Lessons learned
ADAMS TWP — He has been called a football guru, but even Scott Heinauer had to learn from somebody.
Entering his 23rd season of leading Mars, Heinauer's next victory will be his 150th with the Planets, who open the 2014 season next Friday at Greater Allegheny Conference rival Indiana.
“I didn't think I'd be at Mars this long,” admitted Heinauer, “but the people here have been absolutely wonderful. They are so supportive of the football program. It's a head coach's dream.”
Heinauer played football at Sto-Rox High School in the mid-1970s and then started for three years as a guard and tackle on the offensive line at Thiel College.
“Ray Olson was my line coach at Thiel,” he said. “He was the biggest influence on me as a coach. He listened to his players, but was also a disciplinarian.
“He was a big team guy and very positive and had a special place in his heart for linemen.”
Fresh out of college, Heinauer was given his first assistant coaching job in Washington County.
“Terry Kushner was the head coach at Trinity High School and he brought me onto his staff in 1982,” he added. “I coached the offensive and defensive lines.
“To get a varsity job right out of college was a good thing,” said Heinauer. “It was a great learning experience for me.”
After three seasons with the Hillers, Heinauer made his way to Peters Township, where he was interim head coach during a teacher's strike in 1986 and guided the Indians to a 3-1 record. He became athletic director at Mars in 1988 and in 1992 took over a Planet football program that had suffered through nine straight losing seasons, going 16-70-3 in that span.
“Before I became head coach at Mars, I remember thinking that there were more athletes in the stands than there were on the football team,” said Heinauer. “We had to get the best athletes onto the field. If we could do that, I thought we could have a winning team by my third season.”In that respect, the Planets were ahead of schedule. After a 1-9 season in Heinauer's first year, they made the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons in 1993. Postseason berths have come in bunches since, including 1994, 96, 98-99, 2001-03 and 2005-13.Mars played for the WPIAL Class AA title in 1996 and 2002, losing to Aliquippa and Seton-LaSalle, respectively.The consistent winning reminds Heinauer of his roots.“I came from Sto-Rox and that was a sports-oriented community,” he said. “They have a tradition of winning and that's where it all started for me.”Heinauer credits the continuity among his staff for much of his longevity and success.“All of my assistants have at least 18 years of coaching experience,” he said. “That's had a lot to do with it.”“He treats us all very well,” said veteran assistant Terry Dillner. “He lets us set up our own drills (for the players). As a coach, it's nice to have that freedom because we all have things we want to get done before the end of each practice.”It's one of the many things that has helped Mars flourish under Heinauer, who has the Planets poised for a tenth consecutive postseason run this year.“We are mentioned in the same breath as (Class AAA powers) West Allegheny, Central Valley and Thomas Jefferson,” Heinauer said. “People expect us to win and that's a good thing. It's what you shoot for as a coach.”
