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ADAMS TWP — Teddy Ruffner was presented with a game ball by Mars football coach Scott Heinauer shortly before halftime Friday night at the Mars Athletic Complex for eclipsing 4,000 career rushing yards.
But the senior running back could have had several more ceremonies during the Planets' 42-21 Greater Allegheny Conference win over Greensburg Salem. Ruffner moved from seventh to second on Mars' all-time rushing list while piling up 295 yards and three touchdowns.
He now has 4,227 yards for his career.
“I knew that stuff was coming up and I was trying to keep it out of my mind,” Ruffner said. “Obviously, in the moment it felt good. I was trying to focus on getting ahead of the game first and getting the win before that. Once that set in, it felt good.”
Planets coach Scott Heinauer, who had water dumped on him after the game to celebrate his 200th win at Mars, was thrilled for Ruffner.
“It's awesome,” Heinauer said. “I wish we had more games. It might be a different story. He might rise to No. 1.”
Golden Lions coach Dave Keefer went over to congratulate Ruffner after the game. He feels Ruffner is everything that is right with high school football.
“He runs with desire,” Keefer said. “When he gets the football, he believes he can score. You can tell he's a great teammate. When he runs the football, he runs with his pads down and he never blinks. He's a no-blink kind of guy. There's no BS, no flash.”
Ruffner put Mars (5-1, 5-1) ahead for good when he scored on an 8-yard run on the Planets' opening possession.
The Golden Lions (1-5, 1-5) hung tough despite not attempting a pass. Greensburg Salem ran the formation due to injuries to its top two quarterbacks.
Alex Briggs, who scored twice, led the Golden Lions with 172 yards on 30 carries. Rashad Canady also added 117 yards on 12 carries.
A botched punt return swung the momentum in the second quarter. A lunging attempt by the Greensburg Salem punt returner bounced off his hands and into Mars' Hayden Mayer grasp.
Quinn Fuller found Ben Chizmar on a 27-yard touchdown pass a play later to extend the Planets' lead to 14-0 with 9:13 left in the half.
“If you ask Scott (Heinauer) he says we touched it, if you ask me I say we didn't touch it,” Keefer said. “It was a bad time for it to happen. It put us in a bind because we know with what we're doing offensively right now, without our quarterbacks, we have to be opportunistic. It's tough playing catchup.”
The Golden Lions did respond with an 84-yard drive capped by a 17-yard touchdown from Briggs, but they wouldn't get any closer.
Mars extended the lead before halftime on a 6-yard touchdown run by Fuller and would add two more in the third quarter on 25- and 56-yard runs by Ruffner.
The Planets added another touchdown on a Chizmar run in the fourth quarter.
That allowed Mars to celebrate another landmark for Heinauer, who will be taking the Planets to the playoffs for the 24th time since taking over in 1992. But Heinauer said his achievements aren't important and a water bath wasn't something he was prepared for.“Not really, but that's OK,” Heinauer said. “We don't talk about those things around our kids. This is about our kids. It's a situation like any other thing. We're here to win the game. It's not about me.”Ruffner was happy they had a chance to celebrate together.In a season clouded with uncertainty with the pandemic, both had a chance to appreciate one more season to work together before Ruffner graduates.“Everyone knows the history Mars has, running the Wing-T for so long and the history of backs who have come through here,” Ruffner said. “It was great seeing his 200th win. It's a culture of continuing to win, continuing to get to the playoffs and continuing to produce great players. It's a special thing.”G'burg Salem 0 7 7 7 — 21Mars 7 14 14 7 — 42First QuarterM — Teddy Ruffner 8 run (Eli Wright kick), 6:13Second QuarterM — Ben Chizmar 27 pass from Quinn Fuller (Wright kick), 9:13GS — Alex Briggs 17 run (Wyatt Ramer kick), 3:35M — Fuller 6 run (Wright kick), :49.9Third QuarterM — Ruffner 25 run (Wright kick), 8:09M — Ruffner 56 run (Wright kick), 4:33GS — Rashad Canady 71 run (Ramer kick), 4:14Fourth QuarterM — Chizmar 9 run (Wright kick), 8:01GS — Briggs 4 run (Ramer kick), 1:36Individual StatisticsRushing:Greensburg Salem, Alex Briggs 33-172, Rashad Canady 12-107, Jerome Walliash 1-7, Christian Hostetler 2-7. Mars, Teddy Ruffner 32-295, Ben Chizmar 3-30, Anthony Vargo 4-16, Jacob Woolridge 1-8, Quinn Fuller 3-1, Carlos Orr 1-0, Evan Wright 1-0, Hayden Mayer 1-(-3).Passing:Mars, Quinn Fuller 4-7-106-0.Receiving:Mars, Jacob Woolridge 1-33, Anthony Vargo 1-31, Ben Chizmar 1-27, Teddy Ruffner 1-15.
