BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Two weeks into the season, Brookville was 0-2 and trying to figure things out.
But those two losses came to Central Clarion and Struthers (Ohio), two teams with a combined record of 18-3 this year.
A win at home against Keystone followed. Then another at Moniteau. And another against DuBois. As the season progressed, the line solidified. Weapons emerged in the offense. The defense began to play stout, giving up 20 points or less in six consecutive games.
Now, as the Raiders are 8-2, riding an eight-game winning streak and preparing for a playoff test against Karns City on Friday night at Kane in the District 9 Class 2A semifinals, everything seems to have fallen into place.
(Pictured above, Brookville players walk toward the field during a recent game/photo by Chad Thomas)
“If you would have asked me when we were 0-2 if I thought we’d be able to get to 8-2, I would have been a little skeptical,” said Brookville coach Gabe Bowley. “I would have thought we were capable of doing it with the athletes we have in the room, but they have definitely come out and proven themselves over the last eight weeks.”
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The key has been the offensive line, which had many moving parts while learning a new blocking scheme in going from gap to zone, but has galvanized over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know that we started the same offensive line two weeks in a row,” Bowley said. “So over the last couple of weeks, we’ve gotten in a little bit of a groove with those guys where they get to be working week after week together and starting to get comfortable with each other.”
Those guys up front — left tackle Jacob Clinger, left guard Jack Knapp, center Danny Drake, right guard Connor Ansinger and right tackle Gavin Hannah (as well as Josiah Balzer when needed) — have allowed all those athletes to shine for the Raiders.
Charlie Krug, who missed one game due to injury, had thrown for 1,697 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Four of his receivers have 20 or more receptions led by Jack Pete, who had hauled in 36 passes for 732 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Sophomore Hayden Freeman has emerged as another big receiving threat with 28 receptions for 492 yards and five TDs. Sam Krug leads the team at 22.1 yards per reception on 26 catches and has seven scores and Easton Belfiore, who filled in at quarterback the week Charlie Krug was out, has 20 receptions for 205 yards and four more TDs.
The running game has also been effective with Anthony Ceriani enjoying some big efforts down the stretch. He has 709 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 117 carries.
With all that firepower, Karns City coach Joe Sherwin still pointed to that line as the key to that offense.
“They’re very, very good up front,” said Karns City coach Joe Sherwin. “In fact, I think they controlled us up front the first game, both offensively and defensively.”
Brookville beat Karns City twice last season, including in the Class 2A semifinals.
The Raiders won again on Oct. 13.
Karns City, though, led that game 14-7 before Brookville scored 37 unanswered points to win 44-14.
In that meeting a few weeks ago, the Gremlins lost freshman quarterback Cole Johnston and he remains out. Karns City has had to improvise, going to a very run-heavy attack with Luke Cramer running the wildcat — or “Hogs” package, as the Gremlins call it — and last week with Braden Slater under center, pitching the ball to a back and then turning to lead block.
It has worked with 924 yards on the ground in those two games alone.
“It presents the challenge of Karns City already runs the football really well anyway,” Bowley said. “Now it creates more things that we have to defend. Just planning and preparation and film watching because the team we played three weeks ago isn’t the same team we’re playing on Friday night.”
As good as Brookville’s offensive line has been, Karns City’s has been just as good during those last two games.
(Karns City senior Luke Cramer celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Mount Union on Friday/photo by Holly Mead)
Those guys — tackles Jake Taylor and Kolby Blair, guards Sean Slaughenhoupt and Cam Ealy and center CJ Emrick — have helped power that run game despite teams knowing it is coming.
Karns City has added wrinkles to that attack and will likely pull more out of the hat against the Raiders this week.
That element of the unknown is what Bowley and his team will have to try to prepare for.
“We’re not going to be able to just pound the ball the whole time,” said Sherwin, who would certainly like to be able to do that. “We’re going to have to do some counters, maybe a little play-action, different things like that to keep them honest and keep them guessing.”
Karns City (5-5) was able to do that last week against 8-1 Mount Union in a game the Gremlins needed to win to make the playoffs.
The key has been everyone has embraced it, including the wide receivers, who have been targeted just three times in two games.
“It’s everyone,” Sherwin said. “It’s the backs blocking for each other. It’s the line. It’s the receivers. It’s the quarterback. Everyone is blocking for whoever is carrying the ball at that time.”
The defense has also performed well.
It will be key again as Karns City cannot afford to fall behind with the makeup of the offense and Brookville’s ability to just run away and hide.
“They are a good, balanced team,” Sherwin said. “We definitely have our hands full.”
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