NEW BETHLEHEM - Karns City had an offensive awakening in the first half of its contest against Redbank Valley Friday.

In the second half, the defense woke up again when it mattered the most, allowing the Gremlins to knock off the Bulldogs 29-25 in a key Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference game for both schools.

"We were controlling the line of scrimmage," said Karns City coach Ed Conto. "Again, we had no big plays offensively."

Karns City (3-2, 2-1) did torch the Bulldogs for 23 first-half points and added another score to open the second half to take a 29-12 lead with 7:34 left in the quarter.

The Bulldogs (2-3, 2-2) responded with touchdowns on their next two possessions, but a sack by Terry Schrecengost and a fumble recovery by Joey Everetts ended the Bulldogs' final two drives of the game to give the Gremlins the win.

"It was kind of difficult. We got to a point where we had to throw the ball," said Redbank coach Ed Wasilowski. "Until then, we were able to mix it up."

Another key to the Gremlins' success was keeping Redbank running back Skyler Smith in check.

Smith, who entered the game with 414 yards rushing, finished with 47 yards on 22 carries.

"We kept Skyler Smith from beating us," said Conto. "He's a heck of a player."

"I'd have to look at the film, but I think they put a linebacker on his side," said Wasilowski. "We didn't do too good a job. We had too big a hole. That's three weeks we came up a little short."

Smith did erase a 3-0 Karns City lead from a Matt McConnell 32-yard field goal when he took the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a score.

The Gremlins re-took the lead when Matt Stimac caught a short pass from Steve Black, knocked over a would-be tackler and used a downfield block to spring free for a 33-yard score.

The Bulldogs countered with a 61-yard Nick Magagnotti touchdown run 43 seconds later to give Redbank a 12-9 lead with 44 seconds left in the quarter.

Justin Macurak and Chad Bell caught touchdown passes from Black and Wayne Harris, respectively, to help Karns City take a 23-12 lead into halftime.

That second score was set up when Redbank quarterback Brandon Doverspike fumbled and Justin Switzer recovered at the RV 22.

Six plays later, Harris rolled out to his right on a pitch, then lobbed a pass to Bell in the end zone.

The Gremlins increased their lead at the start of the second half when they recovered the on-sides kick at the RV 45.

Ten plays later, Stimac plowed in from three yards out to give the Gremlins the 17-point lead with 7:34 left in the third quarter.

Again, Redbank responded with a pair of touchdowns to pull to within four points.

A 57-yard pass on the first drive to Nick Johnston led to a Smith scoring run in the third quarter, then Johnston caught a 13-yarder for a touchdown with 11:10 remaining in the game.

After Karns City's last scoring possession to open the second half, the squad went three and out on three consecutive drives, totaling minus-three yards.

With momentum shifting, the Gremlins' defense came up strong and even shook off a pass interference call on a third-and-19 from the RV 12 that gave the Bulldogs new life.

Two plays later, Doverspike was preparing to pass, but the ball dropped from his hand and Everetts made the recovery with 2:14 remaining. The Gremlins were able to run out the clock.

"I have to give credit to my offensive coordinator Joe Sherwin) and defensive coordinator (Brian Markle)," said Conto. "They were mixing things up."

Notes:

Karns City ran 39 offensive plays from scrimmage in the first half; Redbank ran 16. … Black led the Gremlins with 73 yards rushing and Stimac added 60. Six of Black's first eight runs covered 10 yards or more, with all being first downs.