Mars football’s last-second pass falls short in wild WPIAL conference loss to Blackhawk
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Mars' Jameson Garvin (8) carries the ball down the sideline for a touchdown in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Liam Corcoran (40) narrowly misses a pass in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Ray Chase (41) carries the ball in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Joe Bandzak (29) carries the ball down the center in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Mars student section cheers during a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Mars Dance Team perform before a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Mars student section cheers during a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Liam Corcoran (40) narrowly misses a pass in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Jameson Garvin (8) celebrates after a touchdown in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Jameson Garvin (8) celebrates after a touchdown in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Gus Coffield (17) makes an onside kick in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Brady Brennan (3) runs the ball in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Brian Biaku (52) gets low before a play during a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Tyler Whitling (59) blocks a Blackhawk player in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Tyler Whitling (59) blocks a Blackhawk player in a football game Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Kellan Garvin (5) celebrates after a touchdown in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Ray Chase (41) leads a takedown of a Blackhawk ball carrier in a football game Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Mars High School football team takes the field in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' football team lines up against Blackhawk in a football game Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Mars Dance Team perform before a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Brian Biaku (52) blocks a Blackhawk player in a football game Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Andrew Hasenkopf (2) runs the ball in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Ray Chase (41) carries the ball in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Jameson Garvin (8) carries the ball down the sideline for a touchdown in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Joe Bandzak (29) carries the ball down the center in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Marin Raible, center, celebrates after being announced as Homecoming Queen during halftime in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Jameson Garvin (8) and Luke Blasco (54) bring down a Balckhawk ball carrier in a football game Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Nate Walker (14) looks for an open teammate to pass to in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Kellan Garvin (5) slides to the ground after catching a pass in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Brady Brennan (3) attempts to catch a pass in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Kellan Garvin (5) carries the ball into the endzone for a touchdown in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Marin Raible, center, celebrates after being announced as Homecoming Queen during halftime in a football game against Blackhawk Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
ADAMS TWP — A late break gave Mars hope it would not lose a game it once led by 17 points.
Visiting Blackhawk, up 30-24 late in the fourth quarter, was attempting to run out the clock when Ryan Prisuta fumbled and the Planets recovered at Blackhawk’s 43 with only 46 seconds remaining.
Quarterback Nate Walker completed passes for 18 yards to Liam Corcoran and 12 yards to Kellan Garvin.
With just 1.6 seconds left, the Planets had one last chance from Blackhawk’s 8. Walker’s initial target, Garvin, (who caught five passes for 90 yards in the game, including a 13-yard TD that tied the game at 24 late in the third quarter) received bracket coverage from the Cougars.
The pocket collapsed on Walker, who was forced to throw a desperation pass into the end zone that fell incomplete, and the Cougars escaped Mars Athletic Complex with a six-point Parkway Conference victory Friday.
“Getting that fumble late, I’m so proud of our guys for not quitting,” Mars head coach Zachary Benedek said. “We can play with anybody, I believe that. We just have to start closing out these games.”
The Planets (2-5, 0-1) put a strong down payment on victory with a 17-point spree in the first quarter.
Included was a 57-yard interception return for a score by linebacker Jameson Garvin and Kellan Garvin’s first TD of the game, a 14-yard reception from Walker.
The Cougars got on the board when Jack Chevalier hit Brayden McCarthy on a 39-yard scoring play early in the second period.
But it was in the third quarter when the Cougars (6-1, 1-1) truly made their move.
Elijah Stewart intercepted Walker’s deflected pass, setting the Cougars up at Mars’ 9-yard line.
The Planets defense held, however, and Blackhawk settled for Trenton Mauk’s 24-yard field goal.
The Planets fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to Lucas Thompson’s 32-yard TD pass to Prisuta, who later scored on an 80-yard run.
Mars’ lead had dissolved into a 24-17 deficit.
“That sequence was tough,” Benedek said. “Mistakes killed us in this game.
“They run the Wing-T, and we didn’t set the edge on some of those jet sweeps. We got caught looking inside.”
After Kellan Garvin’s second TD catch knotted the score, Zach Feeley put the Cougars back on top with his 10-yard run with just over six minutes left, though the extra point attempt failed.
The Planets seemed primed to score on their next series, but on fourth-and-7 from Blackhawk’s 30, a crushing hit from Thompson on Liam Corcoran led to an incompletion that denied the Planets a first down at Blackhawk’s 5.
The Cougars offense then took the field, with Prisuta’s fumble coming three plays later.
Blackhawk’s running game was averaging 330 yards per contest coming in, but was held to 93 yards on 19 carries in the first half. In the second half, the ground game yielded 201 yards on 24 attempts.
“It was a mentality shift, plus executing some adjustments we made at halftime,” Cougars head coach Trevor George said.
Tyler Whitling recovered a fumble for the Planets in the third period, and Brady Brennan intercepted a pass early in the fourth.
Blackhawk’s football family lost legendary former coach Joe Hamilton, who died Tuesday at the age of 84. The second-winningest coach in WPIAL football history (342 victories), he won four district titles with the Cougars.
“Hopefully, he was looking down tonight and is proud of us,” George said. “That second half is what Blackhawk football is all about.”
Mars hosts New Castle next Friday.
Blackhawk 0 7 17 6 — 30
Mars 17 0 7 0 — 24
1st Quarter
M — Gus Coffield 43 field goal, 6:58
M — Jameson Garvin 57 interception return (Coffield kick), 3:56
M — Kellan Garvin 14 pass from Nate Walker (Coffield kick), 1:13
2nd Quarter
B — Brayden McCarthy 39 pass from Jack Chevalier (Trenton Mauk kick), 9:25
3rd Quarter
B — Mauk 24 field goal, 6:50
B — Ryan Prisuta 32 pass from Lucas Thompson (Mauk kick), 6:38
B — Prisuta 80 run (Mauk kick), 3:46
M — Kellan Garvin 13 pass from Walker (Coffield kick), 1:42
4th Quarter
B — Zach Feeley 10 run (kick failed), 6:05
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Blackhawk, Brayden McCarthy 14-68, Nico Shansky 3-5, Zach Feeley 13-72, Ryan Prisuta 11-145, Jack Chevalier 2-4. Mars, Blake Corcoran 1-(-5), Ray Chase 9-15, Nate Walker 2-(-2), Jameson Garvin 5-26, Joe Bandzak 5-12, TEAM 1-(-25).
Passing: Blackhawk, Jack Chevalier 7-18-122-2, Lucas Thompson 1-1-32-0. Mars, Nate Walker 14-39-223-1.
Receiving: Blackhawk, Brayden McCarthy 4-55, Zach Feeley 1-34, Lucas Thompson 1-9, Ryan Prisuta 1-39, Aiden Murphy 1-17. Mars, Liam Corcoran 5-83, Kellan Garvin 5-90, Brady Brennan 2-22, Gus Coffield 2-28.
