Planets of terror
ADAMS TWP — Scary.
That was the word uttered by longtime Blackhawk football coach Joe Hamilton earlier this week and it had nothing to do with the ghosts, goblins and ghouls walking the streets.
Hamilton was referring to Mars’ offense.
“They are awfully good,” he said. “From what I’ve seen on tape, it’s scary.”
The Cougars (3-6) will invade the Mars Athletic Complex Friday to face the Planets (8-1) in a WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Hamilton’s concerns are legitimate. Mars has piled up 2,753 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns on the ground this season. The assault against opposing defenses has been led by sophomore fullback Josh Schultheis and his 7.5 yards-per-carry average (182 carries for 1,379). He has scored 23 touchdowns.
Wingback Alex Smith has added 431 yards and six more scores.
“Their running game is outstanding,” said Hamilton, “and their offensive line does a great job.”
The Cougars compete in the Parkway Conference and began the season 1-6 before winning their last two games, including last week’s 34-20 win at Ambridge.
Despite its poor record, Blackhawk is averaging 28.3 points per game.
The team’s multiple offense does not resemble that of a team with just three wins. Junior quarterback Chandler Kincade has thrown for 1,883 yards and 14 touchdowns. His prime target is senior wide receiver Alex Caratelli with his 61 catches for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns.
The Cougars’ biggest threat is senior halfback Cole Chiappialle, who has chewed up 1,475 yards on the ground and scored 23 touchdowns.
“Offensively, they have weapons we have to contend with,” said Planets’ coach Scott Heinauer. “They are very good and we have to have a strong game defensively.”
Blackhawk’s weakness is its defense, evidenced by the fact that the Cougars scored 27 points this season against West Allegheny, 40 against Beaver and 35 against Montour, but all three games ended in defeat by a combined 10 points.
“Defense is not our forte,” said Hamilton. “We had some injuries that really hurt us this season.
“We’ve scored a lot of points and that has kept us in games.”
Mars claimed the Greater Allegheny Conference title outright last week with a 25-10 win at Hampton.
“If we can continue to play like that, we’ll be playing for a while, no doubt,” said Heinauer. “We have to have intensity and enthusiasm. We can’t have another game like we did against Knoch (a 21-0 loss Oct. 12).”
Mars last met Blackhawk in a 2008 WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal playoff, which the Cougars won 47-7.
