New Challenge
Zach Matusak is a firm believer in the positive effect sports can have on those who play them. He will soon bring that passion to the Mars Area School District.
He was approved by the school board Tuesday night to take over as the district’s athletic director. Scott Heinauer, who has held the position for over 30 years, announced his retirement last month and will officially vacate the post Aug. 5.
Matusak, currently the athletic director for the Sharon School District in Mercer County, plans to soon move south and commence his new role in August.
“Mars is a very prestigious school with great academics and the sports teams have had a high level of success,” said Matusak, 31. “I could tell from my two interviews that Mars has genuine people who support athletics and understand their value.”
Prior to becoming Sharon’s first-ever full-time athletic director last summer, Matusak was an assistant AD for Haddonfield School District in New Jersey.
“Haddonfield is one of the top schools in the state, won three or four state titles and a state sportsmanship award,” he said. “I learned how to hire (coaches) correctly. You need to hire people with the right values and I got to see how that’s done from a communication standpoint. I brought that knowledge with me to Sharon.”
While at Sharon, he’s honed his skills “on making sure there are zero game-day errors. Everything from transportation with buses to making sure everything is ready to go with the officials, people working the game and, obviously, the teams.”
Matusak was a member of the football, basketball and track teams at Derry Area High School in Westmoreland County before graduating in 2010. He played football at Waynesburg University before transferring to Indiana (Pa.) University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in exercise science in 2014.
He later received a Master’s Degree in sports business and athletic administration from Temple University.
He completed internships in the athletic departments at IUP, Ohio University and the University of Pittsburgh.
“When I first went to college, strength and conditioning was what I wanted to do,” he said, “but being an athletic director was on the back burner. I definitely had interest in it and my time at Temple solidified that.
“There’s so many teachable moments in sports. They are a microcosm of life.”
He looks forward to immersing himself in Mars athletics.
“I plan to meet individually with the coaches of each sport and start those relationships,” he said. “I want them to know I’ll be their No. 1 fan and I want to see the kids succeed on the field and in their lives.
“Getting everybody involved with a (sports) program to have the same philosophy and realize we need each other ... at a school as big as Mars, that means more people and different personalities. But I think it’s going to be a fun challenge.”
