ADAMS TWP — Some might say that half of a loaf is better than none.

But not Mars football coach Scott Heinauer.

His Planets played undefeated Highlands tough for one half, but ended up falling to the Golden Rams, 22-7, Friday night in the Greater Allegheny Conference opener for both teams at the Mars Athletic Complex.

“In the first half, we showed promise,” he said of his Mars team, which fell to 0-4 with the loss. “But there are two halves in a game. We talked about that at halftime. But (the Golden Rams) came out and played a better second half than us.

“We did not make the plays to win the game.”

Highlands, now 4-0, took the lead 7-0 in the second quarter when Brock White grabbed a quick 1-yard TD toss from quarterback Chandler Thimons to cap a 61-yard drive.

But Mars answered back about four minutes later. On a Golden Rams punt attempt, the snap sailed over the head of Highlands punter Luke Bombalski near the end zone. He retrieved the ball, but in his attempt to run was tackled by Mars at the 10-yard line.

Mars took advantage four plays later — on 4th and goal – when receiver Chris Dvorak used his 6-6 frame to leap between two defenders to grab a pass from quarterback Rafael Bartley in the end zone two minutes before halftime.

The Planets were in good shape at the half with a 7-7 tie. But the Mars offense mostly sputtered in the second half.

“You can't make mistakes. That's the biggest factor,” Heinauer said. “If you constantly make mistakes, you put yourself in a hole.”

Highlands broke open the game in the third quarter on two excellent pass-and-run plays. First, Thimons tossed to Landon Signorella, who weaved his way 26 yards to the end zone with 8:44 remaining. Then, with 1:57 left in the quarter, Thimons threw a simple sideline pass to Signorella, who broke a few tackles and raced 59 yards down that sideline for a touchdown.

The Golden Rams added a safety in the fourth quarter when a snap skidded through the legs of Mars punter Mason Childress and through the back of the end zone.

After a strong effort last week, in which he rushed for 190 yards, Mars running back Evan Wright was limited to 47 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Bartley was only 5 for 17 passing for 50 yards and threw two interceptions.

“We just have to get better,” Heinauer said. “We have to work on some things. We've been here before and the kids just have to get better. We have to work a lot harder.”

On the positive side, receiver Dvorak ended up with three catches for 43 yards, including his 9-yard touchdown. Hayden Mayer intercepted a pass by Highlands QB Thimons in the first quarter. And the Mars defense limited a Highlands team that entered the game averaging more than 41 points.

“We played better,” Heinauer said in comparing Friday night's game with the previous three weeks. “But the bottom line is a W. You've got to get a win.”

Mars will be looking for that first win of the season next Friday at Plum.

“We're 0-1 in the conference and we have six more conference games to go,” the coach added. “That's the way were looking at it. We're going to go at it. That's our goal.”

Highlands 0 7 13 2 — 22

Mars 0 7 0 0 — 7

Second Quarter

H — Brock White 1 pass from Chandler Thimons (Lule Bombalski kick), 6:13

M — Chris Dvorak 9 pass from Rafael Bartley (Mason Childress kick), 1:58

Third Quarter

H — Landon Signorella 26 pass from Thimons (kick failed), 8:44

H — Signorella 59 pass from Thimpns (Bombalski kick), :45

Fourth Quarter

H — Safety, 6:41

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Highlands, Luke Bombalski 25-132, Brock White 5-19, Jrake Burford 2-16, Chandler Thimons 8-(-1). Mars, Evan Wright 14-47, Rafael Bartley 9-14.

Passing: Highlands, Chandler Thimons 10-16-140-1. Mars, Rafael Bartley 5-17-50-2.

Receiving: Highlands, Jrake Burford 4-55, Landon Signorella 4-99, Brock White 1-1. Mars, Chris Dvorak 3-43, Noah Nesselroad 2-7.