KARNS CITY — “You'll get your chance.”

That's the mantra of the Karns City running backs.

When the Gremlins' runners — some speedy and quick, some strong and bullish — do get the football, they have usually made the most of it.

“On any other team, we could all be 1,000-yard rushers,” said senior fullback Zach Moore. “But I like this a lot. You never know which of us is going to break out — or all of us. It's hard to play against us because you can't key on any of us.”

The committee approach has served the Gremlins well over the years under coach Ed Conto.

“If you don't have the talent, you can't do it,” Conto said. “We've been fortunate in recent years to have plenty of effective running backs.

“I like to get as many kids on the field as possible. There's plenty of sports to choose from these days and you keep kids interested in football if they know they're going to get playing time.”

It's been particularly effective this season for Karns City (12-1), which will play WPIAL champion South Fayette (13-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Clarion University in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals.

The numbers have been gaudy:

The Gremlins have rushed for 3,784 yards on 459 carries this season. That's 8.2 yards per attempt.

Karns City has scored 55 rushing touchdowns. Eleven players have found the end zone at least once.

Seven players have rushed for at least 200 yards. The leading rusher? Tristan Rhoades with 680 on a mere 55 carries.

“Each player compliments each other,” said senior wingback Wyatt Everetts, who has 621 yards rushing and has scored nine TDs. “You play on a team for the good of the team. We congratulate each other. We block for each other. We stay fresh. It's so much fun.”

Forget the four horsemen, Karns City has seven of them.

“They all bring something different to the table. Each has his own running style,” Conto said.

Because a running-back-by-committee system is all kids growing up in the Karns City school district know, when they reach the high school level they are prepared for it.

“We've been playing that way since the Blue Devil days in midget football,” said senior fullback Adam Whited. “Growing up, you learn that.”

And accept it.

When any one of these runners do get their number called, they are ready for it.

“It builds the excitement for when you do get the ball,” said Rhoades, a junior. “You just hit it as hard as you can. In the huddle you say do your job and I'll do mine.”

Everyone has done their job this season for the Gremlins. All the runners point to the offensive line as the key to all of their success.

Like the running backs, the line, too, has a lot of depth with tackles and guards rotating in and out at times.

The depth comes in handy during a long football season.

“The line has been just amazing,” Rhoades said. “They've done a great job.”

“We all block for each other,” Moore said. “We all have different running styles. Tristan is fast, Wyatt is quick and can run people over, too, Adam means a lot to us with his relentless running style and his blocking and line has blocked and made holes for us.”

Moore also mentioned the other runners who have made an impact when they have been in the game, players like Maverick Kelsea, who scored a touchdown against Chestnut Ridge last week, Collin Dunmyre, who has rushed for 203 yards in limited action, and Dakota Mohney, a dangerous receiver who also has added 386 yards and seven TDs on the ground.

“Dakota is a hard runner and he just has a tenacity to win,” said Moore, who has also offered advice to the younger runners with a familiar refrain.

“You'll get your chance,” he said.

In Karns City, they always do.