NATRONA HEIGHTS — Mars running back Austin Miele powered his way through two Highlands defenders, en route to an 11-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the game.

Three more Miele scores and five Highland turnovers later, Mars put the finishing touches on a 43-point halftime lead against the Golden Rams.

Randy Seebacher added two touchdowns of his own as the Planets routed Highlands 43-0 Friday at Golden Rams Stadium.

From the opening kickoff, Mars (3-2, 1-0) took control with a running game that amassed 320 yards. Miele led the team with 190 yards on 15 carries and four touchdowns.

On his last rush, Miele broke through the Golden Rams' line and juked the lone safety in the open field for a 41-yard score, ending his night midway through the second quarter.

"We try to put other guys in the game as much as we can, but Austin's our guy," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. "Our guys blocked real well tonight, and defensively, we played real well tonight."

The Planets forced five turnovers, all in the first half, and held Highlands (0-5, 0-1) to 30 yards of offense through two quarters. Rams quarterbacks completed only four passes and overthrew two open receivers for costly interceptions.

Meanwhile, Mars quarterback Eric Guzak attempted only three passes as his run attack averaged 8 yards per carry. The Planets' line often opened gaping holes, leading to numerous big runs.

Highlands coach Sam Albert still is trying to find answers after losing 22 seniors to graduation, but he said he hopes the Rams can learn from their mistakes.

"I wish I had answers. I just don't know what else to say," he said. "We just have to build on the positives. I know the kids are frustrated, everyone's frustrated, but we're not going to quit and we're going to come back each day and try to get better, keep working hard."

On the other sideline, the Planets got off to a 1-0 start in conference play and were clicking on all cylinders.

"This week, we came to play," Heinauer said. "Our defense played well. It played well last week, but we didn't put the ball in the end zone offensively, and this week we did."