ADAMS TWP — The Mars ball boy had the most important job of the night: protecting Billy Bair's record-setting football.

"I'm holding history," said David Bednar, clutching Bair's game ball like the back who lugged it for 299 yards and four touchdowns as the Planets cruised to a 45-22 win over Cornell Friday night.

Midway through the third quarter, on his 24th carry of the night, Bair set the school record for career rushing yards.

The game was stopped and Bair and Planets coach Scott Heinauer walked to midfield, where Bair took the ball from his coach, hugged his mother, and then raised it in appreciation to the cheering crowd.

ThenBednar guarded it like a mother hen.

"It was probably the greatest feeling in my life," Bair said. "It was very nice of them to do that. It was an awesome feeling."

On any other night, it would have been just an ordinary effort from the Mars back, who is already over 1,000 yards on the season.

He scored on touchdown runs of 7 and 3 in the first seven minutes of the game, then tacked on TD jaunts of 5 and 4 in the second quarter, the last coming with two seconds on the clock to give the Planets a 32-6 halftime advantage.

Bair now has 3,467 rushing yards in his career, eclipsing Brad Mueller's mark of 3,460 yards set in 2002.

The two backs couldn't be more different, yet they have one thing in common: they are dominating Mars rushers.

"Brad had speed. Brad was just flat out fast and could run away from people," Heinauer said. "Billy's fast, but he also uses blocks well, cuts back. He's more of a shifty runner. They are two different kinds of runners. It's hard to believe to get two kids of that level. That doesn't happen often."

Bair was well aware of what he needed to get the record. He also was powered by the knowledge that it was just a matter of time before the record was his.

"To tell you the truth, I was just running as hard as I could on every play like I usually do," Bair said. "I figured if I did that, the record would take care of itself."

The offensive line Chad Nelson, Cliff Kelly, IanScheuer, Ed Gaw and Brody Maughan-Evanson certainly has made the sledding much easier for Bair this season.

"Those kids do a great job," Heinauer said. "(Billy) is the first person to say that. They've done a great job. Billy wouldn't be where he is without those guys."

Cornell was little match for both Bair and Mars.

The Raiders (0-5, 0-5) ran every offensive play in the first half to the left side and had little success doing it.

Cornell's lone score in the first half came on its only sustained drive, which was capped by a 21-yard touchdown run by Keith Jackson.

Other than that, the first-team Mars defense kept Cornell at bay.

And the first-team Mars offense could score at will, especially inside the 20.

That was an area that was particularly troublesome for the Planets last week when they made four trips inside the New Brighton 20 and came away with only eight points.

All Mars did against Cornell was score touchdown on seven of eight trips inside the Raiders' 20.

Shane Kaclik had five carries for Mars with three resulting in touchdown runs of 8, 3 and 6 yards.

"We didn't do that last week," Heinauer said. "We talked about it all week.We want to make sure when we get inside of that 20-, 10-yard line that we get something, not nothing. Nothing's no good."