Last year marked the first time the Butler Eagle Scoring Trophy made its way to Mars High School.

And Bill Bair made sure that's where it will stay.

The junior fullback scored 25 regular-season touchdowns — 24 rushing and one on a kickoff return — for a total of 150 points.

His nearest competitor for the trophy was Moniteau running back Adam Cousins, who ended the regular season with 110 points.

Bair, a resident of Valencia, added game-breaking running ability to a team that lost last year's scoring champ, Paul Ferrese, to graduation.

He ended the regular season as the WPIAL's top rusher at 1,735 yards.

Including the playoffs, he ended up with 1,928 yards on the ground and 28 total touchdowns.

"It was a great year on offense for us," Bair said. "People were just going out every week and doing their job, and that helped us put up a lot of points."

After averaging more than eight yards per carry as a sophomore, Bair had high expectations placed upon him this year.

"He was a kid who we expected a lot from," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. "And he fulfilled all of that."

With a share of the Tri-County North title on the line Oct. 27 at Mohawk, Bair rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns in a quagmire.

As good as his junior season turned out to be, Bair ended it in an unfamiliar position — on the sideline and unable to play.

After rushing for 193 yards and three touchdowns in a WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game against Kittanning, Bair took a hard hit as the Planets (8-1) ran out the clock.

"I just remember lying on the ground and looking up. Everything was shaking," said Bair. "I don't remember too much after that."

Mars ended up beating Kittanning, but Bair, who had suffered a concussion, was unable to play in the quarterfinals against Greensburg Central Catholic.

Heinauer moved wingback Josh Keil to fullback and the senior responded with 237 yards and two scores in a 38-19 loss.

For people familiar with the Mars program, Bair did not come out of the blue.

Scott Pfeiffer, who now coaches the Planets' running backs, was with the seventh- and eighth-grade team when Bair came on to the scene.

"I knew then that this kid was going to be something special," Pfeiffer said. "He was just unstoppable."

That kind of reputation, coupled with his 346 yards and five touchdowns on 42 carries last year, led to the excitement from Bair's coaches, teammates and the Mars fans as the 2006 season neared.

But Bair took the right approach to handling it all.

"I didn't feel a lot of pressure," he said. "I just knew I had to go out and play up to my potential."

After rushing for almost 2,000 yards, threatening the 30-touchdown plateau and setting the team's record for touchdowns in a season, Bair will be asked for an encore performance next year.

"Everybody wants to know what you can do next," said Heinauer. "He's going to have even higher expectations next year."

And while Mars will graduate a handful of key offensive linemen in June, Pfeiffer is confident a new group of blockers will rise to the challenge next year.

"That's one thing we've done well, bringing up young guys on the line and they've done a good job," he said. "For Bill, all you have to do is give him a crack."