Even though the Mars wrestling program was still relatively young, coach Don Cooley knew he would still have big shoes to fill.

In his second year at the helm, he's continued to help shape the Planets into a strong and reputable Class AA program.

With the team's 41-19 victory over Hampton Tuesday, the Planets won their 14th match of the season, equaling last year's total.

Glenn Clark coached the program, which began in 1998, for the first four years before he was killed by a drunken driver in an automobile crash in 2002.

Clark's assistant, Tom Dorsch, filled in for the next two years before Cooley took over.

"I know of the tragedy and Glenn Clark was a man I would have loved to meet," said Cooley. "Most tell me we would have been close. We shared a passion for the sport of wrestling.

"His stature in the community never goes down. It only grows year to year," he added.

Cooley, an 11th grade English teacher at Mars, joined the program last season and has seen great improvement this year.

"Most of our wrestlers have matured, not just in wrestling maturity but life maturity," said Cooley, whose team lost 15 matches last year. "We're not making as many dumb mistakes as we did last year.

"(Cooley is) a lot of fun and it's good to know he's always there for us," said senior Matt Perri, who wrestles at 119 pounds.

"You can tell he loves wrestling," said senior Pete King, who wrestles at 215 pounds, about his coach. "It's his passion."

"He's a good coach who knows what he's talking about," said senior Dave Pisarcik (189). "He's definitely what we need."

This season, the Planets finished in a three-way tie for second place in Section 3-AA with Burgettstown and Fort Cherry (6-2) behind South Side Beaver (8-0).

The spot was good enough to put the Planets in the team playoffs, where they lost to West Greene 42-24 in the first round last Saturday.

Cooley credits assistant coach Dave Mayer for helping the team continue its climb.

"He's been wonderful this year," said Cooley. "He's really stepped up and taken a huge leadership role.

"I was begging for someone to help last year, and he said he would. He was a little unsure about a whole new system of wrestling, but, now, I couldn't ask for a better coach."

After the Planets host Pine-Richland on Wednesday for the final dual match, the team will compete at sectionals, then the WPIAL Championship and Southwest Regionals before, hopefully, sending someone to states.

Logan Giger (145) and Pisarcik (189) are among the top wrestlers in their respective weight classes in Class AA.

Along with Perri and King, the foursome appear to be the team's best chances at qualifying for states and earning a medal, something no Planets wrestler has ever done.

"I think what we need here is a state placewinner," said Cooley. "David as well as those other wrestlers have very legitimate shots."

Pisarcik is 33-0 and has yet to be taken down in a match this season while Giger is an impressive 32-4. It was his father, Tim, who helped to start the wrestling program at Mars.

"Dave steps up in good positions," said Cooley. "And this year, he's learned to trust me."

"Logan, since I've known him, he's the kind that falls into a pile of dirt and comes out squeaky clean. He has the nickname 'The Cardiac Kid' because if he gets in trouble, you look and he somehow finds his way out," Cooley added.

A shoulder injury last season sidelined Pisarcik for most of the campaign.

"I missed so much time, I just wanted to keep working hard," said Pisarcik.

With a large senior class, the Planets might experience a dip in the number of wrestlers next year, but the team is upbeat that Cooley can keep things going.

"There might be a bit of a slump until coach rallies up interest," said Giger.

For now, there's still work to be done this season, something Cooley can help but look forward to.

"We're right about on track where we should be, but no where near where we need to be," said Cooley. "We're mostly left to sharpen our edge and refine skills."