BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Charlie Krug is only a sophomore, but the Brookville quarterback is playing like a seasoned veteran.
His name is a familiar one at QB for the Raiders. His older brother, Jack Krug, was 571 of 904 for 8,362 yards and 108 touchdowns in his career from 2017-20 for Brookville.
(Photo by Molly Zimmerman)
Charlie has picked up right where Jack left off. He’s completed 65 of 93 for 863 yards and 10 touchdowns already this season.
Last week in a 40-14 win over Central Clarion, Krug was 17 of 21 for 246 yards and three scores.
“I feel he’s really grown from Week 1 to Week 4 as we got into Week 5 here,” said Brookville coach Scott Park. “I like where he’s at. Every game and every snap he’s gained more confidence. I thought last week might have been one of his better games in identifying the open receiver and what the defense was giving us and getting the ball to the right guy.”
Krug and the Raiders are 4-0. They will face another 4-0 team when Karns City rolls into town Friday night.
“When you look at Karns City you kind of see the same thing that they pretty much do every year,” Park said. “They like to run the ball, but they’ve added a little bit of a passing attack there. This year, they’ve thrown the ball better than I’ve seen them in a while.”
That’s thanks to the development of senior Eric Booher.
Last year, Booher split time at QB until midway through the season when he seized the job to himself. This year he’s settled well into the starting job and has had his best games of late.
Last week he was 5 of 9 for 157 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Booher is 26 of 42 for 564 yards with seven touchdowns and just two INTs.
“He’s more experienced and more comfortable back there,” said Karns City coach Joe Sherwin. “We’re just counting on him to make plays.”
Karns City is seeking more balance by adding a passing game to its already dominant running attack. Brookville, too, is looking for more balance, adding a running game to its passing attack.
The Raiders averaged 23 rushing attempts per game last season. In 2021, the number has increased to 29 runs each week.
Jackson Zimmerman lead Brookville with 240 yards rushing. Tate Lindermuth has added 114 yards on the ground as the Raiders’ playcalls are almost a 50-50 split between pass and run.
“It’s nice that we’re balanced,” Park said. “I mean, every year we’ve tried, but this year with Tate being back and Jackson Zimmerman, who was out last year with an injury, back … it’s been a good thing for the sophomore quarterback, not feeling the pressure he has to do it all.”
Brookville still runs the ball out of a spread formation behind a big and physical offensive line.
“They put three backs in the backfield,” Sherwin said. “I guess that’s the spread’s way of pounding the football.
Karns City has also been innovating with personnel this season, namely using Luke Garing in the Wildcat. It’s produced impressive results this season.
Park said he has prepared for it.
“We’ll try to match up to that the best we can,” Park said. “On the defensive line, you know, low man wins. We’re going to have to keep doing what we’re doing.”
That’s Karns City’s philosophy as well. Keep winning.
The Gremlins are 4-0. Pundits will point out those four wins have come against four winless opponents this season. Brookville’s opponents have only one win.
“At the end of the week, we just want to be 1-0,” Sherwin said. “That’s kind of the mantra we’ve followed. It’s the same thing this week.”
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