MURRYSVILLE — Twenty seven carries for 164 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score — not bad for a sophomore.

That's the effort Mars' Josh Schultheis used to open the 2012 season Friday night.

The fullback's two-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter accounted for the final score in a 21-17 victory over host Franklin Regional.

“I have to thank my trainer, Bill Nichol,” said Schultheis. “I worked with him during the off-season. I also want to thank my wingbacks and offensive linemen. The holes they opened were huge. This is awesome.”

Before taking the lead for good, Mars trailed the Panthers 17-14 and could have sent placekicker Matthew White on to attempt a short field goal to tie the game. But Planets' coach Scott Heinauer elected to go for the first down on fourth down.

“Matt White's a good kicker,” Heinauer said of his junior specialist, who did boot three extra points in the game. “But we were moving the ball and had the momentum. We needed to score a touchdown.”

Schultheis' second score of the game did not seal the deal, however. Lurking on the opposite sideline was Panthers' star running back Dane Brown, who had already gained 168 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown entering his team's final drive.

He helped the Panthers pick up two first downs as Franklin Regional advanced the ball to Mars' 39. On a 4th-and-2 play, Brown was stonewalled by Mars linebacker Billy Shrock. The Planets took over at their own 40 with 2:48 left in the game.

“Dane Brown is a great back,” said Heinauer. “We thought he would get the ball on that fourth-down play. He did and we stopped him.”

After Mars took over on downs, Schultheis closed the door on the Panthers. He gained a combined 40 yards on three straight running plays as the Planets easily ran out the clock.

Mars held the upper hand early, beginning with quarterback Owen Nearhoof's 38-yard scoring strike to Alex Smith on a 3rd-and-19 play in the first quarter.

Schultheis scored his first touchdown on a one-yard plunge, increasing Mars' lead to 14-0 with 6:44 left in the second quarter.

But the Panthers answered with a 15-play, 88-yard drive that stayed exclusively on the ground. Brown and Nick Vento did most of the work, with the former scoring on a two-yard run with just 24 seconds left in the first half.

Franklin Regional quarterback Nico Lodovico completed just one pass in the game, but it was a big one. In the third quarter, he launched a 52-yard scoring bomb to junior wideout Colin Jonov. Brent Velasquez added the extra point to tie the game at 14-all.

The kicker would salvage three points when his team's next drive stalled. The 26-yard boot gave Franklin Regional its first lead of the game.

Smith streaked through Franklin Regional's kick coverage unit for 51 yards, setting his team up just 32 yards short of paydirt.

“Coming back from 14-0 down to take a 17-14 lead shows the character of this team,” said Panthers' coach Greg Botta. “We should've held on, but couldn't.”

Botta was referring to Nearhoof's two interceptions and a first-quarter fumble by Schultheis which the Panthers recovered at their own 3-yard line.

Heinauer, though, chose to focus on what Schultheis did to help his team win.

“Some games are wingback games and some are fullback games,” he said. “This was a fullback game.”