Yocum rushes for 3 TDs, more than 300 yards as Mars holds off Montour

By: Kyle Dawson
Friday, September 19, 2025 | 11:52 PM

Behind a masterful performance from senior tailback Ayden Yocum and a defense that stood tall when it needed to, No. 4 Mars (4-1) took a 2024 Class 4A quarterfinals rematch at Montour High School by a final of 29-21 over Montour (3-2).

Yocum, who entered with 410 yards on the ground this season, went for more than 325 yards in the win and scored his first three toucheowns this season. The Fightin’ Planets, who were a quarter away from a win over Aliquippa last week, controlled most of the game in Week 4.

With plenty of running lanes provided by a line returning four starters, Yocum said it was doing the basics that led to the big night.

“Everyone reading the plays and doing their job,” he said. “Everyone’s gotta stick to their jobs or things fall apart, but tonight everyone did for the most part.”

Yocum scored the first touchdown of the night on a 51-yard burst through the middle of the line with 1:48 to go in the first. That was the only score of the quarter. He scored again from 5 yards with 10:58 to go in the second quarter and posted a 228-yard first half on 21 touches.

Mars led 19-6 at the break, as Frank Knezovich, who was busy in the victory, kicked field goals of 27 and 31 yards with a Montour score in between on a 34-ard run by Archie Collins on what was his first carry of the night.

The second half got going with back-and-forth play of good defense before the Spartans broke through. A big bright spot for the No. 5 Spartans was Caden Halajcio, who ran for 184 yards on 16 carries and two scores. Halajcio did a lot of running on an already-long touchdown run of 80 yards to make it 19-13 with 2:51 to play in the third quarter.

But Yocum got the call on the next play from scrimmage and found daylight en route to a 56-yard touchdown run.

“He was tremendous. He had a great first game and then battled his own demons a bit. We’ve all been there, but hats off to him tonight,” said Mars head coach Eric Kasperowicz. “The line was great, too. There were some loaded boxes, and they were able to move those guys enough to give (Ayden) some space to go through. That play cancelled that long run out and gave us some breathing room.”

With the score 26-13 entering the fourth quarter, Montour continued to battle, holding the Fightin’ Planets to a 34-yard Knezovich field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter that made it 29-13.

Montour then made it a one-score game with 2:34 to go thanks to a long scoring drive was capped by a 33-yard touchdown scamper by Halajcio. Montour went for two and completed a pass from Brandon Bennett, who finished with nearly 150 yards through the air, to Dylan Rogers to make it 29-21.

Montour got a stop and forced a punt with just over two minutes to play, but a fourth fumble lost on the ensuing drive ended up finishing the Spartans’ chances.

Montour will host Blackhawk in Week 5 to begin 4A Parkway Conference play. Mars enters Greater Allegheny Conference play with a home game against West Mifflin next week.

“We’ve been banged up, so, hopefully, we get some guys back next week,” Kasperowicz said. “But that’s high school football, man. It’s a game of attrition. You need to peak at the right time, and, hopefully, you get healthy at the right time.”

Tags: Mars, Montour