KARNS CITY — It was a battle to the end between Karns City and visiting Punxsutawney, and in the end it was the home team that came away with the victory.

The Gremlins kicked a field goal with 15 seconds remaining to edge the Chucks, 17-14.

“It was the outcome I was expecting,” Karns City head coach Ed Conto said, referring to the close game. “We're pretty evenly matched, so I was pleased we pulled it out at the end.”

The winning kick came off the foot of junior Zach Moore, a 32-yarder.

“I went in there with a clear mind,” said Moore, “and kicked it right through.”

Moore admitted he was nervous, but his teammates were there to calm him down.

“Everyone was coming up to me and saying, 'Just clear your mind, you can do this,' and I was like, 'I can do this. I can do this.' I went in there with a clear mind,” Moore said.

It might have come as a surprise to kick in that situation and not play for overtime, mainly because the Gremlins haven't had much success in the kicking game as of late, but Moore knew his coach had confidence in him.

A 17-yard punt by Christian Falgout set the Gremlins up with another chance to take advantage of a shorter field. And that is exactly what they had in mind, as on the third play of the drive, Moore took a handoff from quarterback Tyler Kepple, found a hole and was off to the races. It was 7-0 Karns City at the 8:32 mark of the opening quarter.

With 8:47 remaining in the first half, the Chucks got the ball back with a chance to get a score before the break. They chewed all but 44 seconds off the clock as they put together a 17-play scoring drive that started from their own 21.

The drive was capped off by an 8-yard pass from Garrett Zimmerman to Jamie Bush. It looked as if the possession would be a three-and-out, but on third down the Gremlins were flagged for offsides. That penalty, plus a solid running attack, fueled the drive for the Chucks. The score was even at halftime, 7-7.

Punxsutawney looked to carry that momentum back to the field in the second half as it opened up with the ball. But a bad decision by Zimmerman was costly for the Chucks as Matt Conto intercepted the ball inside the Chucks' 40.

“We made too many mistakes,” Punxsutawney head coach Alan Nichol said. “They're Karns City, and when you come down here, you've got to play well or you're not going to win.”

Nichol pinpointed a late game fumble as one of those costly mistakes.

The Chucks had the ball with less than six minutes to play with the game tied at 14. They did a nice job of moving the ball consistently. As Punxsutawney was approaching midfield, Jamie Bush put the ball on the ground with 5:05 remaining and Gremlin defender Dalton Bly was there for the pickup.

It was the third turnover of the second half for the Chucks, but they were able to stay in the game due to Karns City's inability to come away with any points on the previous two turnovers.

“If you get turnovers you got to capitalize on that, and we didn't,” Conto said. “We're good for two out of three big plays then we let something happen, You have to be consistent.”

Following the fumble recovery, the Gremlins ran the clock down to 15 seconds before Moore kicked the eventual game-winner.

Two incompletions for Punxsutawney ran the clock out and the game was over.

Injuries and youth on the team is something that has been an issue with Karns City this season.

“We're really struggling health wise. This is probably the worst health situation I've ever had, so I'm really proud these kids were able to hang in there and win that football game,” Conto said.

Leading the way for the Gremlins on offense was Wyatt Everetts. He rushed for 115 yards on 11 carries. Moore did his part as well, rushing for 55 yards and a touchdown on three carries.

Karns City (5-2, 3-0) will take on Oil City at Karns City High School on Friday.