AMBRIDGE — Mars' football team helped soothe the sting of last week's loss against Thomas Jefferson by putting on a clinic Friday night against Ambridge.

The Planets' offense was on the field for just 20 plays in their 49-0 win against the Bridgers (0-7, 0-7).

“We felt we had to come out and play hard for 48 minutes,” Mars coach Scott Heinauer said. “This was important to establish ourselves once again.”

The Planets (6-2, 5-1) struck quickly on their opening drive.

Senior running back Isaiah Johnson caught a 36-yard pass on the second play of the drive and followed up with a five-yard rushing touchdown.

After forcing a three-and-out against the Bridgers, the Planets took advantage of good field position and scored on the first play of their second drive with a 33-yard Garrett Reinke rush for a quick 14-0 lead.

The Planets were not finished scoring in the opening quarter however.

Johnson scored with touchdown runs of 33 yards and five yards, respectively to give Mars a 28-0 lead after 12 minutes of play.

“He's the backbone of our football team,” Heinauer said. “He's a guy who needs to touch the ball.”

Johnson found the end zone again with 8:54 left in the second quarter with a 48-yard run, using his speed and footwork to outrun and dodge defenders.

He ended the night with five carries for 91 yards, four touchdowns and a fumble.

He said he credits the offensive line for his success Friday night.

“I just had to find the holes,” Johnson said. “They (linemen) made it easy on me.”

A 45-yard punt return for a touchdown by Mars senior Ben Perdziola made the score 42-0 in the Planets' favor going into the locker room.

Ambridge struggled to move the ball on the ground, with only two of their six runners ending the night with positive yardage.

“We play with a lot of inexperience and we make a lot of mistakes, both mental and physical,” Ambridge coach Terry George said.

The Bridgers looked to end the first half on a high note.

After two completed passes of 35 and 27 yards, respectively by freshman signal caller Mason Osborn, the Bridgers found themselves at the Planets' 10-yard line with less than a minute to go in the half.

However, two sacks and a false start penalty backed Ambridge past the 25-yard line. The Bridgers went for it all on the final play of the half, however wound up short with an incomplete pass.

From there, the mercy rule wound down the clock and negated any chance of a comeback.

Heinauer said the Planets will take each game one at a time to see if they can claim the top spot of the Northwest Nine Conference from South Fayette.

“We need to win the next three games,” he said. “The worst we can finish is second, that way we can get a home playoff game.”