KC wins with stingy defense
KARNS CITY — This defense is worthy of a nickname.
The "Purple Curtain." The "Purple People Eaters." Or perhaps "Gang Gremlins."
No matter what the name, the Karns City High defense is keeping running offenses in the red.
In the last three weeks, the Gremlins have held their opponents to minus-15, seven and minus-42 rushing yards.
Teams are averaging only 30 yards on the ground per game against Karns City. Throw out sacks and negative yardage on special teams miscues, and the number is still a paltry 56 yards per contest and 1.3 yards per carry.
When senior linebacker Jake Wagner looks at the stat sheet after each game, he reacts the same way.
"Big 'ol smile," Wagner said.
Not bad for a defensive unit that had to retool after 23 seniors from the 2008 team graduated.
Not bad for a unit that had more question marks than an SAT exam.
"I think everyone used it to their advantage in the offseason," said senior linebacker Carrick Harp, who leads the team with 44 tackles. "We came in and everyone was working hard."
While Wagner said the Gremlins didn't exactly use the lower expectations from pundits as motivation, it did keep them focused.
No one wanted to let the KC tradition slip, he said.
"Yeah, we're a young team," Wagner said. "But we're Karns City. We grow up with each other and we know we can win games."
While the offense has been steady, it has been the defense that has carried the Gremlins to a 6-0 record heading into a big Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference clash with Clarion Friday.
The Gremlins have coughed up some points and some big plays at times, but many have come against the second- and third-team defenses.
"We're basically shut the running games down so they've had to pass," said Karns City coach Ed Conto. "Like they say, you have to take something away. In high school football, if you take away the physical end, the kids are more likely to respond. Giving up a big pass play doesn't deflate us as much as if someone goes 15 plays down your throat and pushes you around."
No one has pushed this unit around.Karns City has surrendered only two rushing touchdowns, which came from 1 and 2 yards out.The defense has been evolving for years under Conto and defensive coordinator Brian Markle.Some of the things the Gremlins do on defense took as long as three years to hone.What also helps is the fact that the same defensive scheme is employed from youth leagues all the way up to the high school level."It is a very difficult defense. It can blow up on us," Conto said. "It's an attacking defense and you can get in trouble if kids start freelancing. There are two things that are key to this defense. No. 1, it's a team defense — everyone has his assignment. No. 2, it has taken years to put together."Ultimately, the players determine how successful Conto and Markle's strategy is.That isn't lost on Wagner or Harp."It's not one or two guys making plays," Harp said. "It's the team.""We can't get big heads, that's all," Wagner added. "We have to keep doing what we are doing."What they are doing is stuffing opponents and being physical while doing it.All in a days work for the "Killer Gs.""We have to go into the game thinking we are the biggest, baddest, most physical team out there," Wagner said.
