Advertisement | Advertise Here
ADAMS TWP —“Too many mistakes” by a young team has been the mantra repeated by Mars football coach Scott Heinauer so far this season.
The Planets kept mistakes to a minimum Friday night at the Mars Athletic Complex, but ran into a one-two punch from the Armstrong River Hawks in a 37-0 setback.
Armstrong quarterback Cadin Olsen, an all-state selection last season and one of the WPIAL's top passers for this one, threw for 158 yards and running back Alex Patton added 133 on the ground as the River Hawks improved to 2-1 in the Greater Allegheny Conference and 4-2 overall.
The Planets' 2021 woes continued as they fell to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference. They have not had a losing season since 2004 and a string of 16 playoff appearances in a row seems to be in jeopardy as well.
There was additional bad news as Mars running back Evan Wright left the game with 2:41 left in the third quarter and did not return. According to a teammate, he suffered a sprained left ankle and was to have X-rays taken on Saturday.
Wright had 65 yards on 17 carries up to the time of his injury.
The Mars defense limited Olsen to 12 completions in 25 attempts and the Planets' Hayden Mayer intercepted one of his passes in the end zone. But the crafty Olsen still managed seven completions of at least 10 yards, including strikes of 27, 26 and 28 yards. At 6-5, 205 pounds, he was also quite elusive on his feet, taking off for 114 yards.
When Olsen wasn't escaping from the pocket, he handed the ball to the strong-running Patton.
Olsen opened the scoring with a 10-yard pass to Dozick Zablocki with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter. The quarterback scored on a keeper with 9:02 left in the second quarter to give Armstrong a 15-0 halftime advantage.
After playing decent defense in the first half, Mars allowed the River Hawks to stage an 11-play 80-yard drive after the intermission to up their lead to 22-0. Olsen scored on a QB sneak from a yard out.
Patton was a workhorse in the fourth quarter for Armstrong. After the River Hawks took over on offense at midfield, he ran for 46 of the yards needed to reach the end zone on four carries, the last one good for 16 yards and a touchdown with 9:14 left in the game.
Armstrong added its closing points with a 3-yard run by Olsen with 6:02 remaining.
The shutout defeat for Mars was its second in a row and third of the season. The Planets have scored only 27 points in their six games, while giving up 190.
The Planets will try again for their first victory when they host Knoch on Friday.
Heinauer could not be reached for comment after the game.
Armstrong 7 8 7 15 — 37
Mars 0 0 0 0 — 0
First Quarter
A — Dozick Zablocki 10 pass from Cadin Olsen (Hunter Reed kick), 5:08
Second Quarter
A — Olsen 7 run (Jaxson Crissman run), 9:02
Third Quarter
A — Olsen 1 run (Reed kick), 6:57
Fourth Quarter
A — Alex Patton 16 run (Reed kick), 9:14
A — Olsen 3 run (Isaiah Brown pass from Olsen), 6:02
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Armstrong, Alex Patrton 15-133, Cadin Olsen 17-114. Mars, Evan Wright 17-65, Rafael Bartley 9-12.
Passing: Armstrong, Cadin Olsen 12-25-158-1. Mars, Rafael Bartley 7-20-43-0.
Receiving: Armstrong, Isaiah Brown 4-70, Connor Cigola 2-38, Noah Shuttleworth 2-24. Mars, Noah Nesselroad 5-27, Aiden Alession 2-19, Chris Dvorak 1-15.
