HOLLSOPPLE, Somerset County — Since she was just a kid growing up in the Mars Area School District, Julie Utz wanted to be involved in sports.

Some things never change.

A 2006 graduate of Mars, Utz is now a middle school English and pre-algebra teacher at The Fourth Presbyterian School in Potomac, Md. She has found time outside the classroom to coach both girls basketball and softball.

“It’s taught me how much patience it takes to be a coach,” she said. “I love (Fourth Presbyterian). It’s a small Christian school with a very encouraging atmosphere.”

Utz, 24, is even using the summer break to influence more kids through sports. She is currently taking part in a Christian sports camp in Somerset County.

“The camp is called ‘Summer’s Best Two Weeks,’” she said. “It’s a great way to motivate kids to use their abilities in a positive way.”

After leaving Mars High, Utz enrolled at Cedarville University in western Ohio. She was a guard on the school’s women’s basketball team all four years, serving as one of the squad’s captains during her senior campaign.

“I didn’t see the playing time in college that I was used to in high school,” Utz said. “It gave me a chance to be a leader in a different way. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it.”

During Utz’s years with the Yellow Jackets, the team compiled an overall record of 92-36, won the National Christian College Athletic Association title in 2008 and was crowned American Mideast Conference champion in 2007 and 2010.

On a personal level, Utz was named a NCCAA All-America Scholar Athlete her junior and senior year.

But then, Utz was no stranger to success at Mars.

She played soccer and basketball and ran track for the Planets, competing in the last two all four years of high school. It was on the basketball court where she stood out the most.

She saw significant playing time her freshman season under former Planets’ girls basketball coach Dana Petruska. Utz ended that campaign by scoring 109 combined points, including a total of 16 in two postseason games.

“Coach Petruska and her staff gave me the freedom to go out and make mistakes, but also to learn and succeed,” she said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Over the next three years, Utz saw time at both point and shooting guard and her numbers improved every season.

Her points per game increased, capping at 10.3 as a senior. She also elevated her game as a 3-point shooter, hitting 18 as a sophomore, 35 as a junior and 41 her senior season, after which she was named a Butler Eagle second-team all-star.

But for Utz, the most important statistic was 82-27. That was Mars’ record during her four years on the team. That stint included a pair of section titles and a trip to the WPIAL Class AAA championship game in 2004.

“I definitely wanted to get better each year, but I wasn’t worried about my statistics,” she said. “I just focused on what I needed to do for the team.”

Utz capped her scholastic athletic career by being named Mars’ Female Athlete of the Year in the spring of 2006.

“There were a lot of outstanding athletes at Mars,” she said. “To be honored like that, it was very humbling.”

The coaching Utz received in high school rubbed off on her.

“I feel like I did a good job of respecting my coaches in high school,” she said. “There are things I remember. Coach Petruska used to say. ‘Know your personnel.’ Now that I’m a coach, I am getting to know my players’ skill level and what each is capable of.”

What the future holds for Utz is unclear, but wherever she goes, sports are sure to follow.

“I grew up with three older brothers,” she said. “They were all involved in sports and I wanted to be like them. That’s why I started playing and I’ll be involved in sports as long as I’m able.”