Don’t tell the Karns City girls soccer team that they are good … for District 9.

It’s a sore spot with the Gremlins. And, as we all know, you don’t want to make a Gremlin angry.

“We do get a lot of criticism because of who we play (in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference),” said Karns City senior forward Breann Wood, who scored her 100th career goal Monday night. “But look at our non-conference schedule and some of the teams we have played. Freeport. Hickory. Slippery Rock. Those are good teams that will hopefully get us prepared come playoff time.”

In many ways, Karns City is at the mercy of their league and their district. It’s not the Gremlins’ fault they have to play teams like Keystone – and beat them 20-0. It’s not their fault they have to play teams like the Forest Fires – and torch them.

It’s a league game and they have to play the teams on their schedule.

They can’t go all Notre Dame and become independent.

It doesn’t work that way.

Instead, they have to seize the opportunities to play challenging teams when they present themselves, like Saturday against Hickory.

Karns City squared off against the unbeaten Hornets and pulled out a 2-1 overtime win. It shows these Gremlins may be a threat, not only in winning back-to-back District 9 titles, but to make a run in the state playoffs.

Karns City has always run into a buzz saw once they get to the PIAA tournament. Last year, the Gremlins fell to Greensburg Central Catholic 7-2. Two years before that, they lost to Springdale 6-0.

“This senior class has some high hopes,” said Karns City coach Lisa Castiglione. “But we can’t look past District 9.”

That won’t be a problem with this senior class. They have grown up together and went through the pain of losing the D-9 title game two years ago to Curwensville, before coming back to beat the Golden Tide last year.

“We still have so much to prove,” Wood said.

They have plenty of firepower with which to prove their point.

Wood, the defending Butler Eagle Girls Soccer Player of the Year, isn’t the only threat on offense. Junior Emily LoPresti leads the team in goals this season and had the game-winner in overtime to beat Hickory. The Gremlins also have a solid defense and a goalkeeper in Morgan Deal who is seasoned and determined.

And they all get along, which is often overlooked.

KC just may prove the naysayers wrong this year, the ones who think there is no way a District 9 soccer team can win a state playoff game, the ones who think playing in such a weak league can’t possibly prepare a team for what they will see at the state level.

But these Gremlins may be good … for any district.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.