ADAMS TWP — With over 2,000 yards rushing and averaging almost 45 points per game, Mars has been nearly unstoppable this season.

That all changed when Knoch came to town.

The Knights held Mars to just 145 yards of offense and Ben Tackett scored three touchdowns to pace Knoch to a 21-0 upset win over the previously undefeated Planets on Friday night at the Mars Athletic Complex.

“I can't say enough about our defense. I really can't,” said Knoch coach Mike King. “Our whole coaching staff is proud of the way that they played tonight. That was the key.”

The victory snapped a two-game skid for Knoch (5-2, 4-2 Greater Allegheny Conference).

“It's huge. Nobody wants to lose three games in a row, and least of all, our kids,” said King. “We had our backs up against the wall.

“What are you going to do? You have to come out fighting.”

And that's exactly what the Knights did.

Knoch stifled the Planets' rushing attack early and consistently harassed Mars quarterback Owen Nearhoof when he dropped back to pass, sacking him six times by the first play of the second quarter.

Luke Kroneberg tallied 2 1/2 sacks, while Mike Cunningham brought down the quarterback twice and forced a fumble.

“We have to be able to block better,” said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. “We did not block real well; they did a great job on defense. Hats off to Mike King, hats off to their defense. They did a great job tonight.”

The Planets' standout running back Josh Schultheis entered the game with 934 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground this season. Knoch limited the sophomore to 71 yards on 17 attempts Friday.

“I can't say enough about our defensive plan. Frank Whalen did a great job and has done a great job as our defensive coordinator,” said King. “To hold that offense, that's not something that you see very often.”

While the Knoch defense smothered Mars (6-1, 5-1), the Knights leaned on Tackett for offense.

The senior finished with 194 rushing yards and three scores on 28 carries and caught two passes for 50 yards.

Tackett opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown plunge — set up by a 39-yard aerial strike from Dakota Bruggeman to Tackett — and gave the Knights a 7-0 advantage with 3:50 to go in the first quarter.

Knoch was pinned deep in its own territory toward the end of the second quarter, but Tackett busted loose and outran the defense for an 80-yard score, providing the Knights with a 13-0 halftime cushion.

“Tackett was phenomenal tonight,” said King. “He did a great job. He's got big shoulders.”

The defense put Tackett in position for his third score of the game, answering a Mars interception by Billy Shrock.

Facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 15-yard line, the Planets went for it to keep their comeback hopes alive. However, the Knoch defense stuffed Schultheis at the line of scrimmage and Tackett scored from 1 yard out four plays later.

The Knights also stopped Schultheis a couple inches short on a fourth-and-4 at the Knoch 21-yard line in the third quarter and halted him a yard short of moving the chains on a fourth-and-3 at the Knoch 41 in the second frame.

“When you talk about fourth-down stops, I think you talk about heart, desire and all of those ingredients that make football a great game,” said King. “We can talk X's and O's to death, but when it comes down to fourth-and-1, it comes down to who wants it more — and our kids wanted it.”

“You have to hand it to Knoch. They were a more physical football team tonight,” said Heinauer. “That's what happened tonight, there's no question about that.

“We need to put points up on the board. I don't think our defense played all that bad,” he added. “We just need to regroup and get better. ... We'll go back to the drawing board and go from there.”

It was Senior Night at the Mars Athletic Complex, but Knoch's seniors ended up with the postgame celebration.

“We put it on the seniors tonight. The seniors have to come up big in big games,” said King. “All those guys who are seniors were really the authors of this victory.”