KENNEDY TWP — Ayden Yocum recited it over and over in his head before each of his 35 carries Friday night.

“Hold onto the ball, hold onto the ball,” the Mars tailback said.

The rest took care of itself during the Planets’ 29-21 road football win over fellow WPIAL Class 4A title contender Montour (3-2).

It was a cathartic night for Yocum, who hauled three totes at least 50 yards — including two for touchdowns — and finished with 329 yards on 35 carries.

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Each of the past three weeks, he’d been kicking himself for miscues.

“He got the fumble bug,” Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “He was struggling with that.”

Yocum had coughed the ball up five times over the Planets’ past three outings. He was yanked for it in each of the past two.

“At first, you’re probably a little harsher than you need to be,” Kasperowicz said. “But then you realize, man, he’s our bell cow, so he needs to figure it out. He had some demons going through his head and (was) probably in his own head a lot.

“We worked on it all week. We had every contraption you can think about, trying to rip the ball out of his arms.”

Yocum admitted the mistakes took a toll on him.

“My main focus these past weeks was just, ‘Run, run, run.’ Not, ‘Hold onto the ball.’ If you hold onto the ball, it’ll pop a run eventually. Throughout practice all last week and the week before, the whole team has been practicing holding onto the ball, stripping the ball (and) getting turnovers.”

Yocum gashed the Spartans’ defense for a 51-yard scoring romp late in the first frame. After a Montour three-and-out aided by a holding call, then a facemask penalty on Gabe Hein’s punt return, Yocum barged in again early in the second, this time from 5 yards out.

Ethan Kresinski extracted the ball from Spartans running back Caden Halajcio’s arms two plays later, setting the stage for Frank Knezovich’s 27-yard field goal with 7:08 remaining in the initial half. Knezovich also booted it through the uprights from 31 and 34 yards away during the contest.

The 31-yarder, which put Mars up 19-6 before halftime, was set up in part by Yocum’s 52-yard sprint prior to. That came one play after Montour pinned up its first points, on Archie Collins’ 17-yard run. Following Yocum’s big pickup, he tapped himself out for a rare spell.

“Playing both sides of the ball, long snapping, kick returning, it was starting to get really tiring,” Yocum said. “I went out for a play or two, came back and had to do what I had to do — tired or not.”

Halajcio’s weaving, 80-yard touchdown run with 2:51 to go in the third quarter pulled the Spartans within a possession of Mars. The next play, Yocum went up the gut for 56 yards and his third score of the night.

“They got that score and ... then, ‘Boom!’ He was shot out of a cannon again,” Kasperowciz said. “He’s got the breakaway speed.”

He entered having not found the end zone yet this season.

“The first time I got in there, I was like, ‘Is this actually real?’” Yocum said.

Halajcio capped an eight-play, 76-yard march with a 34-yard ground score with 2:34 to go. Quarterback Brandon Bennett then connected with Dylan Rogers to pull within eight points.

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Junior Smyth Dunaway pounced on Montour’s onside kick, but Yocum and the Planets’ offense couldn’t pick up a first down to put the game on ice. Junior Ryan Walker forced the Spartans’ third fumble of the night, walloping Bennett before Luciano Cuzzocrea retrieved the ball, sealing the victory.

Mars 7 12 7 3 — 29

Montour 0 6 7 8 — 21

First quarter

Ma — Ayden Yocum 51 run (Frank Knezovich kick), 1:48

Second quarter

Ma — Yocum 5 run (Knezovich missed kick), 10:59

Ma — Knezovich 27 field goal, 7:08

Mo — Archie Collins 34 run (2-point conversion failed), 3:09

Ma — Knezovich 31 field goal, 0:58

Third quarter

Mo — Caden Halajcio 80 run (Luke Medvitz kick), 2:51

Ma — Yocum 56 run (Knezovich kick), 2:35

Fourth quarter

Ma — Knezovich 34 field goal, 11:56

Mo — Halajcio 34 run (Dylan Rogers pass from Brandon Bennett), 2:34

Individual statistics

Rushing: Mars, Ayden Yocum 37-329, Jameson Garvin 3-6, Colin Yurisinec 4-(-20). Montour, Caden Halajcio 17-192, Brandon Bennett 12-50, Archie Collins 2-40.

Passing: Mars, Colin Yurisinec 7-16-64-0. Montour, Brandon Bennett 10-24-114-0.

Receiving: Mars, Gabe Hein 2-31, Brady Brennan 2-11, Jimmy Sommers 1-8, Brody Spencer 1-7, Jason Droske 1-7. Montour, Zander Stern 4-44, Archie Collins 4-42, Caden Halajcio 1-22, Dom Baron 2-18.