Mars HOF: Nearhoof was right man for the job in two sports for the Planets
A clutch performer, fierce competitor and inspirational leader.
Owen Nearhoof was exemplary in all three roles. The basketball and football programs at Mars Area High School reaped the benefits.
A 3-year starter for both squads, the Adams Township native tallied over 2,800 yards of total offense and 32 touchdowns as a quarterback. On the court, he scored 1,234 points, second all-time at Mars when he graduated in 2014, and finished with the most 3-pointers (193) in school history.
His contributions have earned for Nearhoof induction into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
“All of my best memories are of representing Mars on either the football field or basketball court,” he said. “It’s extremely humbling just to be considered for the hall of fame, let alone be chosen to go in.”
Nearhoof’s confidence in his own abilities received a boost while playing youth football.
“It was near the end of the season and I overheard one of our coaches say to another, ‘I’d love to see Owen play quarterback next year. I think he would be really good.’
“I was only 8 at the time, but I figured if someone else saw that potential in me, I wanted that challenge.”
He became the starting signal caller for the varsity team his sophomore year.
“Leading up to each game that season, the nerves were definitely there,” Nearhoof said. “But I’d settle down after throwing that first pass.”
Nearhoof never threw for 1,000 yards in a season. His 23 career touchdown passes could be the total in one season for a quarterback playing in a spread offense. But the Planets were at the time using the Wing-T scheme with star fullback Josh Schultheis. It wasn’t the amount of passes Nearhoof completed, but when he connected with his targets.
And the intangibles he brought to the position. They helped Mars win 18 of 22 games in 2012-13.
Said Mars head coach Scott Heinauer prior to Nearhoof’s senior season: “Owen is a great kid, a leader and a motivator. He is so competitive. There's a fire in his eyes. We wish every kid had his attitude."
Nearhoof brought the same intensity to the basketball court. He drained 30 treys as a freshman, but his game evolved over the next three years.
“I went from being an outside shooter to a more dynamic scorer,” said Nearhoof, who averaged 19.8 points, four rebounds and four assists per game his senior year to earn the Butler Eagle Boys Basketball Player of the Year honor.
Planets coach Rob Carmody remarked of Nearhoof following that season: “If your best player is also your hardest worker, you're in good shape."
For Nearhoof, who helped Mars reach the state basketball playoffs three straight years, there was no other way to approach high school sports.
“I wanted to have a positive influence on those who looked up to me,” he said. “I could be vocal when I had to be, but I liked just leading by example.
“I was raised the right way and owe everything to my mom and dad.”
Nearhoof played safety for two years for Robert Morris University’s football team. He graduated from RMU with a degree in cyber forensics and has been an FBI agent for three years. His wife, the former Demi Branchen, is also a Mars product. The couple has a son, Easton, and lives in Marshall, Va.
