Chester

When Quaker Valley's Jimmy Perkins scored 91/2 minutes into the Class A state ice hockey final against West Chester East, he immediately went to the opponents' cheering section. Perkins cupped his glove to his ear and played to the raucous crowd, which could be heard from the locker rooms before the game and in the parking lot before entering Aston's IceWorks. Despite his best efforts, West Chester East and its fans never let up and Quaker Valley watched the Vikings take the Pennsylvania Cup over the boards to their fans after a 6-5 victory Saturday.

HERSHEY, Pa. - First, a baby girl. Then, a third state championship. Life could not get much better for Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer. Two days after he and wife Colleen welcomed a bundle of joy, Downer's Aces stunned Chester, 63-47, Saturday night to earn the PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball title in front of 7,507 at the Giant Center. "It's been amazing, arguably the best 72 hours of my life," the 23-year coach said after emerging from the locker room. The Aces reversed three straight losses to the Clippers, including a 59-33 drubbing in last year's state final and a 60-46 defeat in the District 1 final earlier this month at Villanova's Pavilion.

Chester-Lower Merion State-Final Preview District 1 rivals Lower Merion and Chester will square off for the PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball championship at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey. Here is a closer look at the final. TV: Live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Follow on Twitter: Rick O'Brien (@ozoneing) will be providing live tweets. Records: Lower Merion, ranked No. 3 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, is 29-3. No. 1 Chester is 28-3.

Sound the bell for Round No. 4. In what is the teams' fourth meeting in two seasons, Lower Merion and Chester will square off for the PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball title. The rematch of last year's final, easily won by the Clippers, is set for 8 p.m. Saturday at Hershey's Giant Center. Top-ranked Chester (28-3) has won the last three contests - including last year's 59-33 romp at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center - by an average of 16 points. Not many expect the third-ranked Aces (29-3)

Sound the bell for Round No. 4. In what is the teams' fourth meeting in two seasons, Lower Merion and Chester will square off for the PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball title. The rematch of last year's final, easily won by the Clippers, is set for 8 p.m. Saturday at Hershey's Giant Center. Top-ranked Chester (28-3) has won the last three contests - including last year's 59-33 romp at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center - by an average of 16 points. That said, not many expect the third-ranked Aces (29-3)

In the beginning, when the war in Iraq was still making headlines and CNN was still showing footage of the air strikes in Baghdad, the Chester County Peace Movement could draw crowds as large as 700 to its weekly protests outside the county courthouse in West Chester. These days, the group is lucky if more than a dozen show up. But every Saturday for the last 10 years, they have never missed a protest. And though the war in Iraq is technically over - U.S. troops pulled out in December 2011 - for the members of the peace movement, the protest never really ends.

In a rare move, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office has withdrawn charges against a defendant in the Memorial Day killing of a minister's son in Chester's north end. An FBI forensic analysis of surveillance photos indicated Tahmir Craig was not involved in the crime, the district attorney announced Wednesday. "I am a free man," Craig, 23, said as he headed to his lawyer's office after being released from jail. He said his 10 months behind bars awaiting trial were stressful and depressing, but added, "I'll be all right.

In a rare move, the Delaware County District Attorney's office has withdrawn charges against a defendant in the murder of a minister's son in Chester's north end last Memorial Day. An FBI forensic analysis of surveillance photos indicated that Tahmir Craig was not involved in the crime, the DA announced Wednesday. "I am a free man," said Tahmir Craig, 23, as he headed to his attorney's office after being released from jail. He said his 10 months in prison were stressful and depressing, but added, "I'll be alright.

ST. JOSEPH'S PREP pretty much did everything it wanted to do these last 2 weeks while advancing to the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinals. The Hawks played suffocating defense. They dictated the tempo of games - their tempo, throwing teams off balance. And, of course, they hit their shots. But Chester isn't the kind of team that allows you to do the things you like. The two-time defending state champions force teams into uncomfortable spots, and into doing things they normally don't do. Their in-your-face, fullcourt press rattles opponents.