Former Panther Valley wrestler Victor Koshuta wanted to find a way to give back to the program that had given so much to him.

Koshuta, who wrestled for the Panthers from 1970-74, was looking for a way to continue to help those coming through the system in a way his coaches had supported him.What better way to do it than to take one student to an event most high school wrestlers dream of competing in The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships."It was my idea and I was more than willing to sponsor it," said Koshuta. "I thought it would be a great experience for those that aspired to wrestle at the collegiate level and give them an idea of what it's like."Koshuta's relationship with current Panther Valley head coach Tim Robb started at the tournament in the 1990s, where the two first discussed the idea."In 1994, Jay Hoffman, the previous coach at Panther Valley, invited me to go with him to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to the NCAA Wrestling Tournament and that's where I met Victor," said Robb. "Vic, who had graduated from Panther Valley where he wrestled under Jay, was a wrestling coach, and the superintendent at a small rural school in Idaho."We really hit it off, and before we left the tournament, he came up with the idea of the Sophomore Surprise. His stipulations were simple: He would pay for the ticket for the Panther Valley sophomore, that I chose, based on grades, wrestling ability, and the one that best represented the program. The last stipulation is that I must attend. We have been going ever since."In 1995, Brandon McKee went on the trip. In recent years Robb has taken others such as senior Rian Shubeck, along with graduates Lenny Ogozalek, Richard Nase, Nick O'Donnell and Brandon Hefflefinger.This year, junior Darren Goida is going to the event, which is set for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.In recent years, the tournament has been held in cities such as Omaha (2010), Philadelphia (2011), St. Louis (2012), Des Moines (2013) and Oklahoma City (2014).While the opportunity to see some of the best wrestling in the nation is certainly one of the highlights of the trip, Robb tries to make sure the experience is about more than just what happens on the mat."I think that the kids that have made the trip have absolutely enjoyed it," he said. "We do some sightseeing, and make sure that its not 100 percent wrestling."Koshuta, a retired superintendent of schools now living in Idaho, admits that he's unsure how long the award will go on."It's difficult to envision how long we'll do it moving forward," said Koshuta, who qualified for the Division III Wrestling Championships while at Mansfield University."But Tim has just done such a great job with this and everything else as the head coach at Panther Valley. He's done so much for the program and I'm happy to be a part of it."As long as Robb is the coach, you can be certain at least one wrestler from Panther Valley will be making the trip of a lifetime each spring."Victor and I have talked about the award in the future," he said. "As long as we are attending, we plan on keeping the award going."Upon my retirement from coaching, the plan is for me to add to the award, possibly adding another wrestler, but that isn't set yet."*****FIRST STEP…Northern Lehigh will open competition in the PIAA Class AA Team Wrestling Championships this Thursday with a matchup against District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll at 4:00 p.m. inside the Giant Center. Should the Bulldogs be victorious, they will take on the winner of the Wyalusing Area-Saegertown match the next day at noon. This year's tournament looks to be wide-open with defending champion Bethlehem Catholic moving up to Class AAA. Early returns on some of the favorites have Boiling Springs (District 3 champion), Brookville (District 9 champion), Reynolds (District 10 champion) and Burrell (District 7 champion) as candidates to hoist the championship trophy.*****ON THE HORIZON …While Northern Lehigh prepares for this week's team tournament in Hershey, others are looking ahead to the District 11 Class AA and AAA individual tournaments at the end of this month. The Class AA event will be begin on Friday, February 20, at Freedom High School, while the AAA event will open on the same night at Liberty High School. Both will conclude on Saturday night at Liberty, with the AA and AAA finals taking place simultaneously on two mats at roughly 7:15 pm. Five wrestlers will advance to the Northeast Regional in AAA, while four will move on to the Southeast Regional in AA. Six wrestlers will receive medals in the AAA District 11 tournament; five will receive medals in the AA event.