Camden Ealy (58), Braden Slater (20) and Shane Peters (88) of Karns City will be key players for the Gremlins, who are hoping for better health and a better start to the season.
KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT) — For two seasons in a row, the Karns City soccer team had to improvise.
Old school – scratch that – older than old school. Single-wing stuff, out of necessity due to injuries at quarterback.
And the Gremlins have done it well, first in 2022 with big running back Luke Garing spending a lot of time taking direct snaps and moving stacks, then with Braden Slater taking snaps under center and Luke Cramer and Hunter Scherer doing wild things on other plays.
“It was definitely a position change,” Slater said with a grin. “It was definitely a little challenging at first, but we just made plays that fit our style.”
This style hasn’t changed in Karns City for decades. There’s Smash Mouth and then there are the Gremlins.
But this year, coach Joe Sherwin doesn’t want to get so creative on offense without a traditional quarterback. He would rather have a healthy pitcher all season.
That man is sophomore Cole Johnston, who had a losing streak last year.
Shortly before the start of the election campaign, he suffered a bizarre accident when he tripped over a storm grate near his house and cut his leg just above the knee. The cut required stitches and put him out of action for several weeks.
After his return, he played well until he broke his collarbone against Brookville, ending his season.
“We expect Cole to lead us this year and hopefully stay healthy and play the whole season,” Sherwin said. “I know he’s looking forward to it, too. He’s worked awfully hard here in the offseason. He’s kind of built up his body and seems quicker and more agile. He’s throwing the ball well, too. I know he’s looking forward to a great season this year.”
Sherwin wants to make big, spectacular plays in the passing game. That will further advance the ground attack.
There are numerous candidates for the election, led by Slater and Scherer.
Scherer, a junior, was second on the team behind graduate transfer Luke Cramer with 770 yards on 120 carries. He also scored 10 touchdowns.
Slater, a senior, rushed for 353 yards on just 31 attempts. Junior Owen Heginbotham also made the most of his playing time, rushing for 266 yards on 31 attempts.
Karns City will also get back stack shifter Nathan Hess. Hess is in the mold of Garing and Kramer, but slimmed down a bit and added some speed in the offseason after missing his entire sophomore season with an injury.
As a freshman, Hess rushed for 307 yards and scored six touchdowns.
“He looked really good,” Sherwin said of Hess. “He’s 100% healthy now. Injury free. He lost some weight over the winter and did a lot of agility training, and I think he’s a lot faster now. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do this year.”
An X-factor could be junior tight end Shane Peters.
At 6’5″, he’s an unlikely opponent for almost any opponent Karns City faces. He and Johnston have also shown they may have a special connection.
“Shane and Cole have developed a certain rapport in some of our 7-on-7 games,” Sherwin said. “Shane has steady hands. He’s a big target.”
There is also a lot of experience in the offensive line.
With the offense in strong hands, the focus is now on defense and strengthening the leaky pass defense.
Karns City had problems in this area a year ago.
It followed the Gremlins in a 42-41 shootout loss to Brookville in the District 9 Class 2A semifinals. Charlie Krug threw five touchdown passes for the Raiders in that game.
“We need to defend the pass better,” Sherwin said. “I think we’ve focused on our D-line. We want them to be able to stop the run, but at the same time we want them to be able to pressure the quarterback. That’s what we’re focused on. In our 7-on-7 games, we’ve focused on making sure our linebackers and defensive backs are in the right spots, communicating with each other when they’re in the zone and using the right technique when they’re man-to-man. That’s been our weakness the last few years. That’s something we definitely need to work on.”
A quick start would also be desirable in Karns City.
The Gremlins have had a rocky start, starting 0-2 in each of the last two seasons.
“We haven’t had good starts the last few years,” Sherwin said. “One of the things we’ve talked about is trying to really push ourselves here at the beginning of the season.”
Karns City opens with rival Moniteau, so motivation shouldn’t be a problem.
As always, the Gremlins will also think of Mason Martin.
On September 1st last year, the senior quarterback suffered a traumatic brain injury against Redbank Valley and spent nine months in the hospital. At home, he continues to make progress in his recovery.
“We’re just glad he’s home,” Sherwin said. “We’re trying to focus on football, but at the same time, they’re always, always going to think about him. They’re always going to think about the struggle that Mason is going through.”
