Two-time defending District 9 football champs Karns City, Redbank Valley meeting Friday night
NEW BETHLEHEM — It will be a heavyweight non-conference bout typically reserved for when the stakes are at their highest. That type of feel is exactly what Redbank Valley coach Blane Gold has been looking for since the last time his team played under such pressure.
In welcoming reigning District 9 Class 2A champion Karns City in on Friday night, the 2021 state runner-up Bulldogs will gain something valuable, regardless of the outcome.
“When we left Hershey in December, we lost a dogfight,” Gold said of his side’s PIAA Class A title game clash with Bishop Guilfoyle this past winter. “Our kids played well. We won the turnover battle; we had less penalties. They played a good game.”
What stood out the most to Gold was the manner in which his team’s opponent got there. The Marauders closed the regular season with a 6-4 record.
“They played such a challenging schedule,” he said. “When I walked off that field, I couldn’t help but think to myself that, if our kids would have had one or two, maybe, dogfights during the regular season, maybe we would’ve been able to deliver that final blow.
“We just couldn’t finish.”
Gold returned to his athletic director with a thirst for the sensation of a big game earlier in the calendar. He implored the Bulldogs (1-0) find some stiffer tests in terms of non-conference competition.
The Gremlins (0-1) were on top of the coach’s wish list.
Compared to trampling over a lesser foe, even a closely contested loss to a quality opponent would go much further in conditioning Redbank Valley — the defending District 9 Class A champions — for the difficulties of a deep postseason run, he figures.
“With where we want to go as a program, in my mind, Karns City is the standard of football in District 9,” Gold said. “If we want to try to continue to climb and get to that mountain, we need to play Karns City.
“I even think the casual football fan, how do you not get excited for this matchup?”
Gremlins coach Joe Sherwin feels the same way. For his team, it will be an opportunity to right the ship after a season-opening 28-7 defeat at DuBois Area.
“You’re going up against a team that last year went to the state championship, so that means an awful lot,” Sherwin said. “They provide a lot of things for us to watch on defense. And them, defensively, they’re super aggressive. They fly to the ball.”
The Gremlins gave the ball away three times in their loss last week. The importance of taking care of it is something that can’t be overstated this time around.
“We’re telling our backs to make sure they secure the ball better, keep it high and tight, and we need to make better decisions as far as throwing the ball,” Sherwin said.
Despite the outcome, Gold isn’t buying any stock that suggests a drop-off. He’ll readily remind you that the Gremlins were facing a Class 4A program in the Beavers.
“Karns City, at times, was moving the ball at will,” he said. “Even though it’s new faces and maybe some younger faces, I was still impressed with their ability to run the ball.”
In total, the Gremlins rumbled for 161 yards. Capitalizing on the effort was the issue.
“We had chances to finish drives and we just didn’t,” Sherwin said. “We just didn’t help ourselves much at all.”
Starring senior wideout Micah Rupp, the Gremlins’ aerial threat provides another dimension. Gold’s crew saw that first-hand in 7-on-7s at Armstrong over the summer. With a talented defensive backfield, the Bulldogs will aim to quell that the damage that Karns City’s third-year starting triggerman, Eric Booher, can deal.
Senior captains Aiden Ortz and Tate Minich are returning starters at safety and cornerback, respectively. Juniors Mason Clouse and Ashton Kahle round out the secondary with ample experience, too.
On the other side of the ball, each member of that quartet caught a touchdown last week, as Redbank Valley’s senior quarterback, Cam Wagner, had a near-impeccable showing in the Bulldogs’ opener against Smethport.
In his first start behind center in nearly two years, he completed all but one of his nine passes, flinging the ball 228 yards for five scores — four of which came in the initial frame. By the time the whistle sounded on the first quarter, Gold’s side was up 29-0 on the Hubbers, who only had 16 players suit up for the clash.
“Cam was a razor-thin margin from starting last year,” Gold said. “He actually started and won a state playoff game as a sophomore. He started a district championship game as a freshman. On paper, he’s a guy that’s a first-year quarterback, but he’s a guy that has almost a season’s worth of starts under his belt.”
On defense, Sherwin will count on a consistent pass rush and his linebackers to communicate and disrupt whatever routes they can. On the back end, the Gremlins will mix up coverages, hoping to throw off the Bulldogs’ receiving corps.
One thing is for sure, according to Gold. Karns City won’t stay on the mat for long.
“They can turn it around as quickly as Friday night,” Gold said. “(With) those guys, it’s going to click at some point. We have to do everything in our power to make sure that Friday night isn’t the night.”
