It wasn't the type of start Keystone coach Jason Nellis was looking for.

In his first game at the helm after replacing Dan Reed, the Panthers were blanked 46-0 by Clarion.

Last week, however, the squad bounced back by shutting out Union 26-0. But which team will show up when Karns City pays a visit for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday?

"I knew we had the ability," said Nellis, who spent seven years under Reed as the defensive coordinator, running backs and linebackers coach.

"We self-destructed against Clarion that week with turnovers," he added.

With four-year starter Sam Swartzfager anchoring the backfield, it has helped the transition of a freshman quarterback, Mike Switzer.

"Having that guy back there for four years helps a lot and takes a lot of weight off Mike's shoulders," Nellis said.

Switzer showed some good signs last week, completing 5-of-11 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns to Kyle McMunn, who finished with 113 yards receiving.

"(Switzer) still has a lot to learn, but he does a lot of good things, too," said Nellis. "He throws the ball well. He doesn't always make the right reads, but he's quick."

"He's only in ninth grade," said Karns City coach Ed Conto, "but he could be a future (Clarion-Limestone QB) Hayden Johnston. He's maybe not as fluid, but he'll get some experience."

Zach Curran, Ryan Seth and Ross Neely and tight end Adam Hilyer lead the receiving corps.

"Kyle's done a nice job. He's fairly tall with decent speed," said Nellis. "But our other receivers, we're comfortable with them too."

The Gremlins will try to recover from a stinging 42-7 loss to the Johnston-led Lions. Johnston threw for 214 yards and rushed for 123 more. He threw four touchdown passes and ran for one score.

Karns City (1-1, 0-1) took just 58 seconds to score on the game's first possession for a 7-0 led, but it was all C-L the rest of the way.

"They executed well and we didn't," said Conto. "We made them look better than they are. We had a couple of breakdowns.

"We'll use it as a learning experience. We'll show them the film and say 'You did this and stopped them, then here you didn't do this and here's what happens when you don't,'" Conto added.

Nellis - who was a first-team All-State linebacker for the Panthers back in 1989, the year the team reached the state championship game - knows the Gremlins will always be a dangerous team, more so this week.

"Karns City is always a physical team," said Nellis. "They're coming off a big loss so they'll be hungry for a win. We'll have to be in the right place."

Josh Fiscus, the team's leading rusher, was limited to just 44 yards on 13 carries.

"He definitely brings a load," said Nellis. "He runs as hard as anyone in the league. He's not a guy you want to tackle up high. We have to get into good positions."

The loss to the Lions could turn into an advantage for the Gremlins, Conto said.

"With a young team like this year, you can show them what's wrong and get it corrected," said Conto.

"I told them not to panic and learn what we've taught you. I'd rather have our weaknesses exposed early. Then you can correct it. If you don't know until later in the season, it could be too late."

Karns City at Keystone

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7:30 p.m. Friday

Statistic:

The Gremlins surrendered 411 total yards in last week's 42-7 loss to Clarion-Limestone.

Streak:

The Panthers' last win against Karns City came in Week 2 of the 1995 season, 28-23.

Strategy:

The Panthers will try and keep Karns City running back Josh Fiscus in check.

Speaking:

"Last week's win (over Union) was very big for us. We're a rather young team and we had some older guys get hurt so we're that much younger now." - Keystone coach Jason Nellis.