SHARPSVILLE - Sharpsville didn't touch the ball much in the first quarter of its non-conference high school football game against Karns City Friday.

As it turned out, they didn't have to.

The Blue Devils ran only five offensive plays in the first 12 minutes of play but scored a pair of touchdowns, set up by a fumble and an interception from the Gremlins and posted a 35-14 victory at James M. McCracken Field.

Sharpsville used a strong running game, rolling up 384 yards on 38 carries and five touchdowns.

"It's amazing," said Blue Devils coach Paul Piccirilli. "Usually we get four or five yards a carry and grind it out, but this is the fastest team I've ever had.

"The guys make big plays. It's nice to have a breakaway because sometimes the block is not always there," he added.

Ian Brown (138 yards), Rick Golub (111) and Aaron Reddix (98) accounted for the first four touchdowns by the Blue Devils (2-0) and totaled six runs of 25 yards or more.

"We're not as deep as we've been in the past, but as far as running backs go, we have a fourth in Ryan Morris … Our offensive coordinator tries to give everyone an equal number of touches."

It didn't take Sharpsville long to get on the board when a fumble after a catch by Justin Switzer gave the Blue Devils the ball at the KC 31.

Facing fourth-and-5 at the 26, Brown broke free for a touchdown run just 3:03 into the contest for a 6-0 lead.

The Gremlins responded with an 11-play drive, but on the last play, quarterback Steve Black was intercepted by Morris in front of the end zone to the Sharpsville 17 to quell the rally.

On the ensuing play, Golub broke down the right sideline for an 83-yard score. The conversion run by Brown gave the hosts a 14-0 lead.

"They're a very talented team," said Gremlins coach Ed Conto. "We wanted to play a good football team.

"We have to get better defensively. Right now, that's where we're weak at. Everyone can do something better," he added.

The Blue Devils built their lead to 21-0 at the half when Reddix scampered in from 10 yards with 2:24 left in the second quarter.

On the second play of the third quarter, Reddix scored on a 69-yard run to open a 27-0 lead.

Karns City (1-1) answered with an eight-play, 80-yard drive that was capped when Brett Green caught a pass from Black, broke free from a pair of defenders en route to a 50-yard catch and run.

Sharpsville went from its own 20 to the KC 1, but the Gremlins defense stopped Brown for no gain.

On the Gremlins' first play, Black was dropped for a safety by Brown.

When Morris scored on a 16-yard run just four plays after the free kick, the Blue Devils increased their lead to 35-7.

In the fourth, Gremlins backup quarterback Matt Endlish helped drive the Gremlins to the Sharpsville 1, but a Roy Beham fumbled turned the ball over to the Blue Devils.

The Gremlins closed out the scoring with 4:00 left when Brett Green ran 30 yards for a touchdown.

With the two non-conference games out of the way, the Gremlins will begin Keystone Shortway action Friday at Clarion-Limestone.

"I think we'll be prepared if we can get all the kids back at practice," said Conto. "Our kids will get better. Our kids kept playing hard and never let down. I'm not gonna cry about this."

Notes:

Black completed 8 of 16 passes for 137 yards. Justin Switzer caught four passes for 66 yards to lead all receivers. ... The Gremlins ran 19 offensive plays in the first quarter and had a 35-20 advantage at halftime.