Planets defense mauls Rams
ADAMS TWP — Highlands quarterback Gage Clark dropped back on fourth-and-two only to be surrounded by Mars defenders — a sight he was becoming used to.
As Clark tried scrambling to keep the drive alive, a jarring hit from a defender knocked the ball loose and into the hands of Planets defensive lineman Shane Cress.
The only thing left in the senior's way was turf, as Cress sprinted to a 58-yard touchdown, thwarting any chance of a Highlands comeback as the Planets posted a 21-0 homecoming victory Friday night.
Cress's touchdown was the highlight of a suffocating effort by the Mars defense on a night when the offense struggled to find consistency.
The Planets (5-1, 4-0) held the Rams (3-3, 1-2) to less than 200 yards of total offense. Standout running back Gary Negley was held to 48 yards on 13 carries as the Mars defensive line manhandled the Rams offensive front.
"Our defense has played well all year. Fortunately we finally got a shutout, but they didn't make it easy," Mars coach Scott Heinauer said.
"It was probably a dream come true for (Cress)," the coach added.
Mars forced turnovers on the Rams' first two possessions to set the tone. After a Jacob Wright interception, the Planets recovered a fumble on Highlands' second drive, setting up their first touchdown of the game.
Quarterback Eric Guzak found Seth Geyer for an 18-yard touchdown pass that came on a fourth-down play.
Three Highlands turnovers led to 14 points for Mars.
"I'm proud of our kids. I thought our kids played hard, but a mistake here or there, and the fumble I thought we were down," Highlands coach Sam Albert said. "That's a good football team, and we came in and played well enough, except for a few mistakes, to win that game."
Despite the mistakes and poor field position, the Rams slowed the high-powered Mars attack.
Tailback Austin Miele managed 104 yards and a touchdown, but it took him 23 carries to do it. The rest of the Mars running attack amassed only 59 yards.
"It was an average night," Miele said. "I was able to get 100 yards, but I didn't think I did. Our offense really didn't perform for us, but our defense stepped up and got those turnovers, and Cress ran all the way down the field and didn't stop."
On Miele's last rush of the night, he remained on the field after the tackle as the trainers tended to him. He said that he twisted his left ankle for the second straight week, but he walked off the field on his own power and said it was just a mild ankle sprain.
But the Mars defense was the story. Defensive linemen Cameron Cress, Shane Cress and Dylan Bear continually pressured the quarterback and harassed the running backs while the secondary shut down the Rams' passing attack.
The victory gives Mars a five-game winning streak since its opening night loss at Moon, and moves the Planets to 4-0 in the Greater Allegheny Conference with two section games remaining.
