KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Micah Rupp strolls through the hallways at Karns City High School with a smirk on his face.
Nate Garing walks a few paces ahead.
“We just have the little Garing now,” Rupp says loudly, letting out a soft chuckle. He’s referring to the graduation loss of Luke Garing, the big, bruising back and linebacker.
They are on their way to get a snow cone — something of a tradition at Karns City during preseason camp.
In addition to being a dangerous receiver and shutdown defensive back, Rupp is also sometimes the comic relief for the Gremlins. He speaks softly, but his words sometimes drip with humor and wit.
“It’s the little things like that that make him unique,” said Karns City coach Joe Sherwin, grinning. “He’ll just say something on the field, it might just be a few words here or there, and it just kind of makes me chuckle a little bit. He does have a good sense of humor.”
To Rupp, it’s no big deal.
He shrugs when asked about his pithy jokes.
“I think it helps with our bond,” Rupp said. “I’m really sarcastic sometimes. It makes us all closer.”
Rupp’s play in the field, though, is a big deal.
He’s as unique as his one-liners.
He’s 6-foot-2, but plays much bigger than that because of his tremendous leaping ability. That makes him dangerous on both sides of the ball.
Rupp showed off his athleticism on the basketball court in the winter with his penchant for stepping into passing lanes and swatting away shots. His mere presence affected how teams played against Karns City offensively.
The same is true on the football field.
The senior sees a lot of similarities between his skills in both sports.
“I think about that a lot,” Rupp said. “Like when I chase someone down to get a block in basketball, it’s kind of like how I cover someone on a deep route and go up over the top to get the ball.”
Rupp had a solid season as a junior last year, but was rarely at 100% because of an ankle sprain suffered in the preseason.
It nagged him all year.
Still, Rupp led the Gremlins with 21 receptions for 453 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 28 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries last season.
“It was frustrating because it happened during scrimmages and every time I got touched it was just fragile and it would set me back,” Rupp said. “I’m feeling good this year.”
Healthy, Rupp is determined to play even better in 2022.
He’ll be tasked with blanketing the opponent’s best receiving threat. It’s a challenge he gladly accepts.
“I take pride in that. I like the competition,” Rupp said. “I want to go against their best receiver. Doing that will make me better.”
Rupp also figures to get more passes thrown his way. Karns City may put the ball in the air more than usual with senior quarterback Eric Booher entering his third year as a starter and an experienced receiver group.
“The boys and I came out here to the field all summer long,” Rupp. “We’ve been working hard on it, getting timing down and stuff like that. So, hopefully, we’ll be ready.”
Sherwin is also eager to see what Rupp can do.
“Offensively, teams are gonna have to be aware of where he’s at,” the coach said. “We want to get the ball to him as much as we can. He’s going to be a big factor in the offense. Teams are gonna have to be concerned with him and that should open up our running game.
“Defensively, he should be able to shut down whatever receiver he’s on,” Sherwin added.
Rupp is still relatively new to football.
He didn’t begin playing until he was 14.
“Mom didn’t want me to play when I was little,” Rupp said, smiling.
Finally, he wore her down.
“I told her all my friends were doing it and that’s pretty much it,” Rupp said. “I kept asking her and bugging her about it until she gave in.”
Rupp said he felt way behind at first, but quickly caught up.
Some of that had to do with his raw ability. Some had to do with the way he studied the game to get up to speed.
Rupp is now a leader on a relatively young Karns City team that will uncharacteristically rely on some freshmen to fill important roles this season.
Rupp has confidence in them.
“I feel like we need to be better leaders this year than we have been in the past,” he said. “We have to set examples for these freshmen and teach them what to do. But they’re good. It made me nervous at first to see how many freshmen were coming up, but they carry their own.”
Despite winning the past two District 9 Class 2A titles, the Gremlins are in some ways being overlooked.
Coaches picked them in a preseason poll to win Region 1 in the revamped district league structure, but there’s a sense in the locker room, Rupp said, that few outside those walls believe the Gremlins can actually do it.
“I mean, I’m picking us,” Rupp said. “I remember last year people were picking other teams and all that, but we went out and did it. I think we can do the same this year.”
