The Mars football team might like to run the football.

But the Kittanning Wildcats are downright obsessed with it.

While both teams run the Wing-T offense, the Wildcats have taken their faith in the ground game to a whole new level.

Kittanning will bring its run-or-bust philosophy to the Mars Athletic Complex for a WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Wildcats (8-1) feature a 1,000-yard fullback in senior Ryan Shepard, who stands 6-feet-1 and weighs 215 pounds.

"Ryan has 1,020 yards this year," said Kittanning coach Sam Panchik. "Then we have two other backs with over 800 yards in Derrick Taylor and Bobby Keys."

That's more 2,700 yards between three players.

Needless to say, Kittanning is a team that knows its strength and the Wildcats will go as far as their running game takes them.

"We've got a lot of experience on the offensive line," Panchik said. "Most of our kids are two-year starters and average about 230 pounds."

The Wildcats rarely throw the ball, but when they do, senior quarterback Colin McKelvey has made the most of his opportunities.

Though he's completed only 20 passes, five have gone for touchdowns.

"He can throw the ball when he has to," Panchik said of his two-year starting quarterback.

Defensively, some teams aren't bold enough to say they want to stop Mars' Bill Bair. Most would be happy just to contain the junior fullback, who has totaled 1,729 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns.

But Panchik leaves no doubt as to what he expects from his defense.

"Stop Bair," he said without hesitation. "We go into every game wanting to stop the run first.

"Bair is a good back and can do a lot of things for them, but, hopefully, we'll be able to stop him."

For Panchik, in his fifth season as head coach of the Wildcats, the 2006 regular season proved to be his most successful to date.

The Wildcats' lone loss this year was a 33-14 setback to Allegheny Conference champion Ford City on Sept. 15.

The following week, Kittanning visited Shady Side Academy and came away with a 27-14 win. The team has been on a roll ever since.

Panchik, whose five-year record is 25-23, is searching for his first playoff win as head coach of the Wildcats.

As a member of Class AAA's Greater Allegheny Conference, Kittanning made the playoffs in 2002 and 2003, but lost in the first round to Hopewell and Thomas Jefferson, respectively.

The Wildcats dropped to Class AA in 2004 and lost a first-round game to Greensburg Central Catholic before missing postseason play last year.

WILDCATS TRACKS

---

Kittanning has won six straight games since losing to Ford City in mid-September. Following is the Wildcats' complete schedule and results.

Date.....Opponent.....Final9/1.....Deer Lakes.....28-09/8.....Freeport.....34-149/15.....Ford City.....14-339/22.....Shady Side.....27-149/29.....DuBois Area.....49-1210/6.....Valley.....21-1410/13.....Northgate.....52-1810/20.....Burrell.....41-1310/27.....West Shamokin.....48-6