FILE PHOTO

Karns City running back Josh Fiscus will be counted on to carry the load for the Gremlins when they face dangerous Hayden Johnston and Clarion-Limestone Friday.

Eagle Staff Writer

Quarterback Hayden Johnston might make the Clarion-Limestone football team go, but you can't overlook the other skill positions either.

"Hayden's an excellent leader on both sides of the ball," said Lions coach Todd Smith. "His presence makes us better. He does so many things.

"I think, receivers and backs-wise, that's where our talent is," Smith added.

Karns City, which is coming off a 37-0 victory over Cambridge Springs, will host the Lions at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Gremlins will have their hands full with Johnston, who completed 10 of 18 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-8 romp over A-C Valley.

Johnston also rushed for 85 yards on seven carries, took a kickoff 84 yards for another score. He also recovered a fumble on defense.

Last year in a 12-7 win against the Gremlins, Johnston was held in check, except for two long passes that hurt Karns City.

"We shut down their running game and they made two big plays to beat us," said Karns City coach Ed Conto.

"Clarion-Limestone has the best all-around quarterback in the area. It'll be tough against him, but, I told the kids 'You'll make mistakes, but you'll make plays too.'"

This season, Scott Davis pulled in a pair of scoring passes from Johnston while Kaleb Klosky also caught a scoring pass. Erik White rushed for one score and caught another.

And the Lions also have David Brooks, who pulled in four passes for 84 yards.

"They can each carry the ball a few times a game. They don't have that one go-to player," Conto said.

"They spread the wing-T, and (former coach) Clyde Conti is the master of it. He taught them that and they run it to a T. They are in midseason form and we've got to match up with that early," Conto added.

Despite the talent, the Lions' offensive line is young and inexperienced.

"We only have two starters back on the line and one is at a new position," said Smith.

"We have four new guys, but we like the type of kids we have. They work hard and get a lot out of them. When you have kids like that, it makes it better," Smith added.

Karns City was impressive in its season opener last Friday against the Blue Devils. Josh Fiscus ran for three touchdowns and Stephen Black passed for two scores, one each to David Black and Josh Switzer.

"Josh Fiscus is the best running back in the league," said Smith. "He's big and strong and runs well."

The Gremlins held Cambridge Springs to just 44 total yards, including minus-2 in the passing game.

"This is a typical Karns City team," said Smith. "They're big and physical. They have good running backs and hit you on defense.

"Eddie's a friend of mine and he's a really good coach. He always has his team prepared," Smith added.

The Gremlins find themselves in a grueling five-game stretch of conference matchups with C-L, Keystone, Redbank Valley, Clarion and Moniteau, each of which could make a run at the crown.

"You learn more by playing a good team than a bad team," said Conto. "When you play four or five bad teams, it gives you a false sense of security.

"We have to do what we can do and not worry about what they are going to do," Conto added.