HS-Petruska500Wins1.jpg - Dana Petruska, Mars Area High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team head coach, earned her 500th career win with the Lady Planet’s 57-47 victory over the Plum Mustangs on Feb. 8.

Dana Petruska, who tallied over 500 wins as a girls basketball coach, most of them coming at Mars Area High School, has returned to coaching by taking the reins for a second time at Deer Lakes, her alma mater.

Her first stop at Deer Lakes lasted eight seasons (2007-15), during which time she turned a struggling program into a winner. On her watch, the Lancers compiled a record of 111-71 and reached the district playoffs six times.

Petruska, 67, coached at Mars in two different stints, 1986-05 and 2015-23. She led the Planets to the PIAA Class 5A title in 2018.