KARNS CITY-BROOKVILLE RENEW RIVALRY IN D9 PLAYOFFS

D9 CLASS AA PLAYOFF HOME

BROOKVILLE — Judging from history, you’ll get all the suspense you need Saturday night at the District 9 Class AA playoff showdown between the Brookville Raiders and Karns City Gremlins.

Who needs Halloween?

The Raiders (8-1) and Gremlins (7-2) strap it up for a postseason encounter for the fourth time and first since Karns City defeated Brookville, 14-7, in the 1999 Class AA Championship game. In 1998, the Raiders upset the top-seeded Gremlins, 23-16, in overtime in the first round on their way to a district title.

This year, throw in the Raiders’ penchant for close games and the possibility increases even more for a battle down to the wire.

Kickoff at Brookville Area High School is set for 7 p.m.

Common opponents? There are three. The Raiders beat Moniteau, Redbank Valley and Meadville. The Gremlins beat Redbank Valley and Meadville, but lost to Moniteau.

Karns City head coach Ed Conto, in his fourth year, coached the Gremlins to titles in 2000 and 2001 before a runner-up finish to Brockway last year. He’s impressed with the four-team playoff field.

"We’re familiar with all three teams," he said. "They’re all good and any of us can win it if we get hot. The teams that make the mistakes are the ones who lose. This is probably the first year that the Class AA field has been this strong and even."

The keys to winning are nothing new. Stay away from turnovers, win the line of scrimmage and play physical. Both teams can do that.

"I think the biggest concern is they have a fast and aggressive defense," Brookville head coach Chris Dworek said. "They mix up their blitzes and stunt their fronts. The same athletes they have on defense play on offense."

Leading the way are running backs Josh Fiscus (924 yards, 16 TDs) and Mike Stitt (414 yards, 6 TDs), quarterback Mike Croyle (820 yards, 4 TDs) and receivers Dave Black (263 yards, 1 TD) and Chris Pickett (253 yards, 2 TDs).

The Raiders’ Dworek points to the battle at the line of scrimmage where defense front four have set the tone for most of their games, keeping the Raiders in ballgames when the offense has struggled. That senior foursome includes senior Mark Kaczmarczyk, Tony Morres, Matt Gilbert and Mike Hetrick.

"The big thing is we need to continue to be physical on defense" Dworek said. "Our front four can play with anybody, but they have to keep doing it. They’ve done a super job all year."

Karns City counters with a five-man defensive front that includes seniors Dustin Libecco, Scott Christie, Jake Sweeney, Kevin Trimbur and Steve DeBacco, and sophomore Kory Kusick,

The Gremlins’ top concern defensively, according to Conto, is Raiders junior quarterback Nick Heschke.

"(Heschke) is as good as we’ve seen this year," Conto said. "Heschke puts it on the money all the time. He’s their No. 1 threat. He’s a great runner and we can’t let him get out of the pocket."

Conto obviously watched or saw what Heschke did against Meadville, rushing for 138 yards and passing for 97.

Statistically, the Raiders are led offensively by Heschke (665 yards passing, 5 TDs, 244 yards rushing, 4 TDs), running back Gilbert (283 yards, 2 TDs) and a trio of receivers, Brent Puller (337 yards, 5 TDs), Cliff Park (261 yards, 2 TDs) and Keith Ishman (220 yards, 2 TDs). Senior tight end/linebacker Kirk Hays is a threat catching the ball and is one of the top tacklers on defense.

The Raiders have been in many close games -- five games decided by an average of 3.6 points per game -- and Dworek thinks the kinds of games his team has played in can pay off in the postseason.

"We have so much experience playing in different types of games, holding onto a lead or never giving up when you’re two touchdowns down," Dworek said. "There are things we talk about all season, remembering the games we got through."

Most important, though, is focusing on the task at hand and getting past the first round this year. Last year, the Raiders won the District 9 League title and sailed into the playoffs following a one-win season. Brockway bounced them from the postseason in convincing style, 41-12.

"Now that we’re in the playoffs, we’ll take one little step at a time and worry about Karns City," Dworek said. "That’s something we’ve learned from the past. The big thing is Karns City all week. Hopefully we’ll come out on top and worry about next week Sunday morning."

Conto likes how his team has approached the entire season, playing through some injures and staying focused despite an early-season loss to undefeated Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference champion Clarion-Limestone and a frustrating seven-turnover loss to Moniteau.

"This team I’ve had more fun with because they’re so relaxed and there’s no pressure," he said.

It’s the 23^rd meeting between these former Little 12 Conference rivals. Karns City leads the all-time series, 14-6-2. Karns City beat Brookville for the Class AA title back in 1993, 21-14.