ST. MARYS — St. Marys coach Joe Schlimm saw a listless offense coming off the field at halftime.

It found a second life in the second half, however.

Quarterback Brad Yetzer engineered a pair of scoring drives in the third quarter to help lift the Flying Dutchmen to a 28-20 KSAC victory Friday.

"Tony DeFilippi, our offensive coordinator, had a great game plan," said Schlimm. "We went to the passing game to set up the run."

"It's the same old story," said Gremlins coach Ed Conto. "We play hard but not execute. We've been inconsistent. There are times we dominate and times we don't know what to do."

Karns City limited St. Marys (6-3, 2-2) to 63 yards in the first half and enjoyed a 12-7 halftime lead.

Yetzer, however, led the Dutchmen on a 10-play, 67-yard drive to open the third quarter.

"We didn't need to change anything," said Conto. "We just needed to line up and tackle."

Yetzer's three completions all resulted in first downs, including a 23-yard catch by Brian Merritt on third-and-9 and a 16-yard completion on third-and-10, the latter set up St. Marys at the KC 10.

Two plays later, Kevin Hoy scored from 3 yards out to give St. Marys the lead.

"Those three or four passes really were the key to the football game," said Schlimm. "Brad's a veteran kid, a senior and an excellent player."

Yetzer finished with 129 yards on 9-of-13 passing

On its next possession, St. Marys scored again, this time on a 11-play, 61-yard drive that was capped by a 32-yard catch-and-run by Merritt.

Scott Barber's extra point gave the Dutchmen a 20-12 advantage.

The Gremlins answered with a score of their own to tie the game.

Facing a third-and-10 at his own 42, KC quarterback Dylan Hipple connected with Tyler Marsinetti on a 36-yard strike to put the ball on the Dutch 22.

Five plays later, Glenn Toy scored from 12 yards out and Marsinetti scored the 2-point conversion on a reverse handoff with 11:03 to play.

Unfortunately for the Gremlins, St. Marys replied with a 71-yard TD run by Merritt, who led the Dutchmen in rushing yards (85) and receiving (three for 72 yards).

Yetzer added a conversion run after a botched snap on the extra point.

Karns City drove to the SM 36 yard, but Merrill drilled Hipple, forcing a fumble that the Dutchmen recovered with a little over five minutes remaining.

St. Marys ran out the clock to ensure the win.

"It's great to have that balance on offense," said Schlimm, whose team will miss the District 9 Class AAA playoffs. "When you're able to do that, you can open up your offense."

Karns City opened the game with a 14-play drive, but Adam Garing's 22-yard field goal attempt failed.

St. Marys then mounted a 12-play drive, but turned the ball over on downs.

On the ensuing play, the Dutchmen's Darren Lyon intercepted Hipple and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

Karns City followed with a 12-play drive, capped by a Tyler Slagle 14-yard run.

Slagle tacked on another score with 49 seconds left in the first half when St. Marys fumbled on its own 5-yard line while trying to run out the clock.

"If we execute things in the first half, we wouldn't make it hard on ourselves," said Conto. "If you let them hang around and hang around, they'll get back in."