After his Ellwood City program dropped out of the WPIAL last season because of a lack of players, Dave Sylvester is assuming the reins as Mars High School varsity girls basketball coach.

"I was in the dark about (getting the Mars job) until I saw it in the paper the other day," Sylvester said. "I figured I had a good chance, though."

Sylvester, in his fifth season as Seneca Valley girls soccer coach, was girls basketball coach at Ellwood City for the past two years.

Ellwood City had dropped 26 consecutive section games over a three-year period before bowing out of Section 2-AAA early last season.

"Our numbers have been declining for a few years now," said Ellwood City athletic director Karl Florie. "It had nothing to do with Dave. He's a quality coach and we wish him well.

"I wish I could put my finger on the problem. We got to the point we didn't have enough girls to play."

Ellwood City finished Sylvester's first year there with eight players, varsity and junior varsity combined.

"We went to work on building interest over the summer and brought the numbers back up," Sylvester said. "Then we went through a couple of rough scrimmages, some girls got discouraged and a lot of them quit.

"With only a few sophomores and freshmen comprising the team, I met with the administration and we agreed it was not in the kids' best interests to put them through our rigorous (section) schedule."

Instead, Ellwood City played junior varsity opponents and a few Class A and AA teams, putting together a 6-12 record.

Since reaching the WPIAL playoffs in 1998, Ellwood City's girls basketball program has lost 116 of 133 varsity games.

Sylvester's team was 2-18, 0-11 in section play, during his first year at Ellwood City in 2003-04. He also was an assistant girls varsity basketball coach under Lisa Fox for a year at Ambridge and he coached ninth grade boys basketball under the late Dave Podbielski for three years at Seneca Valley.

"We've had five coaches in the past seven years," Florie said of Ellwood City's situation. "It's been a downward spiral we've been unable to stop."

Ellwood City is returning to WPIAL play this winter, but without Sylvester, who resigned Aug. 29 "to accept another position," Florie said.

That position turned out to be the Mars post.

"Yeah, I resigned with the Mars job in mind," Sylvester said. "I thought there was a good possibility there, but nothing was concrete. If not for that opening, I'd have come back at Ellwood City.

"If I didn't get the Mars job, I would have looked for an assistant's position or been a volunteer assistant somewhere. I love to coach."

While Ellwood City had been Sylvester's lone girls basketball head coaching post, he has been involved in coaching varsity athletics for approximately 10 years. He guided Seneca Valley's girls soccer team to a section title last fall.

Sylvester replaces Dana Petruska, who compiled a 268-186 record in 19 years as Planets coach. She guided the team to numerous WPIAL playoff appearances, including the Class AAA championship game in 2003-04.

"She's a great coach," Sylvester said. "I only met her one time, when we scrimmaged Mars the year I was an assistant at Ambridge. We had a brief conversation and I thought she was a very nice lady."

The girls basketball position was opened by the school board after last season. Petruska had reapplied for the post.

Petruska would not comment on the situation Wednesday, but issued a statement.

"I'm overwhelmed by the passion my supporters showed me during this four-month ordeal," she said. "Their effort will be appreciated by me forever.

"I also want to wish my girls all the success in the world next year. Make me proud!"

Petruska is coaching the Mars eighth grade girls squad this fall. That season ends in October.

She said she is unsure of her coaching future at Mars, or at any other school, beyond the current junior high season.

Sylvester's assistant coach will be Nathan Verba of Zelienople, who also was his assistant at Ellwood City. Sylvester coached Verba in the Seneca Valley system.

"I met the girls (Thursday) morning for the first time," Sylvester said. "It went well. I don't know them yet and they don't know me.

"Friends have told me the (Mars) players are very experienced and talented. I'm looking forward to working with them and continuing their great tradition."