As one of the most accomplished and decorated coaches in all of Western Pennsylvania — not to mention his celebrated playing career at North Hills and Pitt — Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz has seen just about everything that can happen on a football field.
Even for Kasperowicz, though, Friday night’s game against Bethel Park was unlike anything he had ever been a part of.
“It was a heavyweight battle,” Kasperowicz said. “Our kids showed a lot of resilience, being able to fight back and keep them out of the end zone when we needed to. And ultimately, being able to drive down and win the game is pretty special.”
Hitting the road to take on one of the toughest teams in Class 5A, the Class 4A No. 4-ranked Planets (2-0) faced a massive litmus test in enemy territory Friday night against the Black Hawks. After all, Bethel Park (1-1) had just amassed a school-record 660 yards of offense in its season-opening win against Seneca Valley a week ago while coming off a 10-win season in 2024.
Mars has never been short on offensive firepower under Kasperowicz’s watch, either, but the story of this game was all about defense. With both teams trading takeaways, field goals and defensive touchdowns, the Planets found themselves facing a three-point deficit with less than three minutes to play before driving the length of the field for the winning score to take home a pivotal 17-13 win.
After more than 59 minutes of play without an offensive touchdown on either side, sophomore running back Liam Corcoran came off the bench and became the unlikely hero for Mars, punching in a 3-yard TD run with 15 seconds remaining before sealing the victory with an interception on the final play.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Kasperowicz said. “We knew we could do it. We had faith in ourselves. We just had to go out and do it. … It’s a pretty good feeling when you go out and you believe.”
Senior tailback David Dennison rushed for 148 yards on 31 carries for the Black Hawks, giving him 386 yards on the ground in the team’s first two games this season. But the Planets defense stood tall when it mattered most, making a goal-line stand to force Bethel Park to settle for a go-ahead 21-yard field goal with 2:51 to play.
Mars held the Black Hawks to 210 yards of total offense, while senior Ayden Yocum rushed for 176 yards on 29 carries for the Planets. Yocum did fumble three times, though, which opened the door for Corcoran’s heroics late in the fourth quarter.
“[Yocum] was tremendous. He just needs to hold onto the ball, and that happens,” Kasperowicz said. “He was a spot carrier last year, and now he’s the main guy. He’ll get it fixed. … Hats off to [Corcoran].”
Now, with Mars rolling into a non-conference showdown at North Hills next week with a full head of steam, Kasperowicz is looking forward to the matchup with his alma mater as his players continue to find new ways to win. The Planets routed Beaver in the season opener, 42-7, but they also proved they know how to grind out an ugly win against a quality opponent if they need to.
And with four WPIAL titles and two state titles to his credit, Kasperowicz knows as well as anybody that formula is a surefire recipe for success when the calendar flips to November and December.
“We’re used to scoring a ton of points. It’s different,” Kasperowicz said. “We’ve got a different makeup this year. That’s the beautiful thing about high school football. You’ve got who you’ve got. … This is going to be a grind here. I think we have five non-conference games. But I love this group.”
PETERS TOWNSHIP BLANKS SHORTHANDED McKEESPORT
With heralded five-star prospect Kemon Spell out with an apparent ankle injury for Class 4A No. 3 McKeesport (1-1), the Tigers were simply no match for Class 5A No. 2 Peters Township. Led by a suffocating defense that allowed just 59 yards of total offense in the game — not to mention a highlight-reel 50-yard pick-6 by Pitt recruit Reston Lehman — the Indians rolled to a lopsided 35-0 road win. Senior quarterback Nolan DiLucia also authored a near-flawless performance for Peters Township (2-0), completing 14 of 16 passes for 212 yards and 2 TDs.
JAGUARS ROAR BACK TO BLOW OUT CENTRAL VALLEY
After falling into a 14-point deficit at home in the first quarter against a prestigious program like Central Valley, some teams might panic, but not Thomas Jefferson. Following a 72-yard TD run by Tyler Eber to get them on the board, the Class 4A No. 1 Jaguars (2-0) took full control of the game and never looked back, tallying 37 unanswered points on their way to a convincing 37-14 victory over the Class 3A No. 4 Warriors (0-2). Eber finished with 221 yards rushing and four scores.
WOODLAND HILLS WRECKS RIVAL PENN HILLS
In a battle between two of the WPIAL’s most tradition-rich teams, Penn Hills (0-2) proved to be no match for Woodland Hills (1-1) and its high-powered offense this time around. The Class 5A No. 4 Wolverines had five players reach the end zone en route to a 41-7 triumph, with quarterback Cam Walter firing three TD passes and electric wideout Scoop Smith scoring on a 51-yard punt return. Zykir Moore and Taylor Reid each rushed for a TD, and Malik McCloud caught four passes for 47 yards and two scores in the victory.
MOON MANHANDLES MONTOUR
Fueled by a punishing line and a potent rushing attack, Moon stormed back from an early deficit against Class 4A No. 5 Montour (1-1) with a dominant second-half effort on its way to a 41-13 road win. Following up his game-winning TD pass in the season opener a week ago against Trinity, quarterback Andrew Cross tossed two TD passes for the Tigers (2-0). Cross also added 33 yards and another score on the ground, while Antione Arnett rushed for 155 yards and two TDs in the win.
CENTRAL TOPS PINE-RICHLAND IN CLASH OF DEFENDING CHAMPS
In a highly anticipated showdown between two of the area’s premier programs, Class 6A No. 1 Central Catholic (1-1) pitched a second-half shutout to outlast Class 5A No. 1 Pine-Richland for a 34-20 victory at Carnegie Mellon University’s Gesling Stadium. Standout junior Roman Thompson rushed for three TDs to power the Vikings to victory, while Chrys Black started the game off with a 100-yard kickoff return TD for Central. Junior quarterback Oobi Strader passed for one TD and ran for a 53-yard score in the defeat for the Rams (1-1).
PUP BITES
• The younger brother of softball star Cam Ponko, Penn-Trafford wideout Nick Ponko had a breakout game in a 26-18 win at Mt. Lebanon (0-2), hauling in 8 receptions for 151 yards and 2 TDs for the Warriors (2-0). Penn-Trafford took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter before withstanding a late rally by the Blue Devils.
• After a gut-wrenching last minute loss in the season opener a week ago against Moon, Trinity bounced back in a big way thanks to an ultra-efficient performance by senior Jonah Williamson. The dual-threat quarterback rushed for only 16 yards for the Hillers (1-1), but he completed 9 of 10 passes for 190 yards and 4 TDs in a 35-13 victory at McGuffey (0-2).
• In the longest game of the young season so far, Latrobe (1-1) outlasted Plum (1-1) for a 42-35 road win in triple overtime. Although A.J. Yeboah didn’t score in regulation for the Wildcats, the sophomore running back found the end zone in all three overtime periods while finishing with 98 yards on 30 carries in the victory.
THREE STARS
*** — Jacobo Echeverria, Upper St. Clair. The Panthers senior kicker booted four field goals, including three in the first quarter, while also converting a trio of extra points for Class 5A No. 3 Upper St. Clair in a 48-0 home win against Canon-McMillan.
** — James Armstrong, Hopewell. Rapidly emerging as one of the top quarterbacks in the area, Armstrong put on a clinic against a stingy New Castle defense, completing 16 of 19 passes for 229 yards to go with 109 yards rushing and 4 TDs in a 31-6 win.
* — Tim Andrasy, Leechburg. One of the area’s under-the-radar talents hoping to make a big splash in his senior year, Andrasy did that and more in a 58-6 win at Beth-Center, rushing for 310 yards and 6 TDs while adding a seventh score on a kickoff return.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
SCOREBOARD
Aliquippa 42, Belle Vernon 7
Armstrong 35, Hampton 28
Avella 7, Carlynton 6
Avonworth 37, West Mifflin 7
Butler 48, Brashear 24
California 36, Cornell 32
Carmichaels 38, Sto-Rox 20
Central Catholic 34, Pine-Richland 20
Chartiers-Houston 42, Springdale 8
Beaver 38, Blackhawk 21
Burgettstown 23, Bentworth 20
Elizabeth Forward 35, Highlands 14
Ellwood City 21, Shenango 0
Fort Cherry 40, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 0
Fox Chapel 48, Baldwin 14
Freedom 18, Rochester 0
Greensburg Salem 14, Ligonier Valley 12
Hempfield 31, Franklin Regional 14
Hickory 41, University Prep 24
Hollidaysburg 28, Allderdice 16
Hopewell 31, New Castle 6
Imani Christian 58, Beaver Falls 0
Jeannette 35, Apollo-Ridge 22
Jefferson-Morgan 57, Waynesburg 30
Latrobe 42, Plum 35 (3 OTs)
Laurel 36, Mohawk 6
Leechburg 58, Beth-Center 6
Mapletown 22, Frazier 21
Mars 17, Bethel Park 13
Monessen 34, West Greene 18
Moon 41, Montour 13
Neshannock 42, Union 6
New Brighton 42, Summit Academy 14
North Allegheny 41, Gateway 0
North Catholic 69, Knoch 10
Norwin 42, Kiski Area 7
Penn-Trafford 26, Mt. Lebanon 18
Peters Township 35, McKeesport 0
Ringgold 61, Indiana 14
Riverside 36, Northgate 30
Seneca Valley 38, North Hills 10
Shady Side Academy 56, Burrell 26
South Allegheny 49, Brentwood 6
South Fayette 35, Shaler 27
South Park 35, Deer Lakes 14
Southmoreland 49, East Allegheny 7
Steel Valley 21, Washington 6
Thomas Jefferson 37, Central Valley 14
Trinity 35, McGuffey 13
Uniontown 12, Perry 8
Upper St. Clair 48, Canon-McMillan 0
Western Beaver 32, South Side 20
Woodland Hills 41, Penn Hills 7
Yough 42, Charleroi 7
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
