Mars overwhelms Hollidaysburg, 69-14
ADAMS TWP — Physical. It has been the mantra of the Mars football team for weeks now.
Explosive. Dominating. Unstoppable.
Those words may as well be mantras for the Planets these days, as well.
Mars was all three in a 69-14 whitewash of Hollidaysburg at the Mars Athletic Complex Friday night.
“You know what, our kids up front have done a great job,” said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. “We kind of shared the wealth. It wasn't all Josh Schultheis tonight.”
It was a little bit of everyone.
And everyone gave the streaking Planets (7-1, 6-1) a great deal.
Schultheis ended up with his yards — 182 of them on 15 carries — and scored on runs of 6, 10 and 9 and also returned an interception 24 yards for a score in the first 15 minutes of the game as Mars led 42-0 early in the second quarter.
Others, though, got in on the act. Jason Lozzi carried the ball just twice, but scored on runs of 76 and 43 yards. Ori Rinaman's only carry went 66 yards for a score and Matt Parrish had two carries for 68 yards.
Hunter Mincer (61 yards and a TD), Eli Brooks (26 yards) and Ryan Astbury (20 yards and a TD) had nice nights as Mars rolled up 432 yards rushing in the first half and 546 in the game.
Mars did not throw a pass. It didn't need to.
The Planets were just as dominant on the defensive side of the ball. Hollidaysburg (3-5, 3-4) had only one first down by the time Mars led 56-0 late in the first half.Hollidaysburg coach Homer DaLattre ran the pistol formation for much of the game. It was an offense the Tigers have rarely run this season.Still, Mars was able to adjust and shut down Hollidaysburg.“We're pleased with the way our defense played football,” Heinauer said. “Homer came out in an offensive set we've seen them run one or two times all season. It wasn't something that he normally did, and our kids were able to adjust. I think that's a sign of a good football team.”Hollidaysburg was also without one of the quarterbacks in its rotation, Josh Bickley.The Tigers used three quarterbacks and they combined to go 4-of-15 for 69 yards. Caleb Pernell did hook up with Seth Aungst for a 44-yard score with 30 seconds remaining in the first half as Mars marched into the locker room up 56-7.One of the few bright spots for the Tigers was Colton Ruggery, who rushed for 109 yards and a 1-yard TD.Mars now heads into the final week of the regular season with a chance to win the Greater Allegheny Conference title.A three-way tie between Mars, Franklin Regional and Highlands gives the Planets, who are way ahead in Gardner points, the championship.A Mars-Franklin Regional tie will mean the Planets lose out on the title while a Mars-Highlands tie gives the Planets the top spot.Mars, though, needs to beat Hampton at home first.“We haven't plateaued,” Heinauer said. “We've gotten better and better each week. We're on assignment. We're very physical.”
