Learning from the past?
KARNS CITY — There were a lot of lessons to be learned last season when Karns City played WPIAL and eventual-state champion Jeannette in the PIAA Class AA playoffs.
Karns City coach Ed Conto hopes his team was paying attention.
"That game gives us confidence," said Conto, whose team dropped a 35-6 decision, the fewest points scored by the Jayhawks last season. "I don't think Aliquippa is as good as Jeannette, so our kids should not be afraid.
"You don't want to play just to stay with them. Hopefully, our kids can cut loose and not be tentative. We weren't against Jeannette, but once we had a couple of turnovers, it started to slip away,"Conto added.
Friday's game against the Quips (11-2) will be at 7 p.m. at Pine-Richland High School.
The Gremlins are coming off a 32-14 victory over District 5 champion North Star at Clarion University Saturday.
Quarterback Anthony Stimac rushed for 138 yards on five carries, including a 59-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Jake Wagner added a pair of scoring runs while Josh Stimac and Aaron Markle also scored touchdowns as the Gremlins totaled 320 rushing yards on 39 carries.
As usual, Conto gave his players two days off, so the team did not hit the practice field until Tuesday, when they were greeted by a fresh blanket of snow that covered the turf.
"You have to give the body a chance to rest," said Conto. "Hopefully we'll come out and not let the win go to our heads."
The Quips avenged a regular-season loss by beating Beaver Falls 8-6 in the WPIAL championship game at Heinz Field Saturday.
"I've seen four tapes on them," said Conto. "They are a running team with a big-play passing game.
"Their quarterback (Rasheem Jones) throws deep or he gets the ball to their backs on a screen, and they have the athleticism to turn it into a big play," Conto added.
The Gremlins have big-play capabilities of their own, led by Anthony Stimac, who has completed 58 of 128 passes for 903 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He has rushed for 904 yards on 96 carries with 15 touchdowns, followed by Markus LaVan (633 yards, four TD), Josh Stimac (474 yards, five TD), Josh Callender (371 yards, four TD), Wagner (326, four TD) and Levi Buck (231, 5 TD).
In all, 20 different players have carried the ball at least once, with 11 scoring at least one touchdown. The team is averaging 7.8 yards per carry (450 carries for 3,503 yards and 43 touchdowns).
The Gremlins have continued their strong play against top echelon teams, reeling off four straight victories against opponents with a combined 37-4 record: Wilmington (9-0) to close out the regular season, then Kane (8-2), Moniteau (10-1) and North Star (10-1) in the playoffs.
Conto has talked about how his team still hasn't played its best football game yet, although it's getting there.
"I think we still can," said Conto. "When we played Moniteau the second time, we played a darn good game. We need that consistency."
