Mighty Mars moves to semis

Planets reel off six straight scores

Mars has not been challenged many times this season, but it was no surprise the Planets found themselves in a one-goal game at the end of the first quarter against District 3 champion Susquehannock.

“I think we just stayed patient,” Mars coach Bob Marcoux said. “I think we were getting good looks, but it takes a little while for those to go in.”

Once they did, Mars again earned a spot in the state semifinals.

Sophomore attacker Vincenzo Grieco scored six goals while seniors Austin Cote and Wes Scurci had three apiece as Mars (20-1-0) broke open a close match and dealt Susquehannock (21-1-0) its first loss of the season in a 16-5 decision in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals at State College High School.

Having a diversified attack will help the Planets as they moved within two wins of the school’s first state title.

“We know teams are going to pay attention to Cote and Scurci and they’re unselfish players. They actually lead the team in assists,” Marcoux said.

There is no doubt Mars has its fair share of players who can put the ball in the net, but retaining possession on faceoffs has been critical for the Planets.

It certainly came into play against Susquehannock. The Planets only led, 4-3, after the first quarter but went on a 6-0 run in the second to take a 9-3 lead into the intermission.

Mars is the only WPIAL boys or girls team to have played in a state championship game.

More Class 2A boys

Penncrest 13, Quaker Valley 4: The Quakers were coming off of their first-ever PIAA playoff victory, but the Lions were something else altogether. Jason Poole scored four goals and Dylan McDougall three to lead Penncrest into the semifinals against Mars. Patrick Cutch member, Kyle Hammond and Archer Eubanks each scored firsthalf goals for Quaker Valley in the game at Bishop McDevitt.

Class 3A boys

Radnor 10, Shady Side Academy 7: The Bulldogs gave up a pair of quick goals to start the game against the defending state champions and fell into a 2-0 hole at Chambersburg. Cooper Muller scored a key shorthanded goal in the second quarter that put Radnor up, 6-3. That proved costly when the Bulldogs rallied for three late goals to cut into a 10-4 deficit.

Class 3A girls

Wilson 11, Shady Side Academy 7: Shady Side Academy played this one a lot closer than it had in its past two state playoff matches against District 3 third-place finishers. But the end result was the same as the threetime WPIAL champions dropped their quarterfinal match against Wilson.

Class 2A girls

Strath Haven 15, Chartiers Valley 9: The Colts pulled off three upsets to win their first WPIAL Class 2A title, but they couldn’t knock off the District 1 runner-up at Cumberland Valley. Juliana Betts, Hallie Cowan and Tatiana Adzima each scored twice for the Colts. They were vying to become the first District 7 girls team to make it into the Class 2A semifinals.