KC’s Cramer opts for Edinboro
KARNS CITY — Robbed of nearly half of his high school football career due to injuries, Karns City senior Luke Cramer made up for lost time during his senior season.
The Gremlins’ running back-linebacker recently signed a letter of intent to continue his academic and football career at Edinboro University. The Fighting Scots recruited him as an edge rusher.
“I’m looking forward to playing that role,” the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Cramer said. “I feel like it suits my game. I like the style of football Edinboro plays. That’s one of the reasons I;m going there.”
Cramer, who plans to major in exercise science, also considered Slippery Rock and Geneva.
He broke his tibia during a basketball workout prior to his freshman year at Karns City and missed all of that football season. Cramer tore his ACL two games into his junior football season and missed the rest of that campaign.
“I know Luke’s anxious to continue playing. He hasn’t reached his potential yet,” KC football coach Joe Sherwin said. “There’s always some apprehension coming back from an ACL injury and it took him a while to feel totally comfortable on the field last year.”
Cramer said he didn’t feel like he was all the way back physically “until the last couple of games of the season. I just fought my way through the other games.”
He wound up rushing for 1,001 yards and scored 19 touchdowns for the Gremlins, leading the team in both categories. He also led KC with 72 tackles from his linebacker position.
“I know I have to get faster to succeed at the next level,” Cramer said. “It’s all about speed, speed, speed. I want to get stronger, too, get up to 260 pounds or so while keeping my agility.
“I definitely want to get on the field as a freshman, somehow, some way. I like the direction Edinboro’s program is headed and I want to take part in that turnaround.”
Jake Nulph is 12-20 overall, 6-15 in PSAC play through three years as the Scots’ head coach. Edinboro is coming off a 3-8 season, 1-6 in PSAC West play.
Cramer is one of 37 new recruits Edinboro has signed on this offseason.
“The PSAC is such a competitive league, so many good teams,” Cramer said. “Most games are decided by one or two scores, so I don’t really use their record to judge where they are.
“They had a lot of injuries last year, too. I believe Edinboro is very close to turning the corner.”
Cramer becomes the third Butler County-area football player to join the Scots’ defensive line. Braiden Reich (Slippery Rock) and Landon Chalmers (A-C Valley) are sophomore defensive tackles on the team.
Besides playing football at Karns City, Cramer is a member of the Gremlins’ KSAC championship boys basketball team and competes on the track and field team. He runs the 100 and 200 meters, a leg of the 4x100 relay and throws the javelin.
“Luke is such a versatile athlete,” Sherwin said. “Edinboro is the perfect fit for him. They like aggressive, hungry football players and Luke fills that bill. I know he’s going to continue to develop as a player because I know he’s going to work at it.”
