KC football shovels field for D-9 games
KARNS CITY — Armed with shovels instead of shoulder pads, several members of the Karns City football team and coaching staff went to work on one of their toughest opponents Saturday afternoon.
About three inches of heavy, wet snow.
“I'm a little out of breath right now,” joked Karns City head football coach Joe Sherwin.
The task was as clear as any the Gremlins had faced this season: clear the field and the bleachers of the snowpack to get it ready for the District 9 Class A and Class AA title games, which will be held Monday at Diehl Stadium.
It was an arduous task, but one they were happy to tackle.
“I thought they already played those games,” said sophomore Nathan Waltman, chuckling. “When I found out about this, I was like, 'OK. Let's go. Someone has to do it.'
“I think it just proves we're good kids.”
This odyssey began early Friday when District 9 football chairman Bob Tonkin was suddenly left without sites for the 1A championship game between Coudersport and Smethport and the 2A championship clash between Ridgway and Brockway.
The fields at those two sites — Bradford and DuBois — were unplayable and couldn't safely be plowed without damaging the turf because of a layer of ice under the snow.
Tonkin spent 12 hours searching for a playable site before Karns City entered the void.
Karns City athletic director Brian Markle worked closely with Tonkin in trying to arrange a time and day for the field.
Markle said Saturday was out because of the amount of snow on the field and the fact the school no longer had a plow.
Finally, Monday was agreed upon.
The 1A game will kick off at 4 p.m. followed by the 2A game at 7 p.m.
“I told him I'd get my football guys down here to shovel the field,” Markle said. “They earn Gremlin points for doing community service.”
But junior Riley Davis wasn't too concerned about earning points.
“I just wanted to help,” Davis said. “It's fun to come down here, help out and hang out with the guys.”
Markle said it shows what kind of character Karns City student athletes have.
“We have a good group of kids here,” Markle said. “They do some things. We had the Moniteau football coach come up to us to thank us for cheering for them at their game against Clarion. That's the type of kids we have here at Karns City.”
