Several members of Mars Area High School Varsity Football Team were selected for the 2020 Greater Allegheny Football Conference All-Conference Team:
Senior Theodore Ruffner (fullback) and junior Christopher Dvorak (tight end) were named to the First Team Offense; and senior Jordan Moser (guard), senior Chase Nesselroad (center) and junior Matthew Detisch (tackle) to the Second Team Offense.
Junior Quinn Fuller (defensive back) was selected for the First Team Defense; and, senior Ben Chizmar (inside linebacker) for the Second Team Defense.
Honorable Mentions went to senior Christian Kay (down lineman), senior Anthony Vargo (defensive back), senior Jacob Wooldridge (wide receiver), junior Jacob Ottenweller (tackle), junior Eli Wright (kicker), sophomore Rafael Bartley (defensive back), and freshman Jacob Maple (outside linebacker).
This season, the Fightin’ Planets advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2020 WPIAL Class 4A Boys Football Championship. The team ended the regular season with an overall record of 6-1 and 6-1 in Section 2-4A.
2020 WPIAL Class 4A Boys Football Championship
Mars Area High School Boys Varsity Football Team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2020 WPIAL Class 4A Boys Football Championship on Oct. 30, but were defeated 41-6 by the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars.
The Fightin’ Planets ended the 2020 regular season with an overall record of 6-1 and 6-1 in Section 2-4A of the Greater Allegheny Conference.
This season, senior Teddy Ruffner led the team in scoring with 24 touchdowns and junior Quinn Fuller in passing with 446 yards. Senior Anthony Vargo led the team in receiving with 143 yards, followed by Jake Wooldridge (108 yards).
Ruffner led in rushing (1,570 yards), followed by senior Ben Chizmar (167 yards) and Vargo (142 yards). Ruffner surpassed 4,000 career rushing yards during the Planets’ game on Oct. 16.
Other players on this year’s team included seniors Lance Bartley, Christian Kay, Jordan Moser, Chase Nesselroad, Caiden Schmitt, Colin Vandenberghe, Jacob Wooldridge and Domenic Zottola; juniors Remy Crofutt, Anthony Dentel, Matthew Detisch, Christopher Dvorak, Quinn Fuller, Hunter Hart, Timothy Humes, Alex Kostial, Jacob Ottenweller, Evan Thompson, Tyler Walters and Eli Wright; sophomores Rafael Bartley, Dante Bennett, Jackson Buttermore, Colt Crofutt, Garrett Hull, Jack Hull, Alex Jablunovsky, Hayden Mayer, Ian Messina, Luka Moran, Noah Nesselroad, Carlos Orr, Logan Santa, Leo Saver, Nolan Scott, Billy Sommers, Logan Vanderberghe; and, freshmen Augustus Aubrecht, Aydin Brink, Brennan Carr, Cooper Courson, Devin Douds, Nathan Ewing, Dominic Gigliotti, Dylan Grim, Connor Hartle, Jacob Maple, Kyle Organ, Alexander Painley, Zachary Ruffner, Tommy Simon, Isaak Winters, Evan Wright and George Zottola.
For more information, visit www.wpial.org.
Football Player Surpasses 4,000 Career Rushing Yards
During the game, Ruffner carried the ball for 295 yards and scored three touchdowns. He moves to second place on the team’s all-time rushing list.
This season, the Fightin’ Planets hold an overall record of 5-1 and 5-1 in Section 2-4A of the Greater Allegheny Conference. The team will conclude the regular season as it takes on the Indiana Area Little Indians at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, at Indiana Area High School.
For more information, call (724) 625-9380.
Heinauer Named Steelers Football Coach of the Week
Heinauer earned his 200th career victory in the Fightin’ Planets victory over the Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions on Oct. 16, becoming the 33rd coach in Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (WPIAL) history to win 200 games. Now in his 33rd year as the District’s athletic director and 29th season as head football coach, Heinauer has an overall record of 200-109.
A six-time Coach of the Year, Heinauer is a 2017 Butler County Sports Hall of Fame inductee; a 2016 Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) Hall of Fame inductee; and was named 2014 Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association (PSADA) Pennsylvania Athletic Director of the Year. He is a member of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (WPIAL) Board of Directors and a former member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Board of Directors and PSADA Delegate Assembly.
For more information, visit https://www.steelers.com/news/heinauer-named-steelers-coach-of-the-week#:~:text=Week%206%20Coach%20of%20the,21%20win%20against%20Greensburg%20Salem.