ADAMS TWP — Running back Bill Bair's football career at Mars has been one long touchdown run.

As well as knocking over defenders, he's also bulling his way through the Planets' record book.

His latest feat is arguably his most impressive.

With his 299 yards last Friday in a 45-22 home win over Cornell, Bair passed Mars great Brad Mueller for first place on the Planets' all-time rushing list. Bair now has 3,467 career yards while Mueller (2000-02) stands at 3,460.

"I watched Brad play when he was here," said Bair. "I never thought about breaking his record. It never really entered my mind."

But after rushing for 1,928 yards last season, which also included a school-record 28 total touchdowns, the record was definitely within Bair's grasp.

"We thought Brad's record was totally out of reach," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. "But after Bill's success last year, we thought he had a realistic shot to catch him."

Immediately after Bair broke the record last week, the game was stopped and Bair and Heinauer went to the middle of the field, where the latter presented Bair with the football. Bair's parents were on the field as well.

"That was just an awesome moment," Bair said. "I really appreciated the coaches for allowing that to happen."

No one knows more about the talents Mueller and Bair bring to the field than Heinauer.

"Brad's first three steps were as fast as anybody I've ever seen," said Heinauer. "There were times when he would actually run past his blocks just because he was so fast. He was a two-time state champion in the 100-meter dash.

"Bill makes more use of his blocks and he cuts better," he added. "Brad played at 180 pounds and Bill is at 203 pounds. There's a big difference there."

Despite the differences, the two great backs did have a few important traits in common.

"Both have been very humble in their success," said Heinauer. "They'd be quick to credit their offensive line.

"As a coach, I feel blessed to have coached both of them," Heinauer added. "A lot of schools go years without having a great running back and we've had two in a short period of time."

Bair still has the rest of the 2007 season to go and another school record on the horizon.

Mueller's single-season rushing mark of 2,126 yards remains the Planets' standard.

Bair is currently 930 yards off the pace.

"Well, we've got four regular season games left and, hopefully, a few playoff games," Bair said. "With the way we're going now, it's looking pretty good."