Planets can't contain Cougars
MOON TWP — The Mars Planets knew that Blackhawk quarterback Zack Hayward was good, but they didn't expect him to be perfect.
But in the first half of his team's WPIAL Class AAA football quarterfinal playoff Friday at Moon's Tiger Stadium, Hayward could do no wrong.
The senior completed all eight of his pass attempts in the first two quarters for 147 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars overwhelmed Mars by a score of 47-7.
"That's what I told him: Don't miss a pass in the first two quarters," said Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton with a laugh. "He's a very intelligent quarterback and he knows the offense sometimes better than I do."
Hayward finished the game completing nine of 10 passes for 158 yards.
The loss ends the Planets' season with an overall record of 7-4.
"Give (Blackhawk) credit," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. "They were the team that came to play. We didn't capitalize on opportunities."
After a scoreless first quarter, Hayward put the Cougars on the scoreboard with a 25-yard pass to tight end Mike Pearson.
Mars' offense went three-and-out and Corey Slater's punt was returned 38 yards to the Planets' 12 by Bryan Stefanik.
On the next play, Hayward lofted a scoring strike to Austin Wulf.
Matt Greiner's extra point gave Blackhawk (10-1) a 14-0 lead with 8:41 remaining before halftime.
Following a Matt Engle run from two yards out that made the score 20-0, the Planets finally put together a scoring drive.Beginning at their own 40 with 3:25 left in the first half, the Planets received two runs from Seth Geyer totaling 25 yards.On third-and-12 from the Cougars' 24, quarterback John Brake connected with Austin Miele on a 24-yard scoring pass.Christopher Karns' extra point cut Mars' deficit to 20-7.But there was still 1:26 left on the clock, enough time for Stefanik to ramble 17 yards and Hayward to find Pearson open for a 54-yard touchdown down the left sideline before halftime for a 26-7 lead."Our coaches did a great job there," said Hamilton. "They gave us a couple of plays from the booth and they both worked."Any hopes the Planets had of winning were dashed when Stefanik returned the second half kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown and a 33-7 advantage.He added a 16-yard run later in the third quarter and ended the game with eight carries for 113 yards.Stefanik was injured during the middle of the regular season, but his 100-yard rushing performance Friday was his sixth of the season.The game's final score came courtesy of Blackhawk sophomore quarterback Mike Caputo, who ran in from 30 yards out in the final quarter.A bright spot for Mars was Miele capping a solid sophomore campaign with 82 yards rushing on 17 carries to go with his touchdown reception.Blackhawk 47, Mars 7<B>Mars 0 7 0 0— 7Blackhawk 0 26 14 7—47M B</B>18 First Downs 1348-159 Rushes-Yards 28-17892 Passing Yards 1585-20-1 Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) 9-10-0251 Total Yards 3361-1 Fumbles/Lost 1-06-42 Penalties-Yards 9-75<B>Second Quarter</B>B — Mike Pearson 25 pass from Zack Hayward (Matt Greiner kick), 10:30B — Austin Wulf 12 pass from Hayward (Greiner kick), 8:41B — Matt Engle 2 run (kick failed), 3:33M — Austin Miele 24 pass from John Brake (Christopher Karns kick), 1:26B — Pearson 54 pass from Hayward (run failed), :43<B>Third Quarter</B>B — Bryan Stefanik 77 kickoff return (Greiner kick), 11:46B — Stefanik 16 run (Greiner kick), 3:55<B>Fourth Quarter</B>B — Mike Caputo 30 run (Greiner kick), 4:52<B>Individual Statistics</B><B>Passing:</B> Mars, John Brake 5-18-92-1, Seth Geyer 0-1-0-0, Brad Weischedel 0-1-0-0. Blackhawk, Zack Hayward 9-10-158-0.<B>Rushing:</B> Mars, John Brake 9-16, Garrett Smith 3-17, Austin Miele 17-82, Corey Slater 2-0, Seth Geyer 8-41, Christopher Karns 1-(-38), Chris Herold 1-(-1), Josh Pinkerton 2-3, Dillon Lennen 1-9, Brandon Williams 1-1, Brad Weischedel 3-29. Blackhawk, nico 3-28.
