KSAC Crown
KARNS CITY — Karns City took advantage of four first-half turnovers by Brookville on its way to a 42-6 victory at Diehl Stadium Friday night.
“We had five turnovers and we lost by five touchdowns,” Brookville coach Chris Dworek said. “We moved the ball well, but when you turn it over that many times you're not going to win football games.”
Zach Moore returned the opening kickoff for Karns City to its 46-yard line.
The Gremlins moved the ball into Brookville territory in four plays and then quarterback Tyler Kepple hit Wyatt Everetts with a 31-yard pass for the first touchdown of the night.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders fumbled the ball and the Gremlins recovered at the Brookville 20.
It took just four plays for Karns City to take advantage of the turnover as Moore ran up the middle of the Raiders defense to the 1 and Adam Whited finished the drive off, scoring on the next play. The score put Karns City up 14-0 four minutes into the game.
Brookville moved the ball for a first down on each of the first two plays of its next possession, but fumbled on the third play of the drive and the Gremlins recovered it again.
The Gremlins took over at the Brookville 42 and moved down the field in six plays with Moore finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Karns City up 21-0 late in the first quarter.
“I was pleased with effort tonight,” Karns City coach Ed Conto said. “When a guy's number was called, they produced tonight.”
Needing to respond, Brookville put together a nice nine-play drive, moving the ball into Karns City territory, but the drive ended when Ethan Conto intercepted Bobby McGranor at the Gremlins' 25 on the last play of the first quarter.
On the initial play of the ensuing drive, Dakota Mohney broke off a nice 38-yard run down the sideline to get the Gremlins onto the Brookville side of the field.
The drive ended, though, on a missed field goal five plays later.
Brookville was again able to move the ball into Karns City territory after Zach Vroman broke loose for a 29-yard run. But two plays later, the Raiders fumbled again and Karns City recovered.
Karns City again capitalized on the miscue and moved the ball in eight plays, capped off by a Mohney 7-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first half to put the Gremlins up 28-0.
Brookville got on the board in the second half, taking the opening possession 77 yards in seven plays, finished off by a Jonah Sampson 16-yard run.
The Gremlins responded on the following drive when Kepple found a wide-open Logan Moroney for a 28-yard touchdown.
Kepple completed 13-of-19 pass attempts for 164 yards.
Karns City added another touchdown in the fourth when Everetts scored from a yard out for his second touchdown of the night.
“This was a hard-hitting football game,” Conto said. “The score wasn't indicative of how hard each team played tonight.”
The win brings Karns City to 8-1 on the year and it also secured the KSAC Large conference championship.
“That's always the goal,” Conto said. “Some years you get there, some years you don't. I'm pleased with our group of kids and proud of the effort they give us.”
