Being a part of a high school football team creates lifelong memories, some of which happen away from the games that they play every week.

On Saturday, the Panther Valley football team, their coaches and their managers traveled to Happy Valley to participate in a pre-game flag ceremony before 103,000 Penn State Nittany Lion fans.

The event was made possible by the Panther Valley Booster Club that also provided sub sandwiches for the team on their two-hour chartered bus ride to the game.

“We try to schedule a visit to a college game environment each year to give the kids a first-hand idea of the atmosphere that surrounds the college football experience,” said PV coach Mark Lavine.

“Last year we went to Franklin & Marshall College, where Austin Hadley, our former team member, plays football.”

This year, the coaches, with the support of the athletic director’s office and the Panther Valley Booster Club, decided to make a request to attend a college game at the biggest and most storied college football arena in the state of Pennsylvania.

Lavine and his team were pleasantly surprised that their request to be invited to the Florida International University-Penn State football game was accepted.

“Thanks to Jen Maynard and her Booster Club, we had 56 people go to the game, and we were on the field to perform a pre-game American flag ceremony.

“Once again, the Booster Club, with all their efforts, support our program in so many ways.”

The Panthers were a part of Penn State’s celebration of Youth Sports Day.

“Our kids were stationed for the ceremony in the back of the visitors’ end zone,” said Lavine.

“They got the opportunity to slap five with the Florida International players as they came onto the field.”

Lavine said that his team was amazed at the size of Division 1 football players.

“They were in awe when they were looking at offensive linemen with great athleticism that stood 6-6 and weighed 330 pounds.”

“We took the trip the day after we had a tough loss,” said Lavine. “It was perfect timing because it became a great team bonding experience for our players, which can certainly help us perform better when we play our games.”

The Panther Valley Panthers then watched Penn State win the contest against the FIU Panthers by a score of 34-0.

Lavine mentioned that creating good memories for high school does not always have to happen from the games they play.

This event was something everyone from Panther Valley will remember, according to Lavine.

“It was a very enjoyable time for all of us,” he said.

“We had a lot of fun inside an historical stadium before a huge crowd and we not only got to represent our school, but our country, too, when we got to hold the flag for the National Anthem.”

The entire experience was a benefit to the Panther Valley football program, to their community, and became an opportunity to honor their country.