Jake Karnish-Fleetwood

Chanting ‘overrated’ at Jake Karnish probably wasn’t the best idea by the Schuylkill Valley student section. The 6’2 senior started the fourth quarter with a transition layup. The all-county selection followed that with an offensive rebound and three-point play. All of a sudden, Fleetwood was up 43-33 in a game that had been tight the entire way. Karnish finished with 22 points in a 59-44 victory over the (5-2, 1-1) Panthers. He went 9-of-10 from the free throw line over the last two quarters. The Division 3 matchup was tied at 15 after eight minutes and even at 27 at halftime. “We picked up the intensity on defense which really helped us push the ball and get in transition,” said Karnish. The (5-0, 1-0) Tigers allowed just 17 points in the second half. Karnish added, “We had to dig deep. We had to lock up on defense.” Schuylkill Valley was missing two starters, seniors Eli Houser and Kelton Faulk, due to injury. Mark Rajnath carried the Panthers early on. The 6’2 senior poured in ten points in just over three minutes for a quick 10-4 advantage. Rajnath scored in a variety of ways and ended up with a game-high 23 points. He’s averaging 18 this season. Fleetwood took its first lead at 22-21 on Nate Herb’s trey from the top of the key with 2:32 remaining before the break. Schuylkill Valley opened the third period with a 6-1 spurt to go on top 33-28. The Tigers responded in a big way. They scored 19 straight points. Braden Williams hit a triple from the right corner midway through the fourth quarter to make it 46-33. “That was insane. I know we all got hype after that. That’s our shooter. I want him taking that shot every time,” emphasized Karnish. Williams, a 6’3 senior forward, provided 14 points. Aiden Soumas had a career-high 18 points. The junior guard has been in double digits in every game this year. “He played a great game. He’s always been there for me. He just does the dirty work,” noted Karnish. Fleetwood committed 13 turnovers in the first half, but only six in the second half. The Tigers were 16-of-24 from the free throw line, while the Panthers went 12-17. Sophomore guard Cooper Hohenadel chipped in with 11 points for Schuylkill Valley. The Panthers had been putting up 62 points a night. Fleetwood returned three of its top four scorers from last year’s team which won its first Division championship since 1979. Karnish is 28 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He’s averaging 27 points per game. The all-division baseball player told me that he’s leaning towards playing basketball in college at Elizabethtown or King’s. Karnish expects to make a decision in January. We also talked about his favorite classes, musical artists, and restaurants. Finally, Karnish revealed what he’s hoping to get for Christmas.