ADAMS TWP — After a 6-5 season in 2022, Mars is looking to take the next step in Year No. 2 under head coach Eric Kasperowicz.

The Fightin’ Planets took down Montour in last season’s opener and looked to do it once again to kick off the 2023 campaign.

It was a different story this year, though. Montour got its revenge, defeating Mars, 37-28, in a back-and-forth thriller. Senior running back Evan Wright rushed for three touchdowns and junior quarterback Luke Goodworth and sophomore receiver Gabe Hein connected on two touchdown passes, but their efforts weren’t enough.

Montour silenced the home crowd early, as senior quarterback Jake Wolfe connected with junior receiver Daniel Batch on a 45-yard completion. The Mars defense didn’t break, however, forcing a field goal attempt. Senior kicker Matthew Marcinko connected on a 35-yard field goal to give the Spartans an early 3-0 lead.

Goodworth --- filling in for Eric Kasperowicz, Jr., who had shoulder surgery in July --- struggled to find a rhythm to open the game. The Montour defense kept Mars in check early, holding the Fightin’ Planets to just one first down in the first quarter. Wright --- who rushed for 1,333 yards and 18 touchdowns last season --- was also kept quiet in the opening frame.

After a series of punts, Wolfe led the Spartans on a long drive to open the second quarter, which culminated in a 4-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back Caden Halajcio, giving Montour a 10-0 lead.

Goodworth started to find his rhythm just before halftime and Mars found itself in the Montour red zone for the first time in the half. Wright wouldn’t be kept down for long, scampering in the end zone from nine yards out for the first Mars touchdown of the season. Mars trailed 10-7 going into the locker room.

“We definitely got better [offensively] as the game went,” Kasperowicz said. “We were able to run the ball a little bit which opens up the pass … but we’ve got work to do there too, that’s the beautiful thing about football.”

After a pass-heavy attack in the first half, the Spartans used the ground game to set up their next score. Wolfe put dual-threat ability on display, rushing for over 30 yards on the drive and capping it off with an 8-yard rushing touchdown. Mars once again found themselves down by two possessions.

It didn’t take long for Mars to respond. Goodworth found Gabe Hein on a 42-yard pitch and catch on the first play of the drive. Wright found pay dirt for the second time in the game on a 21-yard touchdown reception just two plays later, bringing the score to 16-14.

The Spartans punched back, with Wolfe and Batch connecting on a 36-yard pass, setting Montour up in the red zone. But the Mars defense didn’t break once again, forcing another field goal attempt. Marcinko drilled a 28-yard field goal, and the Spartans led 19-14.

Wright found the hat-trick, racing for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive and Mars finally had their first lead of the night. But that lead lasted just one play. Montour senior wide out Keino Fitzpatrick took the kickoff 95 yards to the house, putting the Spartans back in front.

“That was the worst special teams performance I’ve ever been apart of as a coach,” Kasperowicz said. “We got a long way to go to get to where we want to be.”

After a Mars three-and-out, sophomore running back Caden Halajcio led the Spartans deep into Mars territory. Wolfe did the rest, scoring his second touchdown on the ground, this time from 19 yards out. Montour’s lead was now back to 10.

Mars refused to go away though. Goodworth connected with Hein on a 63-yard strike on the first play of the next drive and the Montour lead was once again down to three. But Montour always had a response.

Halajcio eclipsed 100 yards on the ground and found the end zone for the first time in the game on a 32-yard touchdown rush late in the quarter. Mars’ fourth down attempt on the following drive failed and Montour used the ground game to drain the rest of the clock.

Kasperowicz said that his team couldn’t find any consistency all night.

“Offense stunk in the first half and made some big plays in the second half,” Kasperowicz said. “It was opposite for defense; defense was pretty good in the first half and kind of got out-physicaled there in the second half.”

Mars will look to bounce back on the road against New Castle next Friday.

Mars 0 7 14 7 --- 28

Montour 3 7 15 12 ---37

First Quarter

Montour– Matthew Marcinko 35 field goal, 10:40

Second Quarter

Montour– Caden Halajco 4 pass from Jackson Wolfe (Marcinko kick) 8:02

Mars – Evan Wright 9 run (Childress kick) 0:42

Third Quarter

Montour – Jackson Wolfe 8 run (Marcinko kick no good) 7:32

Mars – Evan Wright 21 pass from Luke Goodworth (Childress kick) 6:26

Montour – Matthew Marcinko 28 field goal, 2:26

Mars – Evan Wright 80 run (Childress kick) 2:05

Montour – Keino Fitzpatrick 95 kick return (Marcinko kick no good) 1:59

Fourth Quarter

Montour – Jackson Wolfe 19 run (Marcinko kick no good) 9:07

Mars – Gabe Hein 63 pass from Luke Goodworth (Childress kick) 8:52

Montour – Caden Halajcio 32 run (2 pt no good) 4:58

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Mars, Evan Wright 19-125, Montour, Caden Halajcio 19-128

Passing: Mars, Luke Goodworth 17-29-230-0. Montour, Jake Wolfe 13-24-191-0

Receiving: Mars, Gabe Hein 8-147, Montour, Daniel Batch 6-128