Pressure-resistant Mars claims girls soccer title

Charlie Magovern's feature on the Mars boys' soccer team:

"Speaking about his team before Saturday's WPIAL Class AA girls soccer championship, Mars coach Blair Gerlach almost sounded as if he had forgotten what month it was.

He spoke with the optimism of a coach before the first day of training camp, saying that while the girls were excited to be playing for a third consecutive WPIAL title, there was "no pressure." He wasn't being cocky, but rather he was looking forward to seeing how his team would play against the level of competition that it would be facing in the PIAA tournament.

His tone made it seem as though the season was just beginning, and given how his team waltzed through the regular season unblemished against Class AA opponents, he was right. Mars was hardly challenged at the AA level this season, going unbeaten against teams in that classification."