Penn Hills notebook: Longtime volleyball coach steps down

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, December 11, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Longtime Penn Hills volleyball coach Jay Mitlo had stepped down.

Mitlo, a 1989 Penn Hills graduate, has been head coach of the girls volleyball program since 1997. He took over the boys program in 2011.

His resignation was accepted at a Dec. 7 school board meeting.

“It basically came down to the actual volleyball taking too much of my time when I could be helping all kids across many sports and activities,” Mitlo said. “I’m working on summer things to engage a lot of adults to step into the lives of kids who need an extra adult that can love and support them.”

Mitlo also served as the PA voice of the Penn Hills basketball and football programs since 2009. This past fall, Mitlo guided the girls volleyball program to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

The Indians lost to Knoch in the first round of the playoffs.

Cephas in demand

Penn Hills graduate Dante Cephas will likely be on the move soon. The Kent State wide receiver is entering the transfer portal after finishing as an All-MAC player.

Cephas finished the season with 48 catches for 744 yards and three touchdowns. His best game of the season was a 13-catch, 246-yard performance against Ohio where he scored a touchdown and hauled in a 54-yard pass.

In 2021, Cephas caught 82 passes for 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns. Cephas has tweeted out a number of offers from high-profile schools including Georgia, Pitt, West Virginia, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Miami and Maryland.

He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

“First off, I want to thank God for the opportunity to play college football, but to also play at Kent State,” Cephas said in a statement on Twitter. “I would like to show my appreciation to every coach on our … staff.”

Girls equal win total

After opening the season with losses to North Allegheny and McKeesport, the Indians bounced back with a 47-42 win over North Hills on Dec. 6 at home. That improved Penn Hills’ record to 1-2 on the season.

The Indians, who don’t start section play until Dec. 16 when they host Indiana, could move past their win total from last season. Penn Hills struggled with youth and low numbers as the Indians finished 1-18.

Waiting game

The Penn Hills boys basketball team wasn’t scheduled to get started until Dec. 9, when they were to open the Central Catholic Tournament against Moon. Many schools started the week before, while the Indians decided to get a later start.

Tags: Penn Hills