LOYSBURG, Bedford County — Even the dreaded turnover bug could not derail the Karns City football team Friday night.

The Gremlins overcame four giveaways, rushing for 371 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-14 PIAA Class AA first-round playoff win over Chestnut Ridge at Northern Bedford High School.

The victory sends KC (12-1) to the state quarterfinals where they will face either Aliquippa or South Fayette at 1 p.m. next Saturday at Clarion University.

Though the turnovers concerned Gremlins' coach Ed Conto, he was pleased to see his team rebound from the miscues.

“Coming into the game, we thought the weather would be bad and a few turnovers would occur because of that,” he said. “Actually, the weather wasn't bad.

“I think some of the turnovers (which included three fumbles) were due to our guys spinning, fighting for extra yardage and sticking the ball out from their bodies.”

The Gremlins forced three turnovers themselves, the second of which came when Dakota Mohney intercepted Lions' quarterback Beau Bosch at KC's 20-yard line with nine minutes left in the game.

Already leading 21-14, the Gremlins embarked on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, capped with Maverick Kelsea's 15-yard scoring run.

KC offensive lineman Ben Ealy helped keep the drive alive when he recovered a fumble at his team's 45.

Six different players carried the ball on the march.

“You can't focus on just one player for them,” said Chestnut Ridge coach Max Shoemaker of the Gremlins. “They just keep coming after you.”

KC received a boost from the return of junior running back Tristan Rhoades, who missed a few games this year with a concussion. He was scheduled to play in last week's District 9 Class AA title clash with Kane, but was injured in practice a few days prior to the game.

On Friday, Rhoades recovered a key fumble that set up his own 6-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. He finished the game with 91 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns.

“He's a special athlete,” Conto said of Rhoades. “He's fast and can make things happen, even when it looks like nothing is there.”

Rhoades was one of four Gremlins to rush for at least 65 yards, Wyatt Everetts (119), Zach Moore (89) and Adam Whited (65) being the others.

“Our guys up front were firing off the line tonight and did a great job,” Rhoades said. “It just felt good to be back on the field.”

Karns City's first turnover — on an errant pitch from quarterback Tyler Kepple to Ethan Conto in the first quarter — set up the game's first score.

Trent Crouse recovered for the Lions (9-4) at Karns City's 24.

Four plays later, Crouse found paydirt from five yards out for a 7-0 lead.

But KC, which had gained just four total yards in its first three possessions, hit its stride late in the opening period.

Moore rumbled for 19 yards to set the Gremlins up at their own 48. Three plays later, Everetts took a pitch to the left side, broke a tackle in the secondary and raced for a 49-yard touchdown.

“The first few drives of the game, we were trying to figure out what they (Lions) were doing on defense,” said Conto. “We have a lot of talented backs and they have been weapons all year for us.”

Moore added a scoring run for a 14-7 lead at halftime and Rhoades' fumble recovery and subsequent touchdown in the third period gave the Gremlins a firm grip on victory with a two-touchdown lead.

But before KC could celebrate, it had to deal with two final turnovers.

Late in the third quarter, Everetts coughed up the ball deep in his own end and Bosch recovered at the Gremlin 7.

The senior quarterback scored on a short touchdown run three plays later and the Lions' deficit was just 21-14.

On Karns City's ensuing drive, Whited put the ball on the ground and Chestnut Ridge took over on its own 37.

But Mohney stepped up with his interception of a ball intended for Noah Osman down the left sideline and the Gremlins began putting the finishing touches on a state playoff victory.

“We scored two touchdowns off of turnovers tonight,” said Shoemaker. “Obviously, we would like to have scored more. Talent-wise, we aren't the best team, but our kids play hard.”

The Gremlins' defense held a potent Chestnut Ridge ground attack to a paltry 62 yards on 33 carries.

“Karns City's defense really played well,” added Shoemaker. “They gave us a lot of different looks tonight that we weren't expecting.”

Karns City 35, Chestnut Ridge 14

Karns City 0 14 7 14 — 35

Chestnut Ridge 7 0 7 0 — 14

KC CR

22 First Downs 8

54-371 Rushes-Yards 33-62

71 Passing Yards 89

8-15-1 Comp.-Att.-Int 7-15-2

442 Total Yards 151

4-3 Fumbles-Lost 1-1

3-25 Penalty Yards 6-35

First Quarter

CR — Trent Crouse 5 run (Sean Vanmeter kick), 5:53

Second Quarter

KC — Wyatt Everetts 49 run (Zach Moore kick), 11:12

KC — Moore 6 run (Moore kick), 2:54

Third Quarter

KC — Tristan Rhoades 6 run (Moore kick), 6:28

CR— Beau Bosch 2 run (Vanmeter kick), 2:16

Fourth Quarter

KC — Maverick Kelsea 15 run (Moore kick), 3:48

KC — Rhoades 13 run (Moore kick), :53

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Karns City, Adam Whited 12-65, Dakota Mohney 3-4, Tyler Kepple 2-4, Wyatt Everetts 11-119, Christian Turner 1-3, Zach Moore 9-89, Tristan Rhoades 10-91, Ethan Conto 1-3, Maverick Kelsea 1-15, Team 4-(-22). Chestnut Ridge, Matt Wiley 9-15, Beau Bosch 18-35, Trent Crouse 2-6, Tyler Wiley 4-6.

Passing: Karns City, Tyler Kepple 8-15-71-1. Chestnut Ridge, Beau Bosch 7-15-89-2.

Receiving: Karns City, Logan Moroney 2-13, Tristan Rhoades 1-7, Wyatt Everetts 1-12, Dakota Mohney 3-28, Adam Whited 1-11. Chestnut Ridge, Tanner College 4-54, Noah Osman 2-40, Trent Lohr 1-(-5).