ALIQUIPPA — Mars created the first momentum swing Friday night. Aliquippa created more of them — and turned the biggest ones into touchdowns.
The Fightin’ Planets moved the ball, repeatedly stood their ground against the Quips’ running game and continued fighting until the final whistle. But a fumble, a tipped pass returned for a touchdown and a 100-yard kickoff return helped championship-caliber Aliquippa pull away for a 42-27 victory at Heinz Field.
Mars junior receiver and cornerback Brady Brennan gave the Planets an ideal start. Treating Aliquippa as the “faceless opponent” he described earlier in the week, Brennan intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown a little more than halfway through the opening quarter. Mars missed the extra point but led 6-0.
Aliquippa answered before the quarter ended. Handsome Lynn connected with Anthony Ingram for an 18-yard touchdown, and the extra point gave the Quips a 7-6 advantage.
The game then tilted sharply toward Aliquippa. Brennan was tackled from behind near the Mars 10-yard line on the ensuing kickoff and lost the ball. The Quips recovered, and Akiva Woods scored from five yards out on the next play.
Another turnover quickly followed. An Aliquippa defender intercepted a tipped Mars pass and returned it for a touchdown, extending the Quips’ lead to 21-6.
Mars answered with a sustained drive. A Planets ball carrier fumbled near the goal line, but quarterback Colin Yurisinec recovered the ball and carried it into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 21-13.
The momentum swung back immediately. Woods returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, sending Aliquippa into halftime with a 28-13 lead.
“When we had the fumble on our own 10, and then they had the tipped ball and got a pick-six off of that, that was a 14-point swing right there,” Benedek said. “That’s kind of been our story in the Seneca game and in this game. We just have to play our ball, and when we don’t make mistakes, we’re a really good football team.”
Mars cut Aliquippa’s halftime lead to 28-20 before the Quips responded with two touchdowns, extending their advantage first to 35-20 and then to 42-20. The Planets scored once more to produce the 42-27 final.
Nate Walker replaced Yurisinec at quarterback and brought the Planets’ passing game to life. Walker threw touchdown passes of 45 yards to Liam Corcoran and 44 yards to Smyth Dunaway.
Even with 90 seconds remaining, Mars was still trying to create an opportunity for another possession and a possible onside kick.
“We fought, we fought, we fought and we fought some more,” Benedek said. “I told the guys I’m still extremely proud of them because, until the last whistle, we’re trying to win that game.”
Mars also had stretches in which its defense slowed Aliquippa’s ground attack and its offense moved consistently. Benedek said the difference was not a need for wholesale adjustments, but eliminating the few plays that allowed the momentum to swing away.
“We moved the ball up and down the field on offense, and defensively we were pretty stout,” he said. “I think those momentum shifts caused us to be a little bit down, but that’s my job — to pick their heads up and say, ‘Hey, no, we’re in this thing. Let’s go.'”
That response was visible after halftime, when Mars players gathered together and encouraged one another before returning to the field. Benedek said the moment reflected the culture he is working to establish.
“I’m going to fight to the very end,” he said. “I hope they pull that into their own personality: We’re going to fight no matter what the score is and play football how we know how to play football. In the second half, I think we did that.”
The Planets opened their schedule against two demanding opponents in Seneca Valley and Aliquippa. With conference play coming during the final four games of the regular season, Benedek believes those tests will give Mars time to correct its mistakes without creating a false impression of where the team stands.
“We battle tooth and nail in these games, and now we have experience playing four quarters of football for two games,” Benedek said. “If we clean up those mistakes, we’re going to do something special this year.”
Harold Aughton contributed reporting and photography from Aliquippa.
