From staff reports

STATE COLLEGE — Face-offs were a concern for Mars Saturday afternoon as the Planets took on Susquehannock in the PIAA 2A boys lacrosse quarterfinals in State College.

“They had two guys who won 75 to 80 percent of the face-offs in their games all season,” Mars coach Bob Marcoux said. “That had been a decided advantage for their team coming into this game.”

So much for that.

Ian Edinger and Jack McKenzie thwarted their face-off opponents, winning 70 percent of the draws as the Planets rolled to a 16-5 victory and a berth in the semifinal round. Mars will face Penncrest — a 13-4 winner over Quaker Valley — at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Chambersburg High School.

“Ian and Jack did a tremendous job,” Marcoux said. “That was definitely a big key to this game. They were persistent in winning those face-offs. Their teammates did a great job winning the 50-50 loose balls that resulted from those face-offs.

“Ian and Jack got a little help from their friends, for sure.”

Mars (21-1) received five goals from Enzo Grieco Saturday. Austin Cote and Wes Scurci chipped in with three each and Jacob Caringola scored a pair. The Planets had a 9-3 lead by halftime.

Josh Seipp and Kyle McEwen had single tallies for the Planets.

“What makes us so hard to defend is we have numerous players who can score goals,” Marcoux said. “Teams can’t just lock down on one or two guys. We do a good job of finding the open man and taking good shots.”

Dominic Eckels scored four goals for Susquehannock with Ben Tomasic netting one. Susquehannock entered the game with a 21-1 record.

Mars has outscored its two PIAA tournament opponents 34-7 thus far. Since the WPIAL playoffs began, the Planets have outscored their foes by a 100-14 count, a period covering five games.

“This is not the deepest team we’ve had, but it is the most balanced,” Marcoux said. “Not only can we score a lot of goals, but our defenders are very talented, we’ve got two good goalkeepers and we’re strong in causing turnovers and getting ground balls.

“I’ve seen Penncrest’s scores and I know they’red very good. We’ll begin preparation for them now that this one’s over. We prepare for and play one game at a time. All we’ve done the past few days is get ready for Susquehannock.”