7th Heaven
ADAMS TWP — Falling leaves, cooler temperatures and a section title.
That's what October means for the Mars boys soccer program.
The Planets clinched their seventh straight section title with Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Hampton at the Mars Athletic Complex. It marks the 11th time in 15 seasons Mars has tied for or won outright a section championship.
“You're never quite sure how you're going to replace the players who graduated from the year before,” said Mars coach Chris Knauff. “But this group, they've filled those shoes and then some. I couldn't ask for anything more. I'm proud of them.”
Hampton (9-3-1, 8-2-1) tied Wednesday's game at 1 when midfielder Max Saltrelli headed a shot past Mars goalkeeper Jake Gareis in the 54th minute.
It was only the second goal allowed by the Planets (13-0, 11-0) all season and they responded immediately.
Senior forward Tyler Nymberg got behind the Talbot defense, received a pass from teammate Dane Beller and booted his second goal of the game.
“I trust Dane to put me in position to score and that was a great pass,” said Nymberg. “We lost a lot of great players from last year and knew we had to work even harder than we did in the past. That's made a big difference for us.”
Hampton, which had already clinched a playoff berth, managed several rushes over the final 25 minutes, but Mars' defense and Gareis denied each of them.
“It was disappointing to concede a goal so quickly after we had scored,” said Hampton coach Matt McAwley, “but some teams would collapse after that. We didn't. There was a lot of intensity out there from both teams tonight.”
Nymberg's first goal broke the ice in the sixth minute. Mars' Cade Coldiron and Brady Nihoff thwarted two of Hampton's attempts to find the net before halftime.
Gareis stopped three shots in the game and Hampton's Thomas Bradfield had five saves.
Mars had defeated the Talbots 3-0 in late September.
“The score was not indicative of the play, which was pretty even,” said Knauff. “Hampton's a good team and we respect them.”
Knauff knows his defense will be key to any success the Planets meet with in the postseason.
“Defense was a little bit of a question mark coming into the season,” he said. “The big thing is the guys pride themselves in always getting back, making sure they're in the right position.”
Mars closes section play with a home game against Indiana Saturday afternoon.
The WPIAL will release its playoff brackets Wednesday.
