Reload, not rebuild.

Every high school basketball program strives for the former, but only a very small percentage is able to achieve it to the level attained by Mars’ boys.

The Planets have now qualified for the WPIAL playoffs 13 straight seasons. They have earned eight straight section titles, have made the PIAA tournament eight consecutive times and played for a pair of state championships (2016, 2018).

In a county that features a number of very good-to-great boys teams, no program comes close to matching that impressive resume.

There was supposed to be a drop-off for Mars after the graduation of a very strong senior class, led by star forward John Castello, in 2016. Sure, the Planets had stalwart guard Robby Carmody returning as a junior the next season, but the rest of the lineup was presumed as weak.

Coach Rob Carmody insisted prior to the 2016-17 campaign that his team was more than just one player. Doubters wanted proof and the Planets offered a season that reached the state quarterfinals as evidence of the talent Mars had beyond Carmody.

The naysayers showed up again following Carmody’s graduation in 2018. Surely, cracks would form in the Planets’ prowess after losing the all-state player, but again, Mars remained a team to be reckoned with last year, winning a WPIAL title and reaching the state semifinals in a 27-2 season.

Entering this season, the question marks returned. How would Mars replace a point guard the caliber of Andrew Recchia along with major contributors like Khori Fusco and Brandon Caruso?

The Planets last week clinched another outright section title and will begin play in the district playoffs with an overall record of 18-4.

Robby Carmody’s younger brother, Michael, has been the cornerstone by averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, but Mihali Sfanos, Joey Craska, Zach Schlegel, Bryce Cunningham and Chris Dvorak have also taken their games to another level to make the Planets a threat to win a third straight WPIAL crown and march deep into the state tournament once again.

I doubt the Planets would have made the recent runs they did without players like Castello, Robby Carmody and Recchia. I also believe Mars would have failed to reach such heights if those stars didn’t have a very capable cast around them.

The consistent flow of talent, allowing young players to move in and pick up where their predecessors left off, is due to the time and effort put in by a lot of people.

The players themselves, veteran varsity coaches that have been together for a long time, mentors at the youth and junior high level, parents who sacrifice time and money year-round to send their kid to a shooting camp here or a skills camp there — Mars’ program has been reaping the benefits from all of it for some time.

Michael Carmody will graduate this spring and I’m sure that will prompt some to count the Planets out in 2020-21.

But this program is used to proving people wrong.

Derek Pyda is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle