KARNS CITY — As dependably as the sun rising, Karns City keeps the football on the ground.

Brookville is counting on that this Friday when it hosts the Gremlins (3-4) for a District 9 Region 1 clash.

“As always, they’re a tough, physical football team who loves to run it,” Raiders coach Gabe Bowley said. “That has always been Karns City and I feel like it always will be. It’s a challenge, regardless of how good of a football team you are. They do a very good job of creating angles in their blocks and opening holes — and they have big, tough running backs who are hard to bring down.”

Behind fledgling quarterback Cole Johnston, the Gremlins have a tandem of running backs — senior Luke Cramer and sophomore Hunter Scherer — that have tag-teamed for 890 yards and 15 touchdowns this go-round.

“It’s kind of like a security blanket for him (Johnston),” Karns City coach Joe Sherwin said. “I think he can just get those guys the ball and let them do their thing. It just kind of takes a little bit of pressure off of him. He doesn’t have to do maybe as much.”

By flashing mobility in a loss to Punxsutawney last week, Johnston, a freshman, might find himself in the rushing mix in the weeks to come. He gained 33 yards on nine totes, mostly scrambles.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how well he ran the ball,” Sherwin said. “That’s something we may continue going forward.”

Over six outings, Johnston has put up just 43.2 passing yards per game.

Sherwin added that the Chucks’ defensive line might be the best his group faces this year. Brookville’s unit has hardened over the course of the year, though. The Raiders began their campaign with a loss against still-undefeated Central Clarion — which is averaging 60.7 points per game — then were beaten by a solid Struthers (OH) group.

Since then, Brookville (5-2) has notched five consecutive wins — most recently a 64-20 road decision over Bradford.

“As our season has gone, we’ve gotten better,” Bowley said. “The first couple of games, we struggled with it a little bit in finding an identity and finding the right pieces in the right spots on our defense.

“Week 1 defense, position-wise, doesn’t look as similar to this week as you’d think. ... Recently, over the last three or four weeks, our run defense has been really good.”

Senior middle linebacker Jack Knapp was an all-region performer last season. He’s piled up 73 total tackles to this point in the go-round. Junior Gavin Hannah is in his first-year at the same position and is second on the squad with 48 total stops. Junior Easton Belfiore (47 total tackles) is a well-rounded outside linebacker.

“Defensively, they’ve got some big guys,” Sherwin said. “We’ve got to get their inside linebackers blocked. They’re very good tacklers, so we’ve got to make sure we get onto those guys and get the block and be able to get a running game going.”

On offense, the Raiders are fronted by senior quarterback Charlie Krug, who’s passed for 1,072 yards and 15 scores thus far. Junior tailback Anthony Ceriani has gone for 469 yards and five scores on the ground. Kolton Griffin has spelled him for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

“I think they have a good mix between the run and the pass. The quarterback, he’s a good passer, but at the same time, he’ll take off and run when the opportunity presents itself.”

Brookville won both encounters between these teams last year — a 34-7 outcome in the regular season and a 31-7 playoff decision.

Seneca Valley (2-5)

at North Hills (3-4)

7 p.m., Friday

SV earned a 42-13 victory over Hempfield last week; North Hills won 31-8 at Shaler.

Raiders' senior Kai West leads the team with 485 yards from scrimmage (309 rushing, 176 receiving) and in total TDs (6). ... QB Sean O'Shea has thrown for 813 yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs.

After beginning the season 1-5, North Hills has won two straight against Fox Chapel (50-0) and Shaler . ... Logan Mellon scored for the Indians last week on a 20-yard INT return.

The Raiders defeated North Hills last year, 53-14.

North Catholic (4-3)

at Avonworth (7-0)

7 p.m., Friday

Last week, North scored a 28-16 victory over Hampton; The Antelopes edged Beaver 33-28.

North Catholic RB Jack Fennell has rushed for 821 yards and has scored 13 total TDs. ... After allowing 109 points in their first three games, the Trojans have given up just 44 in the last four contests.

Antelopes QB Carson Bellinger has thrown for 984 yards, 15 TDs and 5 INTs. ... WR Andrew Kuban has 30 catches for 552 yards and has scored 11 TDs.

Avonworth, a Class 3A team that reached the WPIAL final last year, has outscored its opponents 258-88. ...

Avonworth beat North 37-7 last year.

Union/A-C Valley (3-4)

at Smethport (1-6)

7 p.m., Friday

Union/A-C Valley lost at Port Allegany 44-6 last week; Smethport fell 31-7 to Ridgway.

Sophomore LB Max Gallagher has made 40 tackles this season for the Falcon Knights, including two sacks. ... Senior QB Brody Dittman has passed for 964 yards, four TDs and 11 INTs.

Smethport's Owen Roundsville scored last week on a 70-yard punt return. ... The Hubbers have allowed at least 47 points in four games this season, with their only victory coming against Coudersport (33-26).

The Falcon Knights scored a 42-7 win over Smethport last year.

Punxsutawney (5-2)

at Moniteau (1-6)

7 p.m., Friday

The Warriors allowed Central Clarion the first 63 points of last Friday’s matchup before bowing at home, 70-6; Punxsutawney got past Karns City, 35-21.

Moniteau has dropped five decisions in a row since defeating Elk County Catholic in Week 2. ... Dating back to 2021, the Warriors are 1-9 in their last 10 home matchups — having been outscored, 383-126, in those contests. ... QB Brendin Sankey led the team with 56 yards rushing in last week’s setback.

The Chucks’ offense is directed by sophomore QB Maddox Hetrick, who’s passed for 1,281 yards and 11 TDs. ... He went 10-for-14 for 163 yards and 2 scores against the Gremlins. ... Senior RB Landon Martz is 92 yards from reaching 1,000 yards on the ground this year.

Punxsy blanked Moniteau, 41-0, a year ago.

Slippery Rock (1-6)

at Wilmingon (3-4)

7 p.m., Friday

The Rockets lost to Sharon, 45-7, last Friday; Wilmington outlasted General McLane in overtime, 49-42.

Slippery Rock has yet to score more than two TDs in a game this go-round. ... QB Eli Anderson has accounted for 1,095 yards of offense, while the rest of the team has 259 combined.

The Greyhounds picked up 21 first downs against the Lancers, all but 1 of which came on the ground. ... Wilmington had 443 rushing yards in that matchup. ... Ben Miller paces the team with 967 yards on the ground, while Buddah Book has 410.

Slippery Rock won last year’s meeting, 41-13.

Shenango (3-4)

at Summit Academy (0-7)

12:30 p.m., Saturday

The Knights fell short against Riverview, 40-18, a week ago; Shenango lost to South Side, 62-12.

Summit Academy has stayed within a single score in just one game this season — a 28-20 loss to Northgate on Sept. 23. ... The Knights are on a 14-game losing streak.

The Wildcats haven’t scored more than 3 TDs in any game this go-round. ... Shenango has wins against Western Beaver (21-15), Riverside (24-19), and Rochester (18-6).

Shenango beat Summit Academy, 61-6, last year.