Walker’s 45-yard touchdown pass to Gus Coffield gave the Fightin’ Planets a 10-point cushion midway through the fourth quarter. Shaler answered with a long touchdown pass less than a minute later, but Mars held on as it prepares to open conference play against Blackhawk.
“I’m definitely proud of these guys for staying mentally strong in a close game like that,” Mars head coach Zachery Benedek said.
“We have a lot of stuff to fine-tune after that, and it’s a lot easier to learn after a win,” he said.
Coffield opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter. Shaler immediately swung the lead its way with a 95-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. The extra point put the Titans ahead 7–3.
Mars regained the lead early in the second quarter when Walker connected with Liam Corcoran for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:46 remaining. Coffield’s extra point made it 10–7, a margin that stood through halftime and a scoreless third quarter.
Both defenses kept the game close. Shaler turned away Mars scoring opportunities, while the Fightin’ Planets contained the Titans’ offense.
“Our defense played a phenomenal game,” Shaler head coach Jim Ryan said, pointing to his team’s red zone stops and a blocked field goal.
Shaler blocked Coffield’s 27-yard attempt with 9:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, preserving the three-point margin. But Mars found the end zone on Walker’s 45-yard strike to Coffield with 5:54 left. Coffield added the extra point for a 17–7 lead.
“We had that same play in the first half, and we missed it a little bit,” he said.
Shaler responded with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Conrad to Wikowski with 4:57 remaining. The extra point pulled the Titans within 17–14, but they could not close the remaining gap.
Benedek praised a Mars defense that surrendered only that touchdown from scrimmage.
“Our defense was lights out today,” he said. “We let up that one deep ball. Other than that, though, I thought we played very good defense.”
Mars outgained Shaler 414–233 and finished with 17 first downs to the Titans’ eight. Jameson Garvin led the defense with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Liam Corcoran recorded four tackles for loss. Brady Brennan added four tackles and four passes defended.
Ryan said Mars’ pursuit and defensive front made it difficult for Shaler to establish consistent offense.
“Their ability to swarm to the ball caused us some problems,” he said.
Walker completed 18 of 33 passes. Brady Brennan led Mars receivers with 83 yards on four catches. Coffield caught four passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Corcoran finished with four receptions for 44 yards and a score. Smyth Dunaway added three catches for 42 yards.
Jameson Garvin carried 23 times for 91 yards, and Ray Chase contributed 61 yards on eight carries.
Benedek said Shaler’s blitzes disrupted blocking assignments at times. He also identified kickoff coverage as an issue Mars will address in Monday’s practice.
For Shaler, Ryan said the next step is getting the offense settled amid personnel changes and helping the quarterback become more comfortable in the system.
For Mars, the focus turns to Blackhawk and the start of conference competition.
“It’s basically playoffs for us, right, from here out,” Benedek said.
He believes his team is making progress, but wants that improvement to continue.
“We’ve gotten better each week,” he said. “Just keep climbing.”
