Steve Hluschak left Northern Lehigh as arguably the most accomplished athlete in school history.

As a wrestler, Hluschak recorded 147 career wins, won three District 11 individual titles and qualified for the PIAA Wrestling Championships four times, placing third twice and fourth once.In addition to his individual accolades, Hluschak was also on the Northern Lehigh wrestling team that was a state runner-up in 1998.Perhaps his greatest achievement came just recently, however, when he guided his alma mater to a District 11 Class AA team championship and took the Bulldogs to Hershey for the first time as a head coach."It's probably more gratifying to win a district title and come here (Hershey) as a coach than it was as a wrestler," he said. "Coaching is tough because you're trying to get 14 kids to do what you want them to do, and that is probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."But that's part of it. Our kids have done what we've asked and they've just continued to work hard. It's been very gratifying for me as a coach to get here."Winning a district championship was awesome and I'll never forget it; that's something they can never take away. And being able to bring some of these guys out here is very rewarding for me, personally."Hluschak isn't the only member of the coaching staff with ties to the program, though.Assistants Brett Martinez (2002-05), Scott Snyder (2003-06), Nick Hosford (2003-06), Andrew Arnold (2004-07), Adam Hluschak (2004-07), Kyle Baumann (2010-12) and Marcus Hardimen (2011-13) have all wrestled for Northern Lehigh.In 2005, Adam Hluschak, Snyder, Martinez, Hosford and Arnold all advanced to the PIAA Wrestling Championships after each placed in the top five at the Class AA Southeast Regional Tournament.Now, Andrew's brother, Austin, is currently a senior on the team, while Adam is helping Steve whenever he can.It's those relationships, to the past and present, that make what the Bulldogs have done this year even more special."It's great," Hluschak said of the bond he has with his coaches. "We have a lot of help, and these guys have all come through the program."And I think it's nice to have guys come back that have experienced it and talk to our kids because they can kind of relate their experiences and give them some advice. Obviously, that's only beneficial to our wrestlers."Though the Bulldogs came up short in their quest for a championship, the opportunity for Hluschak and his staff to return with different roles to a place where they experienced so much success is one they won't soon forget."I remember being here as a wrestler," Hluschak recalled, "winning district championships, both individually and as a team. And it all came full circle last week in the finals of the district duals when we defeated Tri Valley."Coming out here brings back good memories. I know how much it meant to me to wrestle here when I was in high school. Hopefully, it meant a lot to the kids to get this experience."CATCHING UP…Over the last few weeks, Jim Thorpe has competed in several tournaments with great success. Two weeks ago, the Olympians took part in Harriton High School's Rams Bash, where Keven Gentile took first at 106 pounds and John Newhall placed second at 113. This past weekend, Jim Thorpe was at Salisbury's Falcon Invitational, with Gentile again taking the first at 106 pounds. In addition to Gentile, Cameron Condly (2nd, 145), Robbie Geisinger (3rd, 170) and Newhall (4th, 113) also placed.JOIN THE CLUB…With his 100th win this past weekend, Panther Valley's Rian Shubeck joined Tamaqua's Dylan Rynkiewicz as wrestlers from the Times News area that have reached the milestone this season. Unlike Rynkiewicz, who accomplished the feat at Central Columbia's Bob Rohm Memorial Wrestling Tournament earlier this year, Shubeck did it at home during the Panthers' Coal Cracker Round Robin Tournament. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, January 24, but was postponed because of inclement weather. Panther Valley's Lenny Ogozalek also got his 100th win at home during last season's Anthracite Duals.(STILL) ON THE HORIZON…With the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships complete, most teams are now looking ahead to the District 11 Class AA and AAA individual tournaments, which will be in less than two weeks. 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.