Last year Jake Long was a newcomer to WPIAL football.

He enters this season as one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league - and he's only a junior.

Long spent his freshman season playing for Bradford High School in District 9, before suiting up for Pine-Richland in 2003.

He was a big part of the Rams' WPIAL Class AAA title victory and trip to the state championship game, passing for 1,812 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Long and the Rams will host Mars at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the 2004 opener for both teams.

"He's a very good quarterback," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. "Facing him will give us a good idea of where we are in pass defense."

"The one thing that surprised me about Jake was the poise he had as a sophomore," said Rams coach Clair Altemus. "He was playing like a senior last year. It astonished me because I've never seen a sophomore play like that before."

Coming into last season, Long had big shoes to fill: those of Kevin McCabe, who is now playing at the University of Virginia.

"I was talking to (University of Virginia coach) Al Groh the other day," said Altemus. "I told him that Jake is going to break all those school records that McCabe set just a few years ago."

That's bad news for his WPIAL opponents:

"I don't think he has peaked yet," said Altemus. "His best days are ahead of him at the collegiate level."

Long's favorite target this year could be senior wideout Bill Massaro, who caught 28 passes and five touchdowns in 2003.

Massaro played behind all-conference wide receiver and current Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand Neil Walker.

"He's taken what he's learned to heart," Altemus said of Massaro. "Neil's not a bad player to learn from."

Also returning is all-conference halfback Tim Newman, who rushed for 1,248 yards in 2003.

The Planets' secondary will consist of senior free safety Alec Mundy and three juniors: strong safety Bill Cress, and cornerbacks Paul Ferrese and Justin Houck.

But Heinauer knows his defensive backfield isn't solely responsible for how well a team passes against the Planets.

"In the type of defense that we run, it's the line's job to pressure the quarterback," he said.

Sophomore D.J. Cannon will be the quarterback for Mars, while Ferrese (fullback) and Dave Pisarcik (wingback) should see the bulk of rushing attempts.

The Rams return three senior leaders from a defense that surrendered just under 10 points in nine regular season games last year.

Inside linebacker Matt Sanders, defensive tackle Ryan Jordan and outside linebacker Garrett Jockel will all be expected to make plays.

Pine-Richland won last year's opener 21-0 over the Planets.

Mars at Pine-Richland

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7:30 p.m. Friday

Streaks:

The Rams have not lost a regular season game since 2001.

Stat:

The Planets averaged 31 points in their four wins in 2003.

Strategy:

Pine-Richland will look for a balanced offensive attack from quarterback Jake Long, halfback Tim Newman and wide receiver Bill Massaro.

Speaking:

"Tradition is important to these kids. They know that we wouldn't be where we're at if it wasn't for the hard work of the players who came before them." - Pine-Richland coach Clair Altemus