The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Mars rolls past New Castle

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

| September 3, 2022

Mars: Mars rushed for 309 yards as the Planets rolled past New Castle 51-7 Friday night.

In two games, first-year head coach Eric Kasperowicz and the Planets surpassed their 2021 win total. 

After a disappointing 2021 campaign that saw them go 1-9.

Mars opened the season with a come-from-behind victory against Montour last week and had a much easier time with the Red Hurricanes.

“They’re a great football team,” said Kasperowicz. “Coach Robinson is one of the most legendary coaches in the state. He had his guys ready to go and does a great job with them. We made plays when we needed to make them tonight.”

New Castle was no match for the Planets’ speed, and tempo as Mars built a 28-7 halftime lead thanks to four plays of at least 24 yards. 

“We’re a fast-paced, up-tempo team, and that is what we want to do on offense,” said Kasperowicz. “We’re always looking for some creases, and you can have big plays when the opportunity presents itself. You saw that early when we scored, and then they ran the kickoff back.” 

Fifty-four seconds after receiving the opening kickoff, Evan Wright exploded through a hole, 49 yards to open the scoring. 

New Castle’s Kaevon Gardner returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown.

 

Three possessions later, Garrett Heatherington scored from 16 yards out. 

It marked the start of three consecutive touchdown drives for the Planets. 

Wright added scoring runs of two and 45 yards before halftime. Evan Wright rushed for a game-high 208 yards on 23 carries, including 19 rushes for 179 yards in the first half. 

“Their performance was tremendous, and I told the guys that we’re going to ride Evan Wright as far as we to go,” Kasperowicz said. “Garrett is the same way. He runs hard and is a nice change of pace back with his style. Of course, nothing is happening unless the offensive line does its job. All of those guys played outstanding up front.”

Mars continued to roll in the second half as Adam Rohrbaugh hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Eric Kasperowicz Jr. 

 

A rough punt by New Castle led to the ball being downed in the end zone for a safety as Mars led 37-7 after three quarters.

Following the free kick, Heatherington scored his second touchdown of the night from three yards as Mars invoked the merc rule at 44-7 with 10:15 to play. 

Heatherington rushed for 84 yards on nine carries and scored two touchdowns. 

Zach Dentel intercepted New Castle quarterback Krell Harris, leading to Nathan Ewing’s 4-yard touchdown that closed the scoring.

 A forgettable night for New Castle saw the Hurricanes only manage 111 yards of offense.

“We played hard and physical, and we had to with some of the athletes they have over there,” Kasperowicz concluded. “We had to line up and be physical and tackle. That’s the one thing we need to improve on. We had too many missed tackles tonight. We can fix it, but I was proud of our effort tonight. The kids deserved this win.” 

Braylen Sibley led New Castle with three rushes for 63 yards, while Harris completed 3-of-6 passes for 19 yards with two interceptions. 

“I thought I had these guys prepared for the speed, quickness, and execution, obviously I didn’t,” said New Castle head coach Stacy Robinson.

“We’ll use this as a learning tool. I had an opportunity to coach with coach Kasperowicz in the East-West a few years back. He’s a great coach; their players show up and work hard daily, and they’re a well-oiled machine. We’ll learn from this and continue to get better.” 

Game Highlights”

 

Mars 51 New Castle 7

Score by Quarters

New Castle – 7 0 0 0 – 7

Mars – 14 14 9 14 – 51 

Scoring Summary 

First Quarter

M – Evan Wright 49 yd run, (Mason Childress pat), 11:06

NC – Kaevon Gardner 88 yd kickoff return, (Angel Porras pat), 10:50

M – Garrett Heatherington 16 yd run, (Wright rush), 2:29

Second Quarter 

M – Wright 2 yd run, (Childress pat), 9:40

M – Wright 45 yd run, (kick failed), 6:42

Third Quarter 

M – Adam Rohrbaugh 15 yd pas from Eric Kasperowicz, (Childress pat), 3:52

M – Safety, punt downed in the end zone, 1:12

Fourth Quarter 

M – Heatherington 3 yd run, (Childress pat), 10:15

M – Nathan Ewing 4 yd run. (Childress pat), 3:05

Individual Stats

Rushing: New Castle – Gardner 3-18, Krell Harris 5-9, Ameir Akins 6-12, Malik Jefferson 3-12, Marquise Cureton 1-(-1), Tyler Leekins 1-(-3), Nate McKnight 2-(-6), Braylen Sibley 3-63. Totals: 24-92. Mars – Wright 23-208, Heatherington 9-84, Kasperowicz 2-5, Carlos Orr 1-5, Ewing 3-8, Dominic Speranza 2-(-1). Totals: 38-309. 

Receiving: New Castle – Leekins 2-16, Jefferson. Mars – Noah Nesselroad 3-52, Adam Rohrbaugh 3-28, Wright 1-5, Hayden Mayer 1-(-2), Eric Kasperowicz 1-(-14), Gabe Hein 1-(-2).

Passing: New Castle – Harris 3-for-6, 19 yards, 2 INT. Mars – Kasperowicz 10-for-17, 67 yards. 

Interceptions: Mars – Luke Goodworth, Zach Dentel. 

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
QwikCut
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
x