Karns City wary of Keystone
KARNS CITY — Karns City coach Ed Conto can rattle off a lot of positions where Keystone will make for a formidable opponent at 7 p.m. Friday.
It's the visiting Panthers' overall talent that makes them a dark horse candidate in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference this season.
"In the past, a lot of times all they did was throw," said Karns City coach Ed Conto. "They have a spread offense, but they've been able to do the little things. They're opportunistic.
"They're one of the teams I said at the beginning of the year that had potential. I thought they'd beat Redbank Valley,"Conto added.
The Panthers (2-1, 2-1) opened the season with a tough 13-12 loss to the Bulldogs, but followed with victories over Clarion, 30-7, and Union, 53-0.
Against Union, Keystone recorded 527 total yards, including 380 on the ground.
"Clarion committed 10 (fumbles, losing four) and (Keystone) capitalized on that," said Conto.
"We're glad to be 2-1," said Keystone coach Jason Nellis. "We had that big win over Clarion, but lost by one point to Redbank Valley. That still left a bad taste in our mouths."
The Panthers have been led by quarterback Ben Black, who has completed 21-of-42 passes for 385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Derek Swartfager leads the ground game with 151 yards on 29 carries and two scores. Black's top two receivers are Mike Switzer (nine catches for 243 yards for an eye-popping 27 yards per reception) and Kyle Rhoads.
"Our skill people came back and we thought if we got some linemen in there, we could do some things," said Nellis. "We haven't done as much as I'd like, but we're getting there."
The Gremlins are coming off a 42-0 drubbing of Clarion-Limestone, getting touchdowns from six different players.
The Gremlins (3-0, 1-0) have been bolstered by their running back-by-committee as 14 different players have carried the ball, and the top four rushers, Josh Stimac (135 yards), Stephon Conto (116), Brett Green (103) and Markus Lavan (72), have each scored two touchdowns apiece.
"What stands out about Karns City is that they're solid all the way around," said Nellis. "(Anthony) Stimac at quarterback, he makes a lot of things happen.
"You don't hear anyone's name, but that shows how solid they are. You have to be a balanced defense,"Nellis added.
Still, Conto is guardedly optimistic about his team.
"We're still not her yet," said Conto. "We're playing so many darn kids. We held Josh Callender out, nothing major, and Chris Price and Ben Pyle played for the first time this year.
"They made some mistakes, but we have players going in and out. We're playing three tailbacks and two fullbacks, two split ends and three flankers.
"We need everyone on the same page. We're getting better and better," Conto added.
