Karns City football is rounding into shape after grinding down DuBois to get to 5-0
KARNS CITY — Karns City’s passing attack is something opposing teams must account for, with quarterback Cole Johnston and receiver Owen Kaufman hooking up for nearly 33 yards per completion this season.
But the Gremlins traditionally take pride in their ground game and reminded everyone Friday night it is alive and well.
Stuck in a tie at 14 with DuBois Area on Friday, the Gremlins began a drive at their own 20-yard line with 37 seconds left in the third quarter.
The rushing attack gained all 80 yards, capped when receiver Kaufman took a handoff and raced the final 17, beating a DuBois defensive back to the left pylon, for what turned out to be the deciding score in a 20-14 victory at Karns City’s Diehl Stadium.
The Gremlins (5-0, 3-0 District 9, Region 1) attempted one pass on the 12-play drive, an incompletion on a first-and-10 from their own 42. Otherwise, it was a heavy dose of Kaufman, Bryce Galan, Tyson Frazer and Johnston chewing up yards on the ground, picking up five first downs in the process.
“We were kind of pinned in our own end to start that drive and began with runs just to be safe,” KC coach Joe Sherwin said. “We had some passing plays open to us, but the running game was working so well, we stuck with it.
“Our offensive line began the season with a lot of inexperience (just one returning starter), but it’s coming into its own. They’re starting to jell.”
Left tackle Jesse King is one of the first-year starters.
“We knew we had to go out and get after our guys,” he said of the blocking assignments on the late scoring drive. “We haven’t been perfect, but we’ve played well.”
The line paved the way to 215 rushing yards on 31 carries against the Beavers (3-2, 2-1), who had a chance late to grab a victory.
The point-after attempt following Kaufman’s score was blocked, and the Gremlins’ defense was sent out to protect a six-point lead.
Trying to avoid a big kickoff return from Hayat Muhammad, who had scored on a 92-yard punt return in the second quarter, the Gremlins elected to kick the ball short.
Muhammad still managed to get his hands on the ball, however, and set his team up at KC’s 47.
The Beavers drove to the Gremlins’ 8, where they faced a fourth-and-inches. Quarterback Seth Wilmoth couldn’t handle the snap, and KC recovered the fumble at the line of scrimmage with just over a minute left in the game.
The Gremlins ran out the clock to seal KC’s first win over DuBois in five tries. Three of the four losses had come in shootouts, with the Gremlins coming up empty despite scoring 121 points.
“In recent years, DuBois had a really good passing game,” Sherwin said. “This is a different type of offense they’re running now. We knew No. 44 (running back London Duncan) was a player we had to focus on.”
Duncan was averaging 90 yards per game coming in but met stiff resistance from KC’s defense. He was held to just 67 yards on 22 carries.
DuBois opened the scoring when Wilmoth hit Muhammad with a 12-yard TD pass late in the first quarter.
The Gremlins answered immediately when Kaufman took a short pass from Johnston, broke two tackles along his own sideline and turned in a 72-yard scoring play.
The extra point was blocked, the first of two on the night.
“I believe those were our first two kicks blocked this season,” Sherwin said. “It’s something we need to look at, figure out what we need to clean up.”
Muhammad’s punt return put the Beavers back on top with 3:22 left in the first half, but Johnston’s 13-yard scoring run, followed by his plunge for two points, knotted the score at 14 before halftime.
Five personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called in the first two periods, four of them on the Gremlins.
“We’re a physical team and play to the whistle, but we have to be smarter than we were tonight,” Sherwin said.
Galan picked off a pass from Wilmoth to halt a DuBois drive in the second quarter, the defensive back’s third interception of the season.
KC travels to Central Clarion in Week 6.
DuBois Area 7 7 0 0 — 14
Karns City 6 8 0 6 — 20
First Quarter
DA — Hayat Muhammad 12 pass from Seth Wilmoth (Maddox Barnes kick), 1:31
KC — Owen Kaufman 72 pass from Cole Johnston (kick blocked), :43
Second Quarter
DA — Muhammad 92 punt return (Barnes kick), 3:22
KC — Johnston 13 run (Johnston run), 1:24
Fourth Quarter
KC — Kaufman 17 run (kick blocked), 5:58
Individual Statistics
Rushing: DuBois Area, London Duncan 22-67, Dalton Reasinger 10-27, Seth Wilmoth 3-6. Karns City, Bryce Galan 9-76, Tyson Frazer 6-14, Owen Kaufman 5-55, Cole Johnston 11-70.
Passing: DuBois Area, Seth Wilmoth 8-17-67-1. Karns City, Cole Johnston 8-14-143-1.
Receiving: DuBois Area, Hayat Muhammad 3-30, Josiah Brackman 3-32, Avion Bell 2-5. Karns City, Owen Kaufman 4-98, Keagan Schrecengost 1-18, Tyson Frazer 1-(-1), Brock Dittman 1-22, Jacob Huff 1-6.
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Karns City's Bryce Galan (25) celebrates after a play in a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City players pile on top of a DuBois ball carrier in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Cole Johnston (7) leaps over a DuBois defender in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Owen Kaufman (24) carries the ball down the sideline to the endzone for a touchdown in a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Cole Johnston (7) carries the ball in a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Jesse King (79) leads a takedown of DuBois's London Duncan (44) in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Karns City cheer team perform on the sideline during a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Bryce Galan (25) carries the ball in a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Eli Ross (59) reacts after a play in a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Owen Kaufman (24) attempts to break free from a tackle by DuBois's Michael Briggs (17) in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Cole Johnston (7) falls into the endzone for a 2-point conversion in a football game against DuBois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Bryce Galan (25) is brought down by DuBois's Keegan Gregory (7) in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Owen Kaufman (24) runs the ball in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City fans watch the game from the bleachers in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Bryce Galan (25) receives a kick during a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Karns City band perform during halftime in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Tyson Frazer (8) runs the ball in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Jacob Huff (15) and other members of the team listen to the National Anthem before a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Karns City band perform during halftime in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City football head coach Joe Sherwin watches the game from the sideline in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Cole Johnston (7) lines up a pass in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's David Clingensmith (66) leads the team onto the field before a football game against Dubois Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Bryce Galan (25) runs the ball in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Cole Johnston (7) throws a pass to Tyson Frazer (8) in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Brock Dittman (84) comes in for a kick off in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Karns City's Bryce Galan (25) carries the ball down the sideline in a football game Friday, Sept, 25, 2026, at Karns City's Diehl Stadium. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
