KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — There is a lot on the line when Brookville travels to Karns City on Friday night.
Both teams are in a postseason fight.
(Above, Brookville senior Brayden Kunselman makes a tackle/photo by Molly Zimmerman)
The 4-3 Gremlins pulled out a 15-13 win over Punxsutawney last week thanks to some big plays out of its offense and key stops by its defense.
Since shedding a cast on his throwing arm, Eric Booher has thrown for 419 yards and five touchdowns over the last three weeks.
Micah Rupp continues to shine at wide receiver after playing some tight end while Karns City was relegated to running the ball on every down because of injuries at the quarterback position.
Rupp has caught nine passes for 193 yards and three TDs the last three weeks.
Brookville football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
Karns City, though, would like to be able to grind out first downs with its running game, setting up the big plays through the air.
The last two weeks, the Gremlins haven’t generated the same success on the ground as they did earlier in the season.
Part of that has to do with some injuries along the front.
Brookville (3-4) is also fighting for its playoff life after an 0-3 start.
Since, the Raiders have won three of their last four, including a 41-0 win over Bradford last week.
Brookville lost its starting quarterback, junior Charlie Krug, in the season opener to injury and also has lost his backup, sophomore Easton Belfiore, who was hurt against St. Marys on Sept. 30.
The Raiders have turned to senior Noah Peterson, who has completed 26 of 34 for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
But Brookville has become a much more run-heavy team than in the past. That has benefitted senior Jackson Zimmerman, who has already amassed 837 yards rushing this season.
The Raiders have also gotten healthier up front. They were missing a pair of lineman due to injury at the start of 2022.
Defensively, Brayden Kunselman has picked up where he left off last season.
The senior defensive back has five interceptions for the opportunistic Brookville defense. Last year, Kunselman had seven picks.
As a team, the Raiders have intercepted 17 passes.
CENTRAL CLARION (7-0) at DuBOIS (4-3)
Central Clarion showed just how explosive it can be in the second half last week against Moniteau.
After struggling a bit in the first two quarters and taking a 13-0 lead into the locker room, the Wildcats scored four touchdowns in a little less than three minutes to take a 39-0 lead.
It’s the kind of firepower DuBois will have to contend with on Friday night when the Beavers host Central Clarion.
DuBois (4-3) has had an up-and-down campaign. The Beavers have posted impressive wins over Karns City and Brockway, but were outscored 64-7 by Clearfield and Punxsutawney.
Quarterback Cam-Ron Hays has completed 61 of 106 passes for 567 yards and six TDs. He’s also rushed for 266 yards.
But the Beavers’ offense has struggled at times.
They were held to a mere 90 yards in a 23-0 shutout loss to Punxsutawney and are averaging just 237 yards per game.
Meanwhile, Central Clarion has had no problem piling up yardage and points this season.
The Wildcats, who are averaging 40 points per game, have a slew of dynamic playmakers.
It starts with sophomore quarterback Jase Ferguson, who has thrown for 1,581 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. He’s also added 280 yards and three scores on the ground.
He has a stable of speedy receivers, led by Ashton Rex.
The senior has 34 receptions for 886 yards and seven TDs.
Junior Dawson Smail, playing football again after taking last season off to focus on baseball, has 16 catches for 309 yards and three scores. He’s another deep threat.
The running game has started to bite off some chunk plays recently after a slow start to the season.
Connor Kopnitsky has emerged as the top back with 375 yards on the ground and four TDs.
Defensively, Central Clarion (7-0), one of only two undefeated teams in District 9, continues to force turnovers in bunches.
The Wildcats’ offensive explosion in the third quarter against Moniteau last week was spurred by takeaways.
Central Clarion has 14 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries in seven games. That’s more than four forced turnovers per game.
Senior linebacker Ryan Hummell, who is playing this season despite a torn ACL, already has 91 tackles — 11 for a loss.
KANE (1-6) at KEYSTONE (4-3)
Keystone is starting to get a little healthier.
Senior running back Ryan Nellis, who has missed the last two games because of injury, is expected to play on Friday night.
Tyler Albright, who has been dinged up, will also suit up after being limited.
Junior quarterback Rayce Weaver, though, is officially out for the season after suffering a serious elbow injury against Smethport on Sept. 23.
Sophomore Drew Keth has stepped in for Weaver and played admirably.
Keth had just two games at quarterback under his belt in junior varsity before being thrust into the starting role.
Kane has had a few bright spots in what has been a tough season.
Ricky Zampogna has rushed for 617 yards and 10 touchdowns and Kyle Zook has thrown for 634 yards.
SMETHPORT (1-6) at UNION/A-C VALLEY (3-4)
Union/A-C Valley fell to Port Allegany, 42-14, last week, but trailed 22-6 early in the second half before the Gators pulled away.
Injuries have conspired to make this an up-and-down season for the Falcon Knights.
Dawson Camper has been in and out of the lineup. When the junior running back has played, he’s gotten excellent results with 414 yards rushing and six touchdowns.
Quarterback Brody Dittman has thrown for 488 yards, but hasn’t had all of his receivers healthy since Week 1.
Syler Roxbury leads Union/A-C Valley with 20 receptions for 255 yards.
Smethport has struggled this season.
The Hubbers’ lone win came in Week 2 against Cameron County.
The offense has sputtered. Smethport has scored just 26 points in the last five games. Ridgway beat the Hubbers 42-6 last week.
MONITEAU (2-5) at PUNXSUTAWNEY (3-4)
Punxsutawney nearly rallied to upset Karns City last week.
The Chucks trailed 15-0, but scored a pair of touchdowns to close to 15-13. A 2-point conversion try to the tie the game failed and the Gremlins were able to hold on for the victory.
Senior Zeke Bennett had a big game for Punxsutawney last week with 175 yards on 24 carries. But he was injured when he was tackled from behind awkwardly on a 57-yard run and was on crutches with an ice pack on his left leg at the end of the game.
His status this week is uncertain.
Moniteau played Central Clarion tough for a half, trailing 13-0 at the break, but a series of turnovers and mistakes led to 26 points in a three-minute span for the Wildcats at the start of the third quarter.
Moniteau’s run-heavy attack is led by senior running back Hunter Stalker, who has 547 yards on 115 carries this season.
Brookville football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
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