Karns City football coach Ed Conto gets it.

The Gremlins need to play better competition in the regular season.

Otherwise, Karns City will never make a deep run in the state playoffs.

The Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference doesn’t provide enough consistent, high-level competition.

That’s why Conto and Athletic Director Tom Wagner work the phones to add out-of-district teams.

“We’re looking to add better teams, even someone that may beat us,” Conto said. “A lot of times you learn something from a loss and it doesn’t hurt you during the regular season.”

For the upcoming campaign, Karns City added two Quad-A schools in District 8’s Brashear and District 9’s DuBois.

The Gremlins also added Central Tech, a Class AAA school from District 10.

Karns City has won 10 District 9 Class AA titles — including seven since 2000 — but has never advanced beyond the state quarterfinals. Finding competition in district is tough. Moniteau, Brookville and St. Marys are the only other AA schools and are already on the Gremlins’ schedule.

The Class A schools in the KSAC, except for Clarion, are mostly feast or famine.

Karns City is 4-10 all-time in the state playoffs, including four quarterfinal appearances. District 9 Class AA schools are 6-22 combined since the state playoffs started in 1987.

“It can’t be where you’re blowing out teams or have easier games,” wide receiver Ethan Conto said. “You have to have that competition.”

Karns City’s season ended with a 57-21 quarterfinal loss to South Fayette. Conto made a smart move by adding DuBois, a passing team like the Lions.

“If you play a team like that and your stuff isn’t working, you’re out of luck,” Conto said.

Senior wide receiver Logan Moroney appreciates Conto’s efforts to beef up the schedule.

Last year, Karns City outscored its regular-season opponents 407-149.

“Last year, we had a lot of games where the starters played half a game and we had no competition,” Moroney said. “We were a little shocked when we got deeper in the playoffs.”

Two teams — Class A KSAC schools Union and Keystone— agreed to let Karns City out of its contract.

Problem was the Gremlins couldn’t find two more games for themselves and for Union and Keystone, which is part of the dropping the contract.

Scheduling games — particularly against quality competition — isn’t always easy.

Ed Conto feels that District 10 stressed scheduling within district.

“It’s tough because every district does it different,” Conto said.

Karns City will be the front-runner in District 9 in 2014.

It’s impossible to say if this Gremlins’ schedule will help come November.

But it can’t hurt.

Josh Rizzo is a sports writer for the Butler Eagle.