Ian McNany

ADAMS TWP — Ian McNany has his priorities in order.

Mars’ senior plans to double-major in business management and accounting in college and he liked the strong business curriculum offered by Robert Morris University.

But he also is looking forward to making the grade for the Colonials on the soccer field.

McNany signed a letter of intent last Wednesday to attend the school, located in Moon Township. He also was considering Penn State Behrend.

“They have a good style of play and everyone on the team seemed really nice,” he said of the Colonials.

“Ian played for one of my assistants, Allan Brown, on Stars United,” said veteran RMU coach Bill Denniston. “He told me that Ian is very athletic and would make an excellent fullback for us. After seeing him play, I agreed with that.

“We’ve led our league (Northeast Conference) in scoring the last two years,” he added. “We like to stay at home with our fullbacks and believe Ian will fit in with that.”

McNany was a captain for the Planets the last two seasons and was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player by the coaches last fall, scoring 10 goals and adding 11 assists as a defender/midfielder. He earned All-WPIAL honors after helping the Planets to an overall record of 17-2 and a Section 2-AA championship.

“I’m really grateful for the skills I’ve been given,” he said. “I have to thank my coaches. There are a lot of good players out there who aren’t named MVP.”

Through four seasons, McNany was part of a Mars team that went a combined 61-16-3, including 43-6-3 in section play.

Planets’ coach Chris Knauff knows players like McNany are indispensable and will be tough to replace.

“Ian is a very skilled and hard-working player,” said Knauff. “He plays the game with a lot of heart and passion. Off the field, he was very supportive of his teammates and was a great leader for us.”

McNany is used to being right in the middle of the action — he started the very first game of his freshman season in 2011 — but knows the situation he is walking into.

“There are a lot of upperclassmen on their defense,” he said of the Colonials. “It’s going to be hard to crack the lineup, but my goal is to have my playing time increase as the season goes on.”

RMU finished 7-9-2 overall last season and 2-4-1 in conference play.

McNany is eager to help the Colonials reach the next level.

“You have to be vocal,” he said. “The better you play, the better the players around you will play.”