ADAMS TWP — Down 13 with just over two minutes remaining in Friday night’s 27-14 home loss to Seneca Valley, Zachary Benedek was still coaching as if the game was in reach.
The first-year Mars coach called two timeouts as the Raiders kept it on the ground, trying to speed up the process of securing their season-opening win. He was beside himself after a penalty on a field goal try awarded Seneca Valley a new set of downs deep in the red zone, allowing Don Barclay’s team to drain the clock.
Raiders senior running back Jake Donesec housed a 55-yard punt return with 32 seconds to go in the third quarter, making it 27-7. It had been much closer earlier on — Seneca Valley led 13-7 at the midway point — but Donesec totaled three touchdowns on the night, the others being carries that went three and 88 yards, propelling the Raiders past their neighboring non-conference foe.
After Donesec’s punt return score, Planets junior quarterback Colin Yurisinec hit classmate Brady Brennan for a 39-yard touchdown, their second scoring link-up of the night. On its final two possessions of the night, though, Mars went three-and-out, killing any chance for a comeback.
The high point of the contest for the Planets was Yurisinec’s first touchdown throw to Brennan, who caught the ball in traffic, leaped over two would-be tacklers who crumpled to the ground and took it the rest of the way for a 48-yard, game-tying reception 6:43 into the second quarter. Brennan finished with four grabs for 90 yards, while Yurisinec turned in 176 passing yards on a 15-for-26 effort.
Workhorse running back Jameson Garvin, also a defensive standout at middle linebacker, toted the ball 20 times, gaining 82 hard-earned yards.
Benedek said several players experienced cramps and that the Planets must improve their conditioning and “be able to go four quarters.” Still, he viewed the close-game experience as something Mars can build upon.
“We faced adversity so many times in this game, and then we continued to bounce back and make positive plays,” Benedek said. “That’s a huge positive for them to get that experience under their belt.”
Mars defensive lineman Luciano Cuzzocrea sacks Seneca Valley quarterback Jamen Alwine on third down during the Raiders’ opening offensive series.
I told the guys the same thing,” Benedek said. “You had the punt return and you had that long touchdown. Those two big plays. Really, our defense was playing lights-out. … Any time you have a big play like that, it’s gonna shift the momentum a little bit. But I think what’s really positive is they didn’t stop fighting.”
Mars quarterback Colin Yurisinec throws a pass during Friday’s 27-14 season-opening loss to Seneca Valley. Yurisinec completed 15 of 26 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Benedek said the Planets cannot allow the loss to linger as they prepare for their next opponent.
“We’re 0-0 next week,” Benedek said. “We win, we’re 0-0 the next week. We lose, we’re 0-0 the next week. We’ve got to go to the next game.”
