Talk to Mike Sernoffsky and you'll learn he has hundreds of kids. Only two are biological, but the rest are the ones he's influenced over the years as a wrestling coach and mentor.

Coach Serno, as the kids call him, just wrapped up his 42nd year with the wrestling program at Elizabethtown Area School District (EASD), where he has coached the boys' team and supervised both the girls' and the junior high teams.

On Sunday, April 26, he'll be inducted in the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Hershey.

"I'm very honored and humbled about this award, but that's not what it's all about," he said. "It's not about the trophies or the wins and losses. It's about whether or not these kids have become good people, if they've grown through the sport."

Mike grew up outside of Buffalo, N.Y., where he wrestled, ran track and participated in cross-country in high school.

"I did well enough to wrestle in college, and after college, I started volunteering with my old high school," he said. "I've always liked working with kids."

While seeking a full-time teaching job, he worked as a substitute teacher and a coach in New York, and he traveled to Lancaster County to work at a YMCA summer camp. It was there he met Elaine, who would become his wife of almost 40 years.

He moved to Pennsylvania, and after serving as an assistant wrestling coach at Gettysburg High School, he landed a full-time teaching job with EASD in 1983. He taught mostly sixth-grade math, as well as social studies and science.

"I felt that I had something to give," both as a teacher and a coach, he said. "I felt that I could make an impact on some kids, and I hope over the years, I have."

At EASD, Mike built one of the most consistent and respected programs in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Under his direction, his squads earned 326 dual meet victories while he was head coach and 24 while he was an assistant, totaling 350 wins.

His teams have earned Lancaster-Lebanon League championship status 21 times, and 11 of his wrestlers earned state medals. Ten of the kids he coached reached 100 career wins. He also advocated for the approval of girls' wrestling in Elizabethtown, providing mentorship and support to help the district become one of the first in the state to sponsor a girls' wrestling program.

Over the years, Mike has coached wrestlers who have gone on to their own coaching careers, including Eric Walker, the current head coach at Elizabethtown College, and Robert Eno, the head coach at Manheim Central High School.

"They're all my sons," he said simply. "I have kids who have coached at all levels - elementary, middle, high school and college."

Mike and Elaine raised two of their own children, a daughter who now lives in Boston, and a son who lives in Maryland.

His son, Jared, continued Mike's wrestling legacy with a top-four finish at the PIAA tournament and a 100-win record. He also coached at Elizabethtown College for several years.

His daughter, Janae, is a marathoner, and she's provided Mike and Elaine with opportunities to travel the world to watch her compete. They recently journeyed to Tokyo and went to Berlin last fall.

"I'm very proud of my own kids," Mike said. "They have become wonderful human beings. As a parent, nothing can make you feel better than to see them be good people."

Mike retired from classroom teaching 10 years ago, and he and Elaine, a retired elementary phys. ed. teacher, now run an antique business. They enjoy spending time with their cat, Kona, in their Elizabethtown home and with their two grandchildren. They are also active with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Ephrata.

As Mike prepares for his Hall of Fame induction, he credits the people he has worked with over the years with contributing to his success.

"I've been blessed to be surrounded by a lot of wonderful people," he said.

He'll be accompanied by his wife, children, grandchildren, his daughter's fiance and other friends and family at the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Mike, who will turn 73 in June, is now ready for a new chapter in his life. He turned in his official retirement papers this month, and he'll be stepping down from his coaching role, although he hopes to continue as a part-time volunteer assistant.

Throughout his long career, he's remained focused on one thing: the kids.

"I'm always questioning myself if I'm doing well enough for the kids," he said. "As a coach, I've cried many times with my kids over their accomplishments and their setbacks. As a coach, you tend to feel the pain and joy with them."

Still, he said, don't ask him how many wins he's had, because he honestly doesn't know. And he said that number doesn't matter.

"It's not until you reach a goal that you realize the goal is not the important thing," he said. "The journey is the medal. That's the reward."