Marvin Mills
-STO-ROX-
By Jamie Wiggan
Following LaRoi Johnson’s recent resignation, his twin roles as athletic director and head football coach at Sto-Rox have been divvied up to two new candidates.
Current Basketball Coach Marvin Mills will be overseeing the Vikings football team while Steven Bressler, Sto-Rox alumnus and physical education teacher, is now the district’s athletic director.
The appointments were made during the Jan. 27 school board meeting.
Football coach
Mills said he is hoping to replicate his recent basketball success on the football field, as he takes on the program’s head coach spot at Sto-Rox.
“I’m excited to take on the program,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of success before me, I just want to make it better.”
Mills will continue coaching Boys Junior Varsity in addition to heading the football program.
Mills said his familiarity with many of the football players gained through his involvement with the basketball program will help him hit the ground running.
“A lot of kids play in both programs,” he said “It’s a great group of kids, they love to learn…they love the game, they were excited to get the news that I would be the guy to take over.”
Mills has previously held multiple roles as a football and basketball coach at his alma mater, Aliquippa. After graduating in 1996, he served in the military for nearly 10 years and now works as a medical assistant in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system.
Johnson led the Vikings to three WPIAL championships in the past four years, and last season managed to stretch an unbeaten streak all the way to the semi-finals, where they were finally eliminated. He has announced he will become head coach at Amani Christian Academy.
After coming close on many occasions, Mills said next season could be the Vikings’ year.
“We definitely want to win a WPIAL,” he said.
Athletic Director
Fourteen years after his high school senior year, Sto-Rox graduate and current physical education teacher Steven Bressler will now take the reins of the district’s athletic programming.
Bressler has held various coaching positions at the district since returning there to teach after getting his qualifications from Clarion University.
Bressler could not be reached for comment for this story.