DUBOIS — Turnovers can quickly change the complexion of a football game.

Friday night, they buried Karns City under a tidal wave from which the Gremlins never emerged.

Twice, once in the second quarter and again in the third, KC saw an opportunity to answer a DuBois Area touchdown turn into another possession for the Beavers. In both instances, DuBois tacked on another score on its way to a 28-7 season-opening victory at Mansell Stadium.

“We made mistakes that we just weren’t able to recover from,” said Gremlins’ coach Joe Sherwin. “They capitalized and that momentum was too much for us.”

The Gremlins had an ominous beginning to the game. A muff on the opening kickoff was controlled by the Beavers, but their drive was halted on a fourth-down stop by a host of KC defenders led by James Jones at the 6-yard line.

Things began to turn against KC in earnest late in the first half. Leading 7-0, the team’s defense was put on its heels thanks to the running of DuBois quarterback Cam-Ron Hays, who moved the chains on consecutive plays with scampers of 13 and 17 yards.

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