Mars football coughs up late lead in loss to North Hills: ‘It’s extremely disappointing’
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Mars tackles North Hills in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars battles North Hills for the ball in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Ethan Kresinski tackles North Hills in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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North Hills opposes Mars in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Liam Hein tackles North Hills' Jack Martin in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Ayden Yocum intercepts a pass from North Hills in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Mason Childress is tackled by North Hills in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Mason Childress attempts to outrun North Hills in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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North Hills' Logan IInicki tries to tackle Mars in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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North Hills celebrates its win over Mars in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Ayden Yocum is tackled by North Hills in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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North Hills' Alexander Brackman protects his teammate from being tackled by Mars in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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The Mars football team runs onto the field ahead of their football game against North Hills at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars' Gabe Hein attempts to pick up a fumble from North Hills but is unsuccessful in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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North Hills drops in on Mars' Mason Childress as he runs the ball down the field in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars celebrates a touchdown in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
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Mars celebrates a referee ruling in their favor in a football game at Mars High School on Friday, Sept. 6. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (9/6/2024)
ADAMS TWP — As thunder and lightning rocked Butler County on Friday night and a handful of local football games were canceled, Mars was determined to play on.
The game was delayed an hour and 36 minutes, and the folks at the Mars Athletic Complex were treated to a game that came down to the wire, as North Hills (3-0) completed a fourth quarter comeback win over the Planets (1-2) to win 21-17. The game ended around 11 p.m.
North Hills scored 15 points in the fourth quarter behind the arm of quarterback Kelly McCarthy, who finished the day with 145 passing yards and two touchdown throws.
“For a while it was looking bleak for us,” North Hills head coach Pat Carey said. “We feel like our kids are very resilient, and they kept battling. We had some big penalties that kept them in some drives, but in the end we just came off the ball.”
During the delay, Carey said there wasn’t a big message to tell the players. All he wanted was for them to keep their focus.
“It can be hard to keep focus during that with a bunch of teenagers in the room,” Carey said with a laugh. “To get them back going was probably difficult for both sides. We even came out flat, but we found it in the end.”
A scoreless first quarter was followed by a low-scoring second quarter, where both teams found the end zone, but North Hills failed to convert its two-point attempt, giving the Planets a one-point lead going into halftime.
Mars scored 10 points in the third quarter, but things slowly started to slip away from the Planets. They gave up two touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“It’s extremely disappointing how we finished,” Mars head coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “Credit to North Hills, they never quit.”
Kasperowicz said it was a combination of penalties and decision-making that cost the game.
“There were three or four penalties that extended drives,” he said. “We had a shot at the end to put them away but started throwing interceptions, and we need to find a way to finish those games.”
Coach Kasperowicz’s son, Eric, led the Planets in rushing with 90 yards on 17 carries, while Gabe Hein lead the team in receiving yards with 62 on seven catches.
Planets’ quarterback Luke Goodworth was busy, going 13 of 32 passing for 163 yards, but three interceptions.
Up next for the Planets is a road game at defending state champion Aliquippa.
“We are looking forward to it,” Kasperowicz said. “We got to have a good week of practice and see what happens.”
North Hills 0 6 0 15 – 21
Mars 0 7 10 0 – 17
Second Quarter
NH – Josiah Mathis 88 pass from Kelly McCarthy (2 point try fail), 9:11
M – Mason Childress 33 pass from Luke Goodworth (Childress kick), 4:25
Third Quarter
M – Childress 31 field goal, 9:09
M – Ayden Yocum 1 run (Childress kick), 7:28
Fourth Quarter
NH – Julius Green 4 run (Ryan Carey 2 point), 5:08
NH – Johnell Edison 25 pass from McCarthy (Jack Scarella kick), 2:05
Individual Statistics
Rushing: North Hills, Kelly McCarthy 10-2, Stephen Murphy 2-23, Jack Martin 15-85, Julius Green 7-41. Mars, Luke Goodworth 4-11, Eric Kasperowicz 17-90, Ayden Yocum 6-10.
Passing: North Hills, Kelly McCarthy 8-14-145-1. Mars, Luke Goodworth 13-32-163-3.
Receiving: North Hills, Johnell Edison 3-38, Jack Martin 1-(-2), Josiah Mathis 2-88, Julius Green 2-19. Mars, Gabe Hein 7-62, Liam Hein 2-16, Ayden Yocum 2-27, Mason Childress 2-58.
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