KC gives no ground
KARNS CITY — Two huge defensive plays may have saved Karns City's season.
The Gremlins led Bedford 21-17 mid-way through the fourth quarter of Friday's PIAA Class AA first-round playoff at Diehl Stadium, but gave up 60 yards on nine plays to the charging Bisons.
Bedford (11-1) reached the Gremlin 17-yard line, but was penalized five yards for an illegal shift and the Bisons never got back on track.
On a 3rd-and-11 from the 22, quarterback Austin Montgomery hit August Cook with a screen pass. The fullback appeared to have a big gain in front of him, but was stopped behind the line of scrimmage by KC cornerback Cullen Williams.
On fourth down, Kaiden Powers broke up a pass intended for Conner Lazorka at the goal line and the Gremlins took over on downs with 2:53 left in the game.
KC's ground attack picked up two first downs to ice the four-point win, which sends the Gremlins to the state quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of Saturday's WPIAL title game between South Fayette and Aliquippa.
“We were so close, but close doesn't count,” said Bedford coach Kevin Steele. “It was a great game. We had opportunities, but they (Gremlins) just capitalized on a few more than we did.”
Gremlins' coach Ed Conto was pleased to see his defense perform well in the clutch.
“We did the old “bend but don't break,'” he said. “Cullen did a great job out in space against a pretty good athlete. It was a heck of a tackle.”
Williams read the play correctly. Then it was just a matter of getting Cook to the ground.
“I could see that it was going to be a screen,” he said. “I knew I had help on the inside, so I just tried to force him (Cook) back to the inside and I was able to get him for (a two-yard loss).”
Cook, who rushed for over 1,200 yards through his team's first 11 games, was held to 59 yards on ten carries. His one highlight Friday was a big one — a 33-yard touchdown run that put Bedford up 17-14 late in the third quarter.
But KC's offense was ready to answer. It embarked on a 15-play, 65-yard scoring drive that ate seven minutes from the clock.
The undefeated Gremlins (12-0) faced a pair of fourth-down plays on their way to the end zone. Chandler Turner gained one yard on a 4th-and-1 from Bedford's 13. Williams then gained two yards on a 4th-and-1 from the 3, setting up Mav Kelsea's short touchdown run for what proved to be the winning score.
“We thought about kicking a field goal there for a moment on the (second) fourth down,” said Conto, “but we decided to go for it. There was nobody in the A-gap and we were able to get underneath them.”
Bedford was the better team early on, building a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Montgomery connected with Zach Shaffer for a 20-yard touchdown strike that capped Bedford's first drive of the game. Montgomery then booted a 29-yard field goal with 8:32 left in the first half.
“Life is going to deal you setbacks,” said Conto. “We talked about it during the week. We just kept telling the kids to keep getting after it, keep hitting and we'll score.”
And the Gremlins did.
Turner scored on a 44-yard run that cut Bedford's lead to 10-7 before halftime. Collin Dunmyre's 32-yard scoring jaunt gave Karns City its first lead of the game at 14-10 halfway through the third period.“We just kept our heads up,” said Williams of KC's ability to bounce back after a subpar start. “We knew that if we lost this game, we go home.”The Gremlins rushed for 316 yards, led by 112 from Dunmyre and 93 from Turner.“Karns City has a good scheme and they have some kids who run downhill,” said Steele.Karns City 21, Bedford 17Bedford 7 3 7 0 — 17Karns City 0 7 7 7 — 21B KC12 First Downs 2030-128 Rushes-Yards 60-316128 Passing Yards 249-22-0 Comp.-Att.-Int 3-5-0256 Total Yards 3400-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-12-10 Penalty Yards 2-25First QuarterB — Zach Shaffer 20 pass from Austin Montgomery (Montgomery kick), 3:12Second QuarterB — Montgomery 29 field goal, 8:32KC — Chandler Turner 44 run (Kaiden Powers kick), 5:37Third QuarterKC — Collin Dunmyre 32 run (Powers kick), 7:15B — August Cook 33 run (Montgomery kick), 2:39Fourth QuarterKC — Maverick Kelsea 1 run (Powers kick), 7:28Individual StatisticsRushing: Bedford, August Cook 10-59, Austin Montgomery 14-29, Conner Lazorka 4-31, Zach Shaffer 2-9; Karns City, Collin Dunmyre 16-112, Eric Dodd 2-11, Seth Silverio 2-9, Maverick Kelsea 16-31, Chandler Turner 8-93, Kaiden Powers 5-35, Cullen Williams 7-21, Hemi Curry 3-13, TEAM 1-(-9).Passing: Bedford, Austin Montgomery 9-22-128-0; Karns City, Jacob King 2-3-13-0, Cullen Williams 1-2-11-0.Receiving: Bedford, Dylan Downs 3-39, Zach Shaffer 2-52, Conner Lazorka 1-26, August Cook 2-0, Lucas Waugerman 1-11; Karns City, Seth Silverio 2-13, Eric Dodd 1-11.
