Dante Centofanti is a sports anchor and MMJ for 21 News.

Dante was born and raised in the Mahoning Valley and graduated from Howland High School in 2017.

Centofanti will earn a Bachelor's degree from the Kent State University School of Media & Journalism this Spring. During his time in Kent, Dante dedicated his time to sports and news reporting for the award-winning student-operated television station TV-2, located in Franklin Hall. While at TV-2, he hosted the show 'Sports Corner' every Monday night, along with 'Portage Pulse' every Friday. Centofanti also served as a sports correspondent for the 'The Daily Kent Stater' and did sports talk radio for the campus station 'Black Squirrel Radio.'

Before being in front of the camera at 21 WFMJ, Dante was a production assistant for our award-winning 'Overtime Report' during the 2020 pandemic-struck high school football season. He was then promoted to an official intern in the Spring of 2021. While in college, he gained valuable experience as a part-time sports reporter for The Vindicator and Tribune-Chronicle.

"It's an honor and privilege to walk into this building every day and work alongside so many diligent journalists, producers, and videographers. I take great pride in being a source for sports fans in the city of Youngstown and the rest of the Mahoning and Shenango valleys. The knowledge I have gained from so many amazing professors at Franklin Hall these past four years has helped me get to this point. My goal is to one day join Brian Windhorst, Wayne Dawson, Carol Costello, Connie Schultz, and Lindsay McCoy as one of the most respected journalists to ever come out of Kent State."

It's been Dante's lifelong dream to be a sports reporter. He has never really seen himself doing anything but that his whole life.

"I love everything about being a journalist. There is not a thing about this industry that I do not admire. To me, this is a public service. To me, local news is an essential part of everyday life in America. Michael Jordan once said that if you're going to take time out of your day to watch me on television, I have an obligation to give you my best. That is the mentality I have every day when I report to work."

Dante is a die-hard Cleveland sports fan. His favorite sport to cover and watch is basketball on any level. His sports heroes include LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, and Jim Brown. He loves movies and music and is an avid reader.