GIBSONIA — In football, fullbacks are often used to block. The opportunity to gain yards through the rushing or passing game can be few and far between.

That isn't the case in the Wing-T scheme employed at Mars, where the fullback is the focal point of the offense.

Austin Miele relished that role and proved to be the perfect fit for it.

A 2011 graduate, Miele finished his high school career with 4,168 rushing yards, which was then second only to Bill Bair in program history, and scored 47 total touchdowns.

“Austin was the total package,” said longtime Mars running backs coach Scott Pfeiffer. “He had speed, size, elusiveness and was also a student of the game.”

Miele will be inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 17.

“I knew the waiting period to make the Hall of Fame was 10 years, but I was surprised I was voted in this soon,” he said. “I'm honored to be part of Mars history and happy that I was able to put my stamp on it in a positive way.”

Miele was a soccer player in grade school, but it seemed only a matter of time before his talents brought him to the gridiron.

“In fifth grade, we'd play football at recess and it was always football players against soccer players,” he said. “I was one of the best on the field and Eric Guzak asked me if I wanted to join the team. He was already playing football and told some of the coaches about me.”

Miele soon found himself carrying the ball and became a feature back leading up to his high school years.

During the first five games of his sophomore season, Miele was averaging over seven yards on 46 carries, but the leading role in the offense belonged to senior Shane Kaclik.

Kaclik was running for over 100 yards per game, but was lost for the season after an injury in a game against Franklin Regional.

“I was a wingback up to that point,” Miele said. “Shane was a helluva back and it was tough losing him.”

The Planets were fortunate to have a player of Miele's ability ready to step in. By the end of the season, he'd rushed for 1,080 yards and nine touchdowns.

Miele knew that to reach his full potential, he had to get stronger. He hit the weight room hard and that helped him rush for over 1,200 yards and 11 scores while battling injuries as a junior.

He then turned in a truly superb senior campaign. Work with a personal trainer in the offseason allowed him to become more explosive. In a WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game against Hollidaysburg, he gained 448 yards on 29 carries, three of them going for touchdowns in a 52-20 win.

The yardage total was just eight yards from breaking the WPIAL record for rushing yards in a single game, held then by Connellsville's Marcus Furman.

While the game was still going on, neither Miele or Mars' coaching staff was aware of this, however, and he was not on the field for the last two offensive series.

“With about six or seven minutes left, they pulled me off the field. We were winning by a lot and I was tired.”

He found out how close he was to the record in the locker room following the game.

“I remember thinking, 'You're kidding me, right? Can I go back out there for one more play?,'” Miele said, laughing. “But it really didn't matter to me. I was just glad I was able to help the team win.”

Miele's value to the team extended beyond his stats, best exemplified by a story Pfeiffer described from the proceeding quarterfinal playoff against defending district champion West Allegheny.

“We were leading (9-0) at halftime,” he said. “In the locker room, Austin comes up to us and tells us that there was a play in our playbook that he believed would work. Using motion, we could run four different plays off of it.

“We used it almost exclusively in the second half and got some big gains from it. I remember (wingback) Seth Geyer gained a lot of yards using it and we won the game, 29-3.”

Mars' run ended the following week with a loss to Montour in the semifinals, but Miele still focuses on fond memories from the 2010 season.

“We had a lot of great players that year,” he said. “That's the season we had been waiting for since middle school. I was best friends with a lot of those guys ... I still am.”

Miele accepted a full scholarship to play at Division 1-AA St Francis (Pa.) University and starred as a freshman defensive back, leading the team in interceptions and coming in third in tackles.

“I played defense in high school, but really didn't want to. I got to college and a light came on in my head. I had to be ready to play or I was going to get run over. If you're getting a full ride, you better perform.”

He transferred to Slippery Rock University and was a key member of the team's defense as a safety/linebacker for three years, earning First Team All-PSAC West honors in 2013.

Miele owns a roofing business with his brother, Josh. The former is getting married next spring to his high school sweetheart, Jennifer Reibie.

Support from his family is something he didn't take for granted and still appreciates.

“My parents, Bill and Bernadette, and brothers, Josh and Zach, always gave me unbelievable support,” he said. “My dad's work kept him from coming to some of my games and I know he wanted to be there. My mom never missed a game, was always there in the stands.”