Mars quarterback Jake Rosswog has had a steady hand this season for the Planets, throwing for more than 100 yards in four of the five games.

ADAMS TWP — Both Gateway and Mars have experienced their ups and downs in the Greater Allegheny Conference this season.

Friday night, the Gators and Planets will have the chance to officially get on a roll, with the winner claiming a three-game win streak. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

With both teams at 2-2 in conference play, their meeting at the Mars Athletic Complex will go a long way in deciding the order of finish in the standings.

Gateway is in its first season under head coach Tom Nola, who spent the past 12 seasons coaching at Class A powerhouse Clairton. On his watch, the Bears won six WPIAL titles, four state titles and had a state record 66-game winning streak.

His tenure at Gateway began with an 0-3 start, including conference losses to Greensburg Salem and Hampton. But the Gators have rebounded with wins over Knoch (8-7) and Hollidaysburg (33-28).

“Tom Nola is a tremendous coach,” said Planets' coach Scott Heinauer. “He just needs a chance to get his system in there.”

Nola attributes his team's resurgence to better play from his quarterback, sophomore Roy McNair. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound signal caller has tossed a touchdown pass in each of his team's previous two games, both wins.

“He's played a lot better for us and that's been the difference the last couple of games,” said Nola. “On offense, we run some spread, I-formation and zone-read stuff.”

Mars (3-2 overall) was 1-2 after three weeks, but has managed consecutive 44-6 blowouts of Greensburg Salem and non-conference foe Laurel Highlands.

Senior quarterback Jake Rosswog threw for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week against Laurel Highlands. He now has seven touchdown passes and just three interceptions on the season.

“I can't say enough great things about Jake,” said Heinauer. “He's thrown for over 100 yards in (four of five games) this season. That's a feat in this offense. It helps us because teams can't just gang up against the run.”

Junior tight end John Castello leads Mars with seven catches worth 170 yards and two touchdowns.

“He's a 6-5 kid,” said Heinauer. “It's nice to have a kid with that kind of size to throw to. He's athletic and can run. He has all the tools to be a good tight end.”

Nola is concerned about facing Mars' Wing-T attack.

“Not many teams run it anymore,” he said. “Mars runs it well and they have some big guys up front.”

The other two Greater Allegheny Conference teams currently at 2-2 — Hollidaysburg and Knoch — square off Friday in Blair County.