Could there be a downside to beating a team by 35 points?

Veteran Mars football coach Scott Heinauer knows wins aren't guaranteed, and he'll take them any way he can get them.

But on the flip side of the Planets' last two wins — 49-14 over Cornell last week and 35-0 against New Brighton the week before — is the fact that the team's starters didn't play a full game in either case.

In fact, the last time Mars' starters were on the field for the duration of a game was the team's only loss this season, a 41-35 defeat to Shenango Sept. 15.

"Last week, we pulled our first team defense with seven minutes left in the second quarter," said Heinauer. "And the offense came out soon after that.

"It's been a while since those kids have gotten a full game in," he added.

Still, Heinauer was able to get many younger players some valuable playing time, players like sophomore running back Shane Kaclik, who rushed 34 yards for a touchdown last week.

"Getting the younger kids in is important," he said. "It's a lot different from playing (junior varsity). It's a different atmosphere with the crowd and is an exciting experience for the players."

Last week's win vaulted Mars (4-1, 3-1) into a third-place tie in the Tri-County North Conference with Mohawk, Shenango and Summit Academy.

The only two teams above the Planets — Laurel and Riverside — have played one more conference game and are both 4-1.

Mars will look to extend its winning streak to three when it travels to Union-New Castle Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Scotties (0-5, 0-5) have fallen on hard times.

The team last made postseason play with a 7-3 record in 2003 before turning in a 4-5 record in 2004.

Since then, Union hasn't won a game and currently is on a 15-game losing streak.

The Scotties lost, 32-0, to Shenango on Monday in a game moved from Saturday because of inclement weather.

"We're making strides," said 10th-year coach Stacy Robinson. "Last week was the first game this season where we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot right away.

"We always struggle with numbers," added Robinson. "This year, we've got 34 players including freshmen. And we have just seven seniors."

One thing the Scotties do have is speed.

Wideouts Linnell Robinson and Marcus Allen, who both will see time at tailback, join fullback Ricky Davis as players who are dangerous once the ball is in their hands.

"We've got skill players who can play with anybody in the conference," said Coach Robinson. "But we're small up front and that hurts us."

"They've got potential just because of their sheer speed," said Heinauer of the Scotties.

Mars has its sights set on the WPIAL Class AA playoffs and, as far as Heinauer is concerned, that means having his team focused for every opponent.

"There's still a lot of teams bunched up (in the standings)," he said. "We're not out of the woods yet. Our goal is to get better every week, no matter who our opponent is."