PUNXSUTAWNEY —On an offense with a number of playmakers, it can be easy for a sophomore to be overlooked.

Punxsutawney’s Beau Thomas has stood out despite this and on Friday, played like a seasoned upperclassman.

He scored three consecutive touchdowns and posted 127 yards from scrimmage on just 13 touches to help the Chucks pull away from Karns City for a 35-21 victory at Jack LaMarca Stadium.

Thomas gained 83 rushing yards and had 44 yards on three receptions. He now has 10 touchdowns on the season.

“We’ve thrown a lot at him,” said Punxsy coach Alan Nichol. “Early in the season, we were having him block a lot to open up holes for the other guys, but he really has turned into a do-everything type of player.”

His first touchdown came late in the first half. With KC (3-4, 2-3) leading 14-13, Thomas capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive when he turned a short reception from quarterback Maddox Hetrick into a 14-yard touchdown. Hetrick passed to Zach Presloid for the two-point conversion and the Chucks led 21-14 at the break.

“That score deflated us a bit,” said KC coach Joe Sherwin. “If we hold them on that drive, who knows, the second half could have turned out differently.”

Thomas was just getting started. He scored on a 17-yard pass — a play identical to his first score — and on a 35-yard run in the third quarter as Punxsy (5-2, 4-1) opened up a 35-14 lead.

The Gremlins closed the gap to 14 points midway through the final period on a scoring run by Cole Johnston, but Hetrick connected with Thomas to move the sticks on third down on the ensuing drive and the Chucks ran out the clock.

The Chucks grabbed an early advantage when Logan Moore raced untouched for 83 yards on the opening kickoff, but the Gremlins had a quick response. On the team’s first play from scrimmage, Luke Cramer broke loose for a 58-yard score.

Unfortunately for KC, it was not able to sustain the kind of effort on the ground needed to support freshman quarterback Johnston.

Braden Slater managed a 44-yard run late in the first quarter and Zach Kelly scored from nine yards out early in the second, but on its other 38 carries in the game, KC gained just 99 yards.

Cramer was stuffed short of the goal line on a 4th-and-goal from the 1 on the first play of the second quarter, but Kelly’s touchdown came five plays later after the Gremlins recovered a fumble by Punxsy’s Mason Nesbitt.

“We were able to hit on a few plays, but it just wasn’t enough tonight,” Sherwin said.

Hetrick passed for 163 yards and the two touchdowns and added a rushing score that gave Punxsy a 13-7 lead late in the first quarter.

Landon Martz added 83 rushing yards in the win.

“They have a lot of weapons on offense, but it all starts up front,” said Sherwin. “They beat us on the line of scrimmage and when that happens, it makes the skill guys more of a threat.”

KC travels to Brookville next Friday.

Karns City 7 7 0 7 — 21

Punxsutawney 13 8 14 0 — 35

First Quarter

P — Logan Moore 83 kickoff return (Griffin White kick), 11:46

KC — Luke Cramer 58 run (Zach Kelly kick), 11:27

P — Maddox Hetrick 4 run (kick blocked), 2:32

Second Quarter

KC — Kelly 9 run (Kelly kick), 10:28

P — Beau Thomas 14 pass from Hetrick (Zach Presloid pass from Hetrick), 1:41

Third Quarter

P — Thomas 17 pass from Hetrick (White kick), 9:14

P — Thomas 35 run (White kick), :23

Fourth Quarter

KC — Cole Johnston 19 run (Kelly kick), 6:47

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Karns City, Luke Cramer 15-91, Hunter Scherer 11-33, Cole Johnston 9-33, Braden Slater 4-44, Zach Kelly 1-9, Mason Bell 1-0. Punxsutawney, Landon Martz 22-83, Maddox Hetrick 6-45, Beau Thomas 10-83, Mason Nesbitt 4-13, TEAM 2-(-2).

Passing: Karns City, Cole Johnston 4-8-23-0. Punxsutawney, Maddox Hetrick 10-14-163-0.

Receiving: Karns City, Shane Peters 1-12, Zach Kelly 1-11, Hunter Scherer 2-0. Punxsutawney, Mason Nesbitt 2-27, Noah Weaver 2-40, Zach Presloid 3-52, Beau Thomas 3-44.