NEW BETHLEHEM - Bryce Miller gave Karns City the break it was looking for in Saturday's District 9 Class AA football playoff game Saturday.

Then, he took it back.

After fumbling a punt return that allowed the Gremlins to tie the score midway through the second quarter, the Redbank Valley senior ripped off a 77-yard scoring run with 43 seconds left before the half that helped send the Bulldogs to a 35-14 victory.

Miller finished the game with 163 yards on 13 carries while Skylar Smith added 135 yards and three second-half scores to help the Bulldogs pull away.

"That (run) was big," said Redbank coach Ed Wasilowski. "It gave us some momentum for the second half."

"We let them out," said Karns City coach Ed Conto.

The Bulldogs held a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after quarterback Jason Smith found Brandon Johnston in the right front corner of the end zone between two Gremlins defenders.

Karns City went three plays and out on its first four possessions before they took advantage of Miller's gaffe.

Miller's drop of a Karns City punt set up the Gremlins at the Redbank 40.

Josh Fiscus helped shoulder the load on the eight-play drive, carrying five times for 32 yards.

However, the drive was capped when Fiscus took the handoff from quarterback Steve Black, then took a couple of steps forward before tossing a 4-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Black in the left side of the end zone to even the score.

After forcing Redbank to punt after three plays, the game saw five turnovers in the next 3½ minutes.

Fiscus fumbled the ball away, but then Black intercepted Davis two plays later. Then Black was intercepted by Johnston two plays later.

Them, Johnston fumbled on Redbank's second play, which was recovered by Fiscus.

Then, inside one minute before halftime, Fiscus fumbled, recovered by Brock Reed at the Redbank 23.

On the ensuing play, Miller scored to give the Bulldogs a lead they would not surrender. A pair of offside penalties on the Gremlins on the extra point attempt allowed Redbank to score on a conversion run by White for a 15-7 halftime lead.

Karns City attempted 15 passes - 13 by Black - in the first half while rushing 18 times.

"I thought they'd throw the ball," said Wasilowski, "but I think we confused Black, a junior. When they did that, it did give them things on the run," he added.

"With Steve, we feel confident," said Conto. "He makes good decisions and when they stick eight or nine in the box and we have two good wideouts (David Black and Kyle Texter), you take advantage of it."

In the second half, Redbank scored on its first three possessions, all sustained drives going for 65, 70 and 58 yards, respectively.

"You hear people talk about putting seven or eight in a box?" asked Wasilowski. "We're getting nine in the box and we're still doing well.

"Brandon, Bryce and Skyler, the way everyone plays us … if we break those two levels, they're gone They're so fast. If they get to the crease, they're gone," Wasilowski added.

The first drive came on the opening series when Skyler Smith scored on a 1-yard run with 9:21 left in the third quarter. His 31-yard run highlighted the drive.

Karns City, however, answered with a scoring drive of its own when Fiscus bulled his way from 10 yards out with 6:20 left in the period to pull the Gremlins to within 22-14.

Again, Fiscus carried five times for 52 yards and added a 7-yard reception on the drive.

"Fiscus ran really hard (Saturday)," said Conto.

Wasilowski agreed.

"They did a great job. Josh looked a lot better running. Last time he was on a bad field," he said.

The rest of the game belonged to Redbank Valley as Skyler Smith capped a 12-play dive with a 5-yard scoring run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Redbank Valley converted all three of its third-down attempts on the drive, needing five, eight and four yards and making each one.

"They did drive us back. You could see it in the second half," said Conto. "Give Redbank credit. They had those long, sustained drives."

Smith added a 9-yard touchdown run with 4:13 remaining to close out the scoring.

Conto was still pleased with his team's effort, which was much improved after a 51-7 loss during the regular season.

"On defense the last couple of weeks, we switched up. We played three sophomores and two freshmen and the guys are doing well. I've been pleased with the effort," he said.

"The kids never quit. The first time, they did. We had a lot of good hitting, very physical. I'm excited about what we have coming back."

Notes:

Fiscus finished with 104 yards on 20 carries. He finished the season with 1,141 yards … The win turned out to be a nice birthday present for Wasilowski, who turned 49 on Sunday … David Black had four catches for 41 yards, giving him 52 receptions and 753 yards receiving for the year.