ADAMS TWP — Two more weeks to iron out the wrinkles.

That's what is on tap for the Mars football team before the Planets open Greater Allegheny Conference play Oct. 2 at Highlands.

For now, Mars (1-1) is focused on Plum, a Quad A team from the WPIAL's Big East Conference.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Mars Athletic Complex.

The Mustangs (1-1) defeated Indiana, a conference foe of Mars, 26-6 in Week 1 before dropping a 54-0 decision to McKeesport last week.

Plum finished 1-9 last season and is now under the direction of first-year head coach Frank Sacco, who was previously the team's defensive coordinator.

"In our first game, we faced some adversity early and the kids responded well to it," said Sacco. "Last week, things snowballed on us. We want to get this program to where we can play with teams like McKeesport.

"Offensively, we like to confuse defenses by running a lot of formations," added Sacco. "We have a sophomore at quarterback, Chris Zdinak. He's only going to get better."

"They're much improved from last year," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer of the Mustangs. "They run a lot of different offensive formations and we're going to have to defend against that.

"They have a lot of kids to pick from and some very good skill kids. It's another non-section game and another chance to get better."

One player the Planets have to be concerned with is senior halfback Ryan Allen (6-0, 195), who totaled 172 yards from scrimmage and scored three touchdowns in the win over Indiana.

"He's been plagued by injuries the last few years," Sacco said of Allen. "He's healthy now and he is showing what he can do."

Mars' offense will look for an improved effort following last week's 47-22 loss at Hopewell.

Though the Planets did manage 315 yards of offense, they also committed three costly turnovers, giving the Vikings a short field to navigate.

Three players saw time at quarterback for Mars in the loss — Eric Guzak, D.J. Delucia and Brian Cassidy.

"Eric got shaken up a bit last week, but he will start Friday," said Heinauer. "We know D.J. is more than capable of coming in if we need him."

Junior fullback Austin Miele has not disappointed after turning in a fine sophomore season. In two games, he has tallied 225 rushing yards on 40 carries, 81 receiving yards and three total touchdowns.

Mars' starting offensive line will include center Ben Leshow, left guard Nevan O'Donnell, left tackle Lucas Cybach, right guard Dylan Bear, right tackle Brody Evanson and tight end Brad Grosso.

"The line has played okay so far," said Heinauer. "They played well against Moon, but didn't stay on their blocks against Hopewell."

Mars defeated Plum last season by a score of 34-0.