CLARION — Just two weeks ago, Karns City's football team was forced to swallow a very bitter pill when the Gremlins let a 20-point, fourth quarter lead slip from its grasp in a 43-41 loss to Central Clarion.

In Friday's District 9 Class 2A semifinal playoff against the Wildcats, KC again found itself holding a commanding lead in the second half.

This time, the Gremlins slammed the door on Central Clarion and its season.

KC's defense hounded Wildcat quarterback Cal German the whole game, defensive back Kaden Scherer intercepted three passes and the Gremlins' ground attack chewed up 281 yards in advancing to the championship game with a 34-9 win at Clarion University's Memorial Stadium.

The Gremlins will face undefeated Brookville, which dispatched Ridgway in the other semifinal, in the title game next Friday in Brockway.

Knowing what happened in the first meeting, Karns City may have felt a bit uneasy when German connected with Hunter Craddock on a 50-yard scoring pass that cut the Gremlin lead to 27-9 before the Wildcats recovered an onside kick with 9:38 left in the game.

But the Gremlins' defense put those fears to rest by forcing a turnover on downs.

KC then drove 49 yards, and though the Gremlins did not score, they had taken over four minutes off the clock by the time Central Clarion (5-2) regained possession.

“With the lead we had in that first game, we should have found a way to win that night,” said KC coach Joe Sherwin. “But (Central Clarion) is a great team and I was nervous until the very end of the game tonight.”

The Gremlins' usually-dominant ground attack has not been nearly as potent this season. But nursing a 13-3 edge at the start of the second half, the team turned to running backs Luke Garing and Jayce Anderson.

The duo responded by gaining a combined 57 yards on six straight running plays, with Garing scoring on a short run, his second of three scores in the game.

“We told our offensive line before the game that it was up to them and they responded,” said Sherwin. “Nathan Waltman, Aaron Taylor, they all played great tonight.”

Scherer snagged his third interception of the night late in the third quarter, leading to Cole Coon's 3-yard run that put KC ahead 27-3 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

Garing, who had rushed for just 131 yards in six previous games this season, gained 123 on 21 carries against a Wildcat defense that was left searching for answers.

“In the second quarter, there was a mismatch on the line because we were lining up wrong,” said Wildcats' coach Larry Wiser. “We thought we corrected it, but we just seemed flat tonight. And if you lose at the line of scrimmage, you're not going to win the game.”

After Central Clarion opened the scoring with Beau Verdill's 23-yard field goal in the first quarter, the Gremlins (5-2) answered quickly.

Eric Booher found Gage Cowoski wide open down the left sideline for a 48-yard touchdown and KC had a lead it would not surrender.

German had thrown just five interceptions all season. His first one Friday came on the game's first drive when Scherer picked off his pass in the end zone after the Wildcats had marched to KC's 32.

“We just had to stay with the receivers,” said Scherer. “(German) does a lot of running around back there and he can hurt you by scrambling, then passing.”

The Gremlins' defensive front made German uncomfortable. Though he passed for 244 yards, he was off-balance on many of his 40 attempts.

“Our defense, it's not just the line or the secondary ... it's everybody working in cohesion,” said Sherwin.

Karns City 7 6 7 14 — 34

Central Clarion 3 0 0 6 — 9

First Quarter

CC — Beau Verdill 23 field goal, 4:30

KC — Gage Cowoski 48 pass from Eric Booher (Owen Collwell kick), 2:57

Second Quarter

KC — Luke Garing 1 run (kick failed), 4:05

Third Quarter

KC — Garing 2 run (Collwell kick), 9:41

Fourth Quarter

KC — Cole Coon 3 run (Collwell kick), 10:14

CC — Hunter Craddock 50 pass from Cal German (run failed), 9:41

KC — Garing 2 run (Collwell kick), 1:28

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Karns City, Luke Garing 21-123, Jayce Anderson 13-59, Kaden Scherer 3-2, Cole Coon 7-51, Zach Blair 1-5, Eric Booher 4-38, Dakota Hilliard 1-3. Central Clarion, Ethan Burford 2-15, Cutrter Boggess 2-22, Breckin Rex 7-24, Cal German 9-55, Kyle Bottaro 1-5, Hayden Haines 2-2, Ashton Rex 1-11, TEAM 1-(-8).

Passing:Karns City, Eric Booher 4-9-103-0. Central Clarion, Cal German 20-40-244-3.

Receiving:Karns City, Nathan Waltman 1-24, Micah Rupp 2-31, Gage Cowioski 1-48. Central Clarion, Ethan Burford 9-144, Cutter Boggess 5-22, Hunter Craddock 3-59, Eric Simko 2-19, Kyle Bottaro 1-0.