Tune-Up Time
ADAMS TWP — Mars football coach Scott Heinauer has Sept. 13 circled on his calendar. That's the date of the Planets' first Northern Conference game against Penn Hills.
Until then, Mars has three games to fine tune things. The first of those comes Friday when it hosts West Mifflin in a televised game with a 7:35 p.m. kickoff.
Mars has some familiar faces in new positions. Among them, senior Drew Schlegel, who spent time at wide receiver and wingback last season, is now the starting quarterback.
Junior Teddy Ruffner, previously a wingback, will be the focus of Mars' ground game at fullback.
Heinauer said his team's scrimmage against Knoch last week was a mixed bag.
“Defensively, we did well,” he said. “On offense, did we accomplish everything we wanted to do? I don't think so, it was hit and miss. But that's what scrimmages are for. I think we learned from our mistakes.
“Some other teams (in other classifications) open up with a conference game,” said Heinauer. “We have three games before that and that's a good thing. It gives us a chance to breathe a bit.”
But Heinauer also knows the importance of winning non-conference games in terms of team confidence. Last year, the Planets won at West Mifflin, 7-6, to open the season and it sparked a 3-0 start and ultimately, a playoff berth and 9-2 overall record.
West Mifflin was 5-6 last season, bowing from the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs with a quarterfinal loss to Blackhawk.
The Titans are in transition mode after former Steel Valley coach Rod Steele took over the program in January. He coached Steel Valley to the WPIAL championship two of the last three seasons and a state title in 2016.
West Mifflin's ground game, which figures to be the brunt of the team's attack, features two sprinters from the track team in Jacob Davis and Dasani Green.
“They're still trying to get a feel for the way we do things,” said Steele. “With more repetitions, they'll be fine.”
Jay Dukes, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior, is the starting quarterback after serving as backup last year.
“He can run and that's a big factor,” Heinauer said of Dukes.
Junior and University of Pittsburgh commit Nahki Johnson (6-3, 220), a transfer from Steel Valley, will be a handful at guard and defensive end.
“He's one of the top players in the whole state, you can't miss him,” said Heinauer.
“Any time you have a Division I player, he's always going to bring something that the other varsity players just don't have,” said Steele. “Michigan, Penn State and Mississippi State were also interested in Nahki. He's benching well over 300 pounds.
“Mars is always solid on the lines and their system (Wing-T) is not something you see every week.”
