Football Coach LaRoi Johnsonnamed Sto-Rox athletic director

By Jamie Wiggan

-Sto-Rox

After leading the Sto-Rox Vikings to the final round of the WPIAL Championship last season, Head Football Coach LaRoi Johnson was hired as the district’s athletic director during the June 25 school board meeting.

“It definitely means a lot and I truly appreciate it,” said Johnson. “…We’ve got something special started and we can keep it rolling.”

The board passed an additional motion opening the existing coaching positions to new applicants.

School board president Samantha Levitzki-Wright said this doesn’t necessitate the replacement of all current coaches but will give Johnson the opportunity to establish a new direction for the program.

“I think it gives everyone a bit more accountability,” she said. “It keeps everybody on their toes.”

Johnson took over as head football coach in 2018, securing a 7-4 winning season in his first year before leading the Vikings to the WPIAL Class A final — where they lost to Clairton — the following season.

The boys’ basketball team also enjoyed a winning season under coach Ryan Hughes, going 20-7 and finishing as the WPIAL Class 2A runner-up.

Johnson will retain his position as head football coach in addition to leading the athletics program. Recently-hired Vikette Coordinator Rikki Lynn Fowkes will also retain her position.