August 31, 2024Last Updated: August 31, 2024 12:30 AMSports
Karns City Gremlins head coach Joe Sherwin (right), wearing a shirt honoring Mason Martin near the one-year anniversary of his serious injury against Redbank Valley, heads to midfield for the pregame conference with captains Braden Slater (20), Shane Peters (88), C.J. Emrick (51) and Cam Ealy (58). The Gremlins went on to beat the Raiders 34-7. Jeffersonian Democrat
BROOKVILLE — Karns City’s football team took the field at Brookville Stadium Friday night with all the anticipation, adrenaline and nerves that come prior to kickoff of a big conference game.
It’s a feeling Mason Martin knew well during his playing days for the Gremlins, which were cut short after he collapsed during a game last year and spent weeks lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
Friday’s contest fell just two days short of a year since Martin’s injury.
“Mason and his family definitely remain in our prayers,” KC offensive coordinator Zach Kepple said. “He is and always will be part of the Karns City football family.”
KC running back Owen Heginbotham knows the best way to honor his former teammate is with his effort.
“Just go out and play hard, play with heart,” he said.
Heginbotham did just that against the host Raiders, gaining 186 yards and scoring two touchdowns as the Gremlins bowled over Brookville 34-7 for a convincing District 9 Region 1 victory.
The result broke a string of four straight wins in the series by the Raiders.
KC chewed up 420 yards on the ground on 48 attempts. Through two games, the Gremlins (2-0, 2-0) have rushed for 745 yards.
“We had a great week of practice and were confident we could come in here and run the ball,” said Heginbotham, who opened the scoring with a 65-yard run late in the first quarter.
Karns City's Braden Slater (20) shakes off a tackle Brookville's Tony Ceriani on his way to a 21-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of Friday's game. Jeffersonian Democrat
Braden Slater (10 carries for 93 yards) and Hunter Scherer (13-58) also helped the Gremlins maintain control of the game, but it was the team’s defense that turned in the first clutch sequence.
Brookville had been very proficient at passing the ball in recent years, but graduation losses hit the air attack hard and the Raiders this year are relying heavily on their running game, in particular Tony Ceriani.
He gained 72 yards on his first five carries, setting Brookville up with a first-and-goal from KC’s 1 on the first drive of the game.
But the Gremlin defense stiffened, denying Ceriani and quarterback Easton Belfiore on three consecutive running plays before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
A KC turnover minutes later gave the Raiders (1-1, 1-1) another chance, but they again turned the ball over on downs.
“Those were huge stops by our defense,” KC coach Joe Sherwin said. “They gave us a lot of momentum.”
The Gremlins got their ground game going afterward, but just as crucial was their ability to contain Ceriani, who gained just 30 yards on his final 13 carries.
“At the start of the game, there were things with our technique that we needed to clean up,” Sherwin said. “I think the kids were so anxious early on, they were over-running their gaps.”
Braden Slater scored the first of his two touchdowns midway through the second quarter, giving KC a 14-0 lead.
Karns City's Owen Heginbotham (22) ran for 181 yards and 10 carries with two touchdowns in the Gremlins' 34-7 win over Brookville Friday night. Jeffersonian Democrat
That’s where the score stood when Brookville turned in what could have been a tide-turning play in the third quarter. Kolton Griffin scooped up Slater’s fumble and raced 52 yards for a touchdown to get the Raiders on the board.
“We thought we’d get a lift from that, but didn’t do anything with it,” Brookville coach Bill Morrison said.
That’s because it took the Gremlins just five plays on the ensuing drive to answer with Hunter Scherer’s 5-yard score. Heginbotham’s 45-yard scamper to Brookville’s 12 helped set up the touchdown.
The Raiders were coming off a 48-21 defeat of Bradford in Week 1.
“We read the press clippings,” Morrison said. “We knew who Karns City was and how good they are. We didn’t play well enough to stay with them, and they licked us pretty good.”
Karns City 7 7 7 13 — 34
Brookville 0 0 7 0 — 7
First Quarter
KC — Owen Heginbotham 65 run (Braden Slater kick), 1:28
