The Mars defense makes a big stop on Central Valley's Mason Dixon (5) in the second half of their WPIAL playoff game on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

AMBRIDGE — Central Valley wideout Jaiden Underwood had just been pulled down from behind 50 yards downfield, but a yellow flag sitting on the turf at Ambridge’s Moe Rubenstein Stadium was waiting to wipe the big gain away.

An ineligible receiver downfield penalty walked the Warriors back, allowing a Mars defense that had given up scores on the two previous drives to regroup in the fourth quarter.

“Any time you have a penalty, it’s tough to recover from that,” Planets coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “I can imagine a big play like that, to be able to pull back, now our guys are able to take a breath and say, ‘Okay, let’s start this over. A little reset.’”

It was just what Mars needed, as it dug in and defended its lead in a 24-14 WPIAL Class 4A football quarterfinal playoff victory Friday night. Central Valley (8-4) would only manage six yards from scrimmage in the ensuing 11:10.

The Warriors were forced to punt three plays after the costly infraction, then Planets (10-2) tailback Evan Wright widened the gap with a 25-yard rushing touchdown shortly after that.

“For as much as I think we dominated the first half, we knew there was no quit — and they made great adjustments,” Kasperowicz said. “They came out, scored one quick one, and they earned the second one, for sure. Then, we had to make a couple adjustments on our end.

Mars' Liam Hein (19) talks with one of the coaches first quarter of their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

“Punch, counterpunch, punch, counterpunch.”

In a first half dominated by defense, Mason Childress’ 42-yard first-quarter field goal provided the only points until Luke Goodworth orchestrated a two-minute drill late in the half.

Wright, who’d been limited to 54 yards on 14 totes to that point, caught four passes during that series. It was capped when Goodworth aired the ball out for Cole Yoshioka, who managed to stomp a foot down by the boundary.

“Even going back to the North Catholic game, our two-minute drill has worked really well when we need to throw the ball, throw the ball, throw the ball,” Yoshioka said. “It worked out perfectly.”

The scoring play — which gave Mars a 10-0 edge midway through — was drawn up as a fake screen. Yoshioka feigned a block in front of the cornerback before heading up the field.

“The safety didn’t bite, though,” Yoshioka said. “I knew I just had to jump up and make a play, so luckily I got that toe down.”

Mars takes the field on Friday night at Ambridge before their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Yoshioka’s 55-yard grab on the initial drive of the second half allowed for a Wright surge a few plays later, stretching the advantage to 17. But the Warriors replied with a 15-play, 89-yard march that ended with Marcus Lawson’s three-yard touchdown reception from Steven Rutherford.

The Planets followed with a three-and-out, and Central Valley stuck to the ground and cut the lead to three points with another touchdown drive.

“Obviously, we were tired,” Yoshioka said. “We got straight punched in the mouth, but we knew we needed to punch them right back in the mouth. Drive the ball down on offense, make a stand on defense — and that’s exactly what we did.

“We knew we just had to fight back. There’s no quit in this team. They can punch as hard as they want. We’re going to fight back.”

Rutherford floated a pass to Underwood on the first snap of the Warriors’ next possession, a play that appeared to boost Central Valley’s building momentum. After it was called back, the quarterback wouldn’t complete another pass the rest of the way.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to overcome that,” Warriors coach Mark Lyons said.

Mars will play Aliquippa in the semifinals at a location to be determined next week. The Quips beat Latrobe, 37-29, to advance Friday night.

“Central Valley battled Aliquippa pretty well,” Yoshioka said. “With this win, I think we’re confident. We’re going to go back to scheming, game plan it well. … It’ll be another game like this next week.”

First Quarter

M — Mason Childress 42 field goal, 6:26

Second Quarter

M — Cole Yoshioka 15 pass from Luke Goodworth (Childress kick), 0:29

Third Quarter

M — Evan Wright 3 run (Childress kick), 10:15

CV — Marcus Lawson 16 pass from Steven Rutherford (Benjamin Schurr kick blocked), 4:04

CV — Josiah Boykin 3 run (Ethan Shearer pass from Rutherford), 1:05

Fourth Quarter

M — Wright 25 run (Childress kick), 7:49

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Mars, Evan Wright 27-113, Luke Goodworth 6-10. Central Valley, Mason Dixon 17-100, Jance Henry 11-41, Steven Rutherford 7-31, Ethan Shearer 1-9, Josiah Boykin 1-3.

Passing: Mars, Luke Goodworth 13-19-181-0. Central Valley, Steven Rutherford 8-19-98-1.

Receiving: Mars, Cole Yoshioka 3-81, Evan Wright 4-38, Aidan Alessio 1-18, Jacob Maple 1-16, Liam Hein 3-16, Blake Yates 1-12. Central Valley, Jaiden Underwood 4-39, Ethan Shearer 2-33, Marcus Lawson 2-26.

Mars' Brady Jordan (22) finds a gap to run through off of a kickoff in the third quarter of thier WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Evan Wright (2) walks into the end zone in the second half to cap off their 24-14 win in their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Cole Yoshioka (7) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown late in the second quarter of their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Evan Wright (2) makes a catch late in the second quarter deep in Central Valley territory of their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Cole Yoshioka (7) finds the end zone with a jumping catch to get the Planets their only touchdown in the second quarter of their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Evan Wright (2) finds room to run the ball in the second quarter of their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Brady Jordan (22) lines up on defense on Central Valley's Kole Hiltz (10) in the second quarter of their WPIAL playoff game on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Connor Hartle (9) gets the the Central Valley quarterback Steven Rutherford (4) for a sack in the first quarter of their WPIAL playoff game on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23

Mars' Luke Goodworth (15) finds an opening and runs the ball in the first quarter of their WPIAL playoff game vs Central Valley on Friday night at Ambridge. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle 11/10/23