The Mars boys lacrosse team celebrates its win over Marple Newtown in the state final last June in West Chester. The Planets became the first team from Western Pennsylvania in the 13-year history of the state tournament to claim the crown. The feat was voted the Butler Eagle’s top sports story of 2022. Submitted Photo

The season Mars' boys lacrosse team had worked and strived for seemed on the verge of coming up two wins short.

In a Class 2A state semifinal against Penncrest June 7 in Chambersburg, the Planets saw a 7-2 lead evaporate into a 7-all tie late in the first half.

“During a timeout, some of the coaches were concerned,” said Mars head coach Bob Marcoux. “It was seniors Austin Cote and Quinn Fuller who had a calming influence. They said, ‘Everything's fine. We got this.’”

Fuller said the 5-0 run should never have happened.

“It was a fluke, but also a wake-up call,“ he said Wednesday while reflecting on the season. “We got ahead of ourselves, but we knew that all-around we were the better team. We just had to get back to basics.”

Getting back to basics for the Planets led to their 9-1 run to end the contest, a 16-8 victory that sent Mars to the state championship game where, four days later, it defeated Marple Newtown 9-6 to cap an extraordinary and historic 23-1 season as Mars became the first team from Western Pennsylvania to win a state championship in lacrosse.