton successfully defended its Class B crown in 1962 as Billy Heydt bettered his own discus mark of the previous year in the district's final meet in Pottsville.

Now it's back.

That final visit to Pottsville which involved 415 entries from 27 schools was staged in 80 degree weather.

The disclosure by district chairman Ralph Burrows after the meet couldn't have come at a more appropriate time as he revealed that the 1963 meet in Allentown would be held under the lights for the first time.

The metrics arrived in 1979 but by then I was gone from the sidelines and accompanying press tent.

Maybe I'll saunter over to Pottsville next spring and catch the action for old old time's sake.