DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Tobias Conoway of Sugar Valley tries to score points on Sam Cumberland of Benton during their match at 121 pounds during the 2026 PIAA District IV Central Section at Hughesville High School.

In his seventh year of wrestling, Sugar Valley sophomore Tobias “Toby” Conoway qualified to compete in the Northeast Class AA regional championships. Since his start in the sport in third grade, Conoway’s competitive nature has shown. He claims the reason he began wrestling was because his older brothers were involved in the sport, and he wanted to beat their records.

The best pieces of advice he has received from a coach is “when in doubt, bail out,” prioritizing the wrestler’s safety, and that the team is a family, so they must stick together no matter the situation.

Conoway has learned much more from wrestling than how to pin someone on a mat. He has learned valuable lessons that will be useful for the rest of his life.

One of the most important lessons, he claims, is that what is taken away from something is the amount of effort put into it. He knows not to expect a win if he does not put in the effort, in or out of practice. One piece of advice he would give to younger or less experienced wrestlers is to always work hard, to never give up and to trust that all goals will be accomplished eventually if they are consistently worked toward.

While he is preparing himself for a match, Conoway always reminds himself of the corrections given to him by his coach in practices, and he prays in order to clear his head.

After a poor performance or loss, he initially reacts with anger or frustration. His explanation for getting upset is that he knows he has been putting in hours upon hours in at practice, so he believes there is something he did wrong. He eventually remembers that the loss was due to something he needs to improve on, so he figures out what can be done to advance in future performances and focuses more on that while practicing.

Conoway says this is the hardest part of wrestling. Not only is losing a difficult part of wrestling, it’s also a difficult part of life. Conoway claims there is no time to sit and dwell on it. He says the loss after putting in hours of hard work is discouraging, but it is important to get back up after every single fall and take some sort of lesson out of every match.

His two greatest role models are his father and NCAA wrestling champion Levi Haines. Conoway’s father has been right by his side through every situation, which makes him a reliable source of advice in both life and sports. He is encouraged by his father to be the best person he can possibly be not only in his sports, but also in his life.

Haines is an exceptional influence to Conoway because of his many successes in wrestling. He strives to be as successful as Haines in his athletics. He is pushed by both people to work harder and become the best person he can be, both on and off the mat, as a result of their inspiration.