It was a milestone year for the Mars passing attack.

But senior fullback Paul Ferrese still managed to leave his mark.

Ferrese captured the 2005 Butler Eagle Scoring Trophy with a total of 96 points. His total beat out that of Moniteau's Matt Schandelmeier, who finished the regular season with 88 points.

It's the first time the honor goes to a WPIAL player since Freeport's Ron DeJidas won it in 1992.

Ferrese was quick to acknowledge the help he received from his offensive line, which included Scott Brettell, Andy Howcroft, Pete King, Ryan Nearhoof, Mike Sirney, Corey Williams and Matt Whittington.

"Those guys opened a lot of holes for me this season," Ferrese said. "I always tried to hit them as hard as I could and looked to get to the end zone every time I got the ball."

"A lot of high school kids like to get the ball and run to the outside," said Planets coach Scott Heinauer. "But over the last two years, Paul learned to trust his teammates and follow the blocks."

Ferrese recorded 16 touchdowns — 13 rushing, one on a reception, one on a kickoff return and another on a fumble recovery.

He scored a career-high four touchdowns in a win over Summit Academy Sept. 23 and scored three times in victories over Union-New Castle and Riverside.

Expectations of Ferrese were high after he rushed for 1,162 yards and 14 scores as a junior.

But the Planets also looked for their passing game to be more effective this year, and it was with D.J. Cannon becoming the first Mars quarterback to throw for 1,000 yards in a season since 1988.

"There were a lot of times this season when we were near the goal line and Paul didn't get the ball," said Heinauer. "We always put the team first and whoever ends up getting the touchdowns, that's just the way it is. The kids have bought into that."

Including Ferrese.

"If we were losing a game, obviously I wanted to be getting the ball because I like making plays," he said. "But I was going to do my best on every play, whether I was running the ball, catching it, or even if the ball wasn't coming to me.

"No matter what you do individually, it's only going to be remembered if the team has success," Ferrese added.

Ferrese, who stands 5-feet-8 and weighs 175 pounds, proved to be the durable back the Planets depend on.

He tallied 326 carries over the last two seasons, gaining 1,020 yards this year on 143 attempts.

"Paul has something you can't measure, and that's heart," said Heinauer. "Not every player has that.

"Every time he got the ball, you knew he was going to scratch and claw to get that extra yard. He has the respect of all the coaches in the conference."

It's that kind of mentality that has vaulted Ferrese to fourth on Mars' all-time rushing list with 2,337 yards.

Above him on that list are Brad Mueller (2000-02), Chuck Green (1994-96) and Dave Crummy (1976-78).

With a first-round loss to Burrell in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, the season didn't end as Ferrese and his teammates had hoped.

But, along with his scoring title, Ferrese is taking something else away from the 2005 season.

"I've got a lot of good friends on the team and we had a lot of good times this year," he said. "We would have liked to have gone further, but it was still a good senior season."