Setting the Tone
This is the first in a series of 12 articles profiling the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2021.
SHARPSBURG — It was no coincidence that Ryan McKenzie's breakout season for the Mars boys soccer team came in a year when the Planets made history.
As a sophomore in 2007, McKenzie scored a team-leading 17 goals, helping Mars reach the state championship game for the first time.
He continued to be a top scoring threat over the next two years while the Planets won back-to-back WPIAL titles. He was named the Butler Eagle's Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
McKenzie finished his scholastic career with a then-school record 78 goals and 45 assists.
He will be inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 17.
“Coach (Chris) Knauff and my teammates had a lot to do with my success,” said McKenzie. “I didn't put too much pressure on myself. When you enjoy playing, it makes it a lot easier to do well.”
While he also played basketball and baseball in high school, soccer was his favorite sport from an early age.
“I started playing club soccer when I was 12,” said McKenzie. “I was playing year-round at that point. God bless my parents, Carolyn and David, for taking me to all of those practices and tournaments. They gave me the opportunity to keep playing.”
In the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs in 2007, McKenzie and the Planets fell in the semifinal round, but kept their season alive with a victory over South Park in the consolation game. That set in motion the memorable run to Hershey.
Wins over Northeast and Center, followed by a thrilling double-overtime triumph against Susquehannock in Hollidaysburg, earned for the Planets a trip to the PIAA final against Palmyra, which claimed the crown with a 2-0 victory.
“Getting all the way to Hershey and not able to get the job done, that was disappointing,” McKenzie said, “but it was still a fun season.”
Opposing teams knew McKenzie would be a focal point for the Planets the next two seasons, but the forward's production continued to increase.
As a junior, he scored 20 goals and contributed 17 assists as Mars won its first WPIAL title by defeating Thomas Jefferson. McKenzie's hat trick in a 3-2 semifinal win over South Park had sent the Planets to the final.
The next year, he put up 34 goals and 15 assists and helped the Planets to a victory against Hampton for the district championship. Following the season, McKenzie became the first player in program history to be named to the all-state team.
“He was an incredible, complete player,” said Mars coach Chris Knauff. “He had great speed and skill on the ball.
“I gave him very little direction, just told him to get himself into the most dangerous (scoring) position he could find.”
McKenzie played four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a degree in materials science and engineering.
He still enjoys the game, playing in two adult leagues near Pittsburgh with some of the same players he teamed with over a decade ago to elevate Mars from a good program to a WPIAL power.
During his four years on the varsity team, Mars compiled a record of 78-11-3 with three section championships, two WPIAL titles and three trips to the state tournament.
“Those were some great teams we had. We became a name in the WPIAL and it feels like there should be more players from then in the Hall of Fame,” McKenzie said. “I appreciate this honor. Those were four of the best years of my life.”
