Preview: Mars Fightin' Planets vs. Central Valley Warriors
Two dominant backs in Evan Wright and Jance Henry jr are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mars Fightin' Planets will face off against the Central Valley Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mars entered their tilt with Chartiers Valley with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Everything went Mars' way against Chartiers Valley on Friday as Mars made off with a 44-19 victory. Given Mars' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 82nd, while Chartiers Valley is ranked 288th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wright went supernova for Mars, rushing for 138 yards and four touchdowns. Wright was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 61 yards. Cole Yoshioka made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Meanwhile, Central Valley got the win against Highlands on Friday by a conclusive 28-7.
Among those leading the charge was Steven Rutherford, who rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 79 yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Jj Work, who rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Central Valley's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Work was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Mars pushed their record up to 9-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 35 points. As for Central Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 8-3.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as Mars and Central Valley haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Mars commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 5.1 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Central Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.8 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Mars came up short against Central Valley in their previous matchup back in November of 2015, falling 48-41. Can Mars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
