Staying hot
KARNS CITY — The Karns City football team couldn't be stopped Friday.
The Gremlins built a 48-point halftime lead and coasted to a 55-0 win over Keystone in a KSAC crossover matchup at Diehl Stadium.
“Our whole goal was for our guys not to play sloppy,” Karns City coach Ed Conto said. “A lot of times guys get greedy and try to score. We've worked the last couple weeks on kids just doing (their) assignments, playing low, working on all the little things right, and I think our kids did a pretty good job of that.”
Karns City was in control from the start.
The Gremlins (5-1) took advantage of good field position, starting from the 50 on their opening drive and capping off a 10-play drive on Cullen Williams' 15-yard touchdown run with 8:42 left in the first.
That was one of Williams' three scores in the first quarter that helped Karns City take a commanding 24-0 lead heading into the second.
Williams finished with 116 yards on seven carries.
However, he switched to quarterback when Jacob King took a knee to the head on a run with around 7:30 to play in the first half.
Though Williams doesn't take repetitions under center in practice, he was a quarterback last season and is familiar with the scheme.
“As soon I saw Jake go down I knew I would be the man going in, so I didn't even warm up at all,” he said. “I guess I knew my plays, had to go in there and fill in.”
Williams adapted nicely, airing it out 30 yards to Kaiden Powers in the right corner of the end zone to take the 38-0 lead.
Williams wasn't the only playmaker on the field for Karns City. Chandler Turner finished with nine rushes for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
“They're both tremendous backs,” Conto said of Williams and Turner. “They both catch the ball well. They run well. Their running styles are a little different. Cullen's super fast and he makes like these one steps that are sharp, and Turner will keep juking you. He never gets tired.”
A running clock and Karns City playing its reserves made the second half go quickly and with just one score.
“(Ed Conto) could have kept his starters in there and really run that up, and I appreciate them not doing that,” Keystone coach Dan Reed said.
Reed spoke of having many freshmen and sophomores on the field, and his players doing the best they can.
Conto said King was kept out as a precaution.
“It looks good for him, he said. “We'll have to wait and see when they evaluate him on Monday to see where he's at.”
