LOYSBURG — Bedford outlasted Karns City in thrilling fashion Friday night, stopping a Gremlin two-point try in the third overtime for a 28-26 victory and a trip to the PIAA quarterfinals.
The Bisons, who started the season 1-5, led 6-0 until the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter when Karns City running back Craig Slomers scored on a 15-yard burst, setting up a go-ahead extra point try blocked by Bedford linebacker Andrew Hickey.
“These kids have not given up,” Bedford coach Dan Smith said. “Karns City is tough. You can’t fault them. They came back, ran hard and it was a great game.”
Bedford’s defense came up big in the first half, as they held a Gremlins offense that came in averaging 34 points a game to just 69 yards and forced three turnovers.
It was the Bisons’ offense that set the tone early when sophomore quarterback Marcus Shippey connected with wideout Kyle Deneen for a 37-yard touchdown strike on Bedford’s fourth play from scrimmage.
The team’s traded possessions for the rest of the half, combining for five turnovers, six punts and only 159 yards of total offense. Bedford started four possessions in Gremlin territory, stretching one drive to Karns City’s 16 before Shippey lost a fumble at the end of a 12-yard run.
“I thought we were leaving a lot of things out on the field (Friday night),” Karns City coach Ed Conto said.
“We’d have a half of a sack going on, and we’d come off our receivers. You’ve got to play to the whistle. I just don’t think we were full on our game (Friday night), but Bedford did a heck of a job.”
Bedford was back in Gremlins territory to start the second half when Shippey found daylight on consecutive runs. But a holding penalty pushed Bedford back to its 49, effectively stalling the drive.
Then Karns City’s offense went to work. Facing a fourth-and-short and set up to punt, the Gremlins’ Aaron Markle took a direct snap and picked up 5 yards and a first down.
Three plays later Markle hauled in a 24-yard pass from Dylan Hipple at Bedford’s 34. Karns City moved the ball to Bedford’s 22 before a holding penalty and two Hickey sacks forced them to punt.
The Gremlins got on the board when Slomers’ score capped a 52-yard drive highlighted by a 37-yard Markle run.
Bedford got the ball to start overtime, and Shippey wasted no time in getting back the lead.
He scored on a keeper from 10 yards out, and then connected with Kurt Crawford to put Bedford ahead by 8.
Karns City answered two plays later when Wagner scored from a yard out. Hipple evened the game with a quarterback sneak.
Wagner added another score in the second overtime, this time from 2 yards out, but the extra point try failed.
Bedford started its next possession with consecutive procedure penalties that pushed the Bisons to Karns City’s 20. But Shippey found Kyle Deneen for a 14-yard pass on first down, and Paul Detwiler scored a play later, making it 20-all. Bedford’s extra-point try missed left, sending the game into it’s third overtime.
Detwiler scored from 3 yards out on third down, and Tanner Ripple added a two-point conversion.
Then it was Wagner’s turn again, as he barreled in from the 1, setting up the failed two-point attempt that sealed the win for Bedford.
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