Something's got to give when Penn Hills and Mars meet for a Northern Conference football clash Friday at the Mars Athletic Complex.

Both teams enter the contest with a perfect 3-0 record, though it will be the first conference test for Mars.

“We're getting better every week,” said Planets' coach Scott Heinauer, who watched his Planets dismantle Greensburg Salem last week, 35-7. “We just have to continue to stay on that course.”

That will be easier said than done against Penn Hills, which has outscored its opponents 117-27. The Indians defeated Fox Chapel last week 46-0.

Penn Hills opened the season with an impressive 21-14 victory at Steubenville (Ohio).

“That game was a dogfight,” said Indians' coach Jon LeDonne. “It was good to be in a game like that, to see how our guys responded.”

Penn Hills is led by quarterback Hollis Mathis, who passed for over 2,400 yards, 27 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in 2017. The senior is also mobile, rushing for 194 yards through three games this season.

“There's only one ball, but Hollis has done a good job of spreading it around,” LeDonne said. “He is a great player, a great kid and is the leader of the team.

“He's coming around with reading defenses and that is opening things up for him.”

Running back Tank Smith is a physical back and has added some punch to the Indians' rushing attack with 225 yards.

“He (Mathis) is an unbelievable athlete who can take over a game,” said Heinauer. “Our gameplan is to limit the number of touches for their offense and that means sustaining drives.”

That should mean a heavy dose of Mars' ground attack, which is paced by Garrett Reinke's Butler County-leading 463 yards.

“But we need to throw the ball, too,” admitted Heinauer. “Penn Hills has a lot of athletes on defense as well. They play a lot of man-to-man in that secondary because they can.

“This is the team that Penn Hills has been waiting for,” he added. “That's what I hear.”

Planet quarterback Tyler Kowalkowski is coming off a strong game, completing all seven of his passes for 130 yards last week.

Heinauer said he is pleased with the progress of his top linebackers, all three of which are in their first year of starting. The group includes Chuck Green, Teddy Ruffner and Ben Chizmar.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.