By Michael Hicks
Berthoud Recorder

Berthoud girls volleyball coach Mil Santos has resigned due to family reasons, school athletic director Rusty Mathena said Thursday.

Mathena said that Santos turned in his letter of resignation last week. A search is ongoing to find Santos’ replacement. Mathena said that he hopes to make an announcement on the hiring of a new coach shortly.

“He just needs to spend more time with his family,” Mathena said of Santos.

Santos was unavailable for comment Thursday afternoon.

This was Santos’ second stint as head coach of the Lady Spartans. He coached the team for most of the 1990s before taking a short sabbatical. He returned earlier this decade for a second stint.

He led Berthoud High to back-to-back 4A state tournament appearances in 2007 and ’08. Last season, Berthoud went 26-3, including Northern Conference, district and regional championships. The Lady Spartans finished one game shy of reaching the state semifinals.

“He’s done a great job with the program and I believe he changed level of volleyball in the northern part of the state,” Mathena said.

That change included the style of volleyball that is played nowadays, said Mathena. “A lot of teams are doing what he does.”

For more information, see next week’s print edition of The Berthoud Recorder.