The Mars Area High School boys' track team competed in the WPIAL Class AA team finals Thursday at West Mifflin.

Mars coach Brandon Rios is taking a large contingent of athletes to the Class AA individual championships Tuesday at South Side Beaver.

As senior Justin Piocquidio said, "Time to get serious."

That's why Piocquidio, a senior and one of the Planets' leaders, decided not to shave and to cut his long, curly brown hair.

Getting a haircut didn't work out well for Sampson, but it didn't have an adverse affect on Piocquidio.

He qualified for the WPIAL Class AA individual championships in four events. Piocquidio was first in the long jump and tied for first in the high jump at last Tuesday's Northern qualifier at the Mars Athletic Complex. He also ran legs on the Planets' 400-meter relay, that was second to Beaver Falls, and the 1,600-meter relay that placed fifth.

"I cut my hair last night," Piocquidio said at the Northern qualifier. "I've got the playoff beard going, but I'm going to have to shave for the prom. I don't think my date would like me showing up with the beard."

Shaving for the prom didn't bother him, because it was this past Friday ... the day after the team championship final. He planned to let the whiskers grow back some for the individual finals Tuesday.

Long hair, short hair, beard, clean-shaven, regardless of his look, Piocquidio is the favorite to win the long jump competition at the Class AA championships. He had the best distance in either of the two qualifiers, going 22 feet, 4 inches.

The best leap at the Southern qualifier was 21 feet by Josh Buckley of Sto-Rox. Valley High School's Anthony Saunders was a distant second to Piocquidio at the Northern qualifier with a jump of 21-5¹/₂.

In the high jump, Piocquidio cleared 5-8 and tied four others for first at the qualifier. He tied for fourth place, clearing 6-2, at the WPIAL championships last year. But the long jump is his best event.

"I love the long jump," he said. "I love competing in the other events ... really I just love track. But the long jump ..."

He has gone 22-10¹/₂ in the long jump this season and is looking to surpass 23 feet. The winning distance at the PIAA Class AA championships last year was 22-5.

Hardly the tallest jumper -- he stands just 5 feet 7 -- Piocquidio is a compact package of outstanding speed, solid form and great desire.

"Other jumpers who haven't seen him before look at his size and don't expect it," Rios said of Piocquidio's long jumping ability. "He just flies.

"He does so well at it because he works very hard ... he works hard on technique. He always wants to know how he looks [during a jump], if he was balanced, what his technique looked like."

Piocquidio credits Rios with improving his technique.

"I just try to drive as hard as I can and throw myself back," he said of his ability to travel so far. "I've got to get better extension at the end. That's what I'm working on. Hopefully by states, it'll be there ... when the moment's right."

He was second in the long jump at the WPIAL championships last year to Brentwood's Akeem Moore, but did not place at the PIAA meet.

Piocquidio isn't just a jumper, however. He's a leader and a great role model for underclassmen on the Mars team.

"He's very team-oriented. Ask him to run the four by one, he runs it. Ask him to run the four by four, he runs it ... and he does a great job," Rios said. "He's our best high jumper. He's our best long jumper. He's a kid you love to coach ... you wish you had 50 of him."

He's an athlete who doesn't say "no" when asked to help the team.

"I've run the 100, 200, 400 ... I haven't run the long distances, but if the coaches needed me to do that to get team points, I'd do it," Piocquidio said. "Fortunately, we're deep enough that I don't have to run any distance events."

He wants to run in track in college and, for the moment, is headed for Penn State's Behrend campus near Erie. But he is willing to listen to any and all offers.

"I'm not being recruited, but I'd like to run for someone," he said.

Don't be surprised if a college coach jumps at a chance to sign Piocquidio, especially if he soars past 23 feet at the WPIAL or PIAA championships.