KARNS CITY — Karns City opened the regular season with a dominant victory over St. Marys at Diehl Stadium.

The Gremlins hope to give their home crowd a dose of déjà vu on Friday.

Karns City (9-1) will host the Flying Dutch (6-4) for a District 9 Class AA semifinal at 7 p.m.

The Gremlins throttled St. Marys 42-0 in the season's first game behind the arm of Tyler Kepple, who threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns in just over two quarters of work. Logan Moroney hauled in three passes for 116 yards and a score during the blowout.

Slowing Alex Feldbauer will be essential to the Gremlins executing a repeat performance.

The St. Marys running back missed two games this season, but still racked up 1,289 yards and 15 touchdowns on 191 carries.

“If he gets through the line of scrimmage, he'll lower the boom on your DBs,” said Karns City coach Ed Conto. “He's a strong, hard runner.”

The Gremlins effectively corralled Feldbauer to 70 yards on 17 carries during the Aug. 30 win.

Karns City and St. Marys squared off to begin the regular season and postseason last year, as well. The Gremlins won both matchups on their way to a District 9 championship.

Conto believes the experience from last season can help Karns City make another deep playoff run in 2013.

“I remember in the playoffs last year, in the one game we had three fumbles and an interception,” said Conto. “We didn't have that in the weeks before. I think that was just because young kids are excited. Hopefully, that stuff won't occur.”

Kepple leads a balanced offense for Karns City. The senior has connected on 79-of-127 passes for 1,280 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Moroney and Dakota Mohney have proven to be lethal receiving threats, while Wyatt Everetts, Zach Moore and Adam Whited have helped the Gremlins average 8.3 yards per carry.

Tristan Rhoades led the team in rushing despite missing four games due to injury. The junior is slated to return Friday.

“I don't know how much we'll play him, but he'll be on the field some,” said Conto.

With such a versatile offense, the Gremlins plan to simply take what the defense gives them.

“Honestly, if they decide they're going to back off and play pass, we're going to run like crazy. If they stack the line, we're going to throw,” said Conto. “Our team has done a nice job of that this year. We've been able to have a pretty good balance.”

The Gremlins were one of the final eight teams standing in the state last season, but Karns City has aspirations to go even further.

Conto believes his team's attitude and work ethic could push the Gremlins to another level.

“I really enjoy working with them,” said Conto. “It's a long season to get to this point. It would be fun to make a run at the state championship some year. You never know.

“When it gets to this point, you're tired mentally, physically and all that,” he added. “This is a fun group of kids. They keep us going as a coaching staff.”

Union (4-6)

at Clarion (10-0)

7 p.m., Friday

Last Week: The Golden Knights dropped a 40-20 decision to Cambridge Springs; Clarion routed Brookville 56-13

Numbers: Union boasts a potent passing attack behind junior quarterback Lane Cicciarelli, who has completed 76-of-160 passes for 1,590 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. ... Cicciarelli relies on the one-two punch of Shane Murphy and Chet Carmichael. Murphy has caught 27 passes for 721 yards and 10 touchdowns; Carmichael has 29 catches for 595 yards and six scores. ... Damien Slike leads Clarion in rushing with 1,278 yards and 27 touchdowns on 100 carries. ... Clarion QB John Katis has completed 66-of-99 attempts for 1,480 yards with 15 TDs and zero interceptions.

Notes: Clarion defeated Union 62-0 on Sept. 26. ... Cicciarelli did not play in that game due to injury. ... Clarion has outscored its opponents 564-39 this season.

Grove City (5-4)

vs. Northwestern (8-2)

at Erie Stadium

7 p.m., Saturday

Last Week: Grove City had a bye; Northwestern beat Mercyhurst Prep 50-7

Numbers: Grove City RB Foster Reznor continues to impress. The senior leads the team with 807 yards rushing and 234 yards receiving. He's also scored 16 TDs this season. ... Like Grove City, Northwestern doesn't put the ball up in the passing game very often. The Wildcats have attempted 72 passes this season. Grove City has attempted 59. ... The Wildcats are led on the ground by RB Brandon Reisner, who has more than 1,000 yards and is averaging nearly 10 yards per carry.

Notes: Grove City has four regular-season losses for the first time since 2003. ... The last meeting between the two schools came in 2007 when the Eagles won 27-6. The Wildcats were winless that season.