KING'S FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYING AGAINST WILKES IN MAYOR'S CUP
(Monarchs looking for first conference win)
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College football team will look to reclaim local bragging rights when the Monarchs travel to face cross-town rival Wilkes University in the annual Mayor's Cup game Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Ralston Field in Edwardsville.
Tickets are listed at $4 for adults and $2 for senior citizens and students. Children under age six will be admitted free.
After winning their first game of the season 34-13 against Randolph-Macon, the Monarchs fell to then-nationally ranked (21st) Ithaca by a 38-28 count before dropped a 22-6 verdict to unbeaten Hampden-Sydney (7-0), the defending Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion currently listed in others receiving votes, according to D3Football.com.
After a bye week, the Monarchs dropped a 34-19 decision to Delaware Valley College in its MAC opener on October 4. Before falling 17-3 to defending MAC champion Widener University a week later. In King's last game the Monarchs dropped a 16-0 verdict to Albright College. Last weekend in the homecoming game against Lebanon Valley College, King's dropped a 34-7 decision.
In the match up against Wilkes (2-5), the Monarchs will see a team who come off a 17-10 loss to Albright, and at 2-2 in the conference, sit at 6th in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
KING'S FOOTBALL ON THE AIR:
The game will be web cast live in the Internet by WRKC, 88.5 FM. The game can be accessed by going to the WRKC LIVE link at the following page: http://www.kings.edu/IITS/index.htm
The game will be televised on Service Electric Cable channel 11 and Comcast Cable channel 7, WSWB The CW at 5:30 Saturday evening.
ABOUT THE GAME:
Saturday's contest will mark the 13th game the teams have played for the Mayor's Cup, a tradition started in 1996. With the two schools separated by just three blocks, it is both hard-hitting, yet respectful of the tradition the two school share.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 23rd time these two teams will meet, with Wilkes hold a 17-5 advantage over the Monarchs. Last season, the Colonels won the cup in a 35-0 win at King's. The last time the game was held at Wilkes in 2005, the Colonels won 36-13. Wilkes has won the last five games. The last time the Monarchs won was 2002.
THE COACHES:
Monarch head coach Rich Mannello, currently in his 16th year, is the longest tenured active coach in the MAC. Under Mannello, King's is 65-96-1, including five post-season playoff appearances since 2000, including a MAC title in 2002. Wilkes is coached by 13-year coach Frank Sheptock, who currently holds a 80-54 record as a head coach.
LAST WEEK:
Last weekend, King's lost its sixth straight game with a 35-7 loss to Lebanon Valley College. Wilkes fell on the road 17-10 to Albright.
KING'S ON OFFENSE: I-FORMATION
Averaging 77.6 rushing yards and 179 yards in the air, King's gains 256.6 yards of total offense per-game. Quarterback Olayinka Soda combines for 192.1 yards of total offense per-game. Soda has completed 116-207 pass for 56.0 percent, totaling 1,253 yards passing. He has seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2008. Junior wide out Mike Verbitski leads the receiving core with 29 completions for 471 total yards and five touchdowns and averages 67.3 yards per-game. Sophomore wide receiver Bob Lane has 21 catches for 218 yards, and Rick Ritter tallies 11 grabs for 165 yard. Freshman receiver Rodney Blango has also pulled down 11 catches totaling 57 yards. King's will look to freshman Richard Maerten in the backfield to steady the running game. Maerten netted 62 yards on the ground on 29 carries in four games.
WILKES ON OFFENSE: Multiple/ I-Formation
Entering the game, Wilkes averages 280.1 total yards of offense per-contest, including 114.3 on the ground and 165.9 in the air. Junior signal caller Rob Johnson has passed for 1,088 total yards and has completed 89-169 passes, going 52.7 percent with 11 touchdowns and throwing five picks. Senior wide receiver Jason Prushinski has caught 28 passes for 417 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 59.6 yards a game. Sophomore wide out Jordan D'Emilio has grabbed 12 passes for 158 yards and two scores, averaging 22.6 per-game. Junior tailback Sean Madden totals 45 rushing yards and 125 receiving yards for 170 yards of total offense. Freshman running back Harry Reese has netted 336 yards rushing on 91 attempts, going for 48 yards per game and one touchdown on the season. Sophomore Jamar Beverly has rushed for 205 yards on 47 attempts and 41.0 yards a game while sophomore Alex Pearson has 84 yards on 28 rushes.
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KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
The Monarch defense has allowed 342.4 yards of total offense per-game, including 182.6 rushing and 159.9 passing each contest. Senior linebacker Matt Rhodes leads the defense with 64 total tackles including 40 solo and 24 assisted, with 8.0 tackles for loss, dropping opponents for 21 yards. Fellow senior Tom Tulaney has recorded 26 solo tackles and 21 assisted for 47 total. Tulaney also has one interception returned for 22 yards. Senior safety Shane McNamara leads the secondary with 50 total tackles, 32 solo and 18 assisted, and has six broken passes. Opposite McNamara is senior safety Bob Cirko, who has made 21 total tackles, with 13 solo and eight assisted in just two games on defense. On the defensive line, sophomore tackle Alex Watty is balanced with 19 solo and 19 assisted tackles for 38 total. Defensive end Mike Lovett chips in 15 solo tackles and nine assisted, including 7.0 for a loss, totaling 34 yards. He also has 4.0 sacks on the year, dropping the quarterback for 27 yards.
WILKES ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
Junior linebacker Drew Letcavage leads the Colonel defense with 75 total tackles, 41 solo and 34 assisted. Letcavage also boasts 9.5 tackles for loss, totaling 22 yards. Sophomore linebacker Tim Lombreglia has registered 25 tackles; including nine solo and 16 assisted. Defensive back, sophomore Kevin Gerhart has 20 solo and 26 assisted tackles for 46 total. Gerhart has also grabbed three interceptions and return them for 34 yards. Sophomore defensive back Darius Harrison has 28 total tackles, including 18 solo and 11 assisted. Also in the secondary, junior Corey Gilroy and sophomore Darnell Corbin have 25 and 22 total tackled respectively. Gilroy has seven passes defended on the season. On the line, senior left end Tim Yeagley has registered 16 solo tackles and 12 assisted, earning him 28 tackles. Yeagley also has nine tackles for loss, totaling 36 lost yards. On the right side, Chris Swinarski has 15 solo and 12 assisted tackles, with 7.5 for a loss, totaling 27.
NEXT GAME:
Next weekend, King's finishes their home schedule with a 1:00 p.m. game versus Lycoming College at McCarthy Stadium.
Past Mayor's Cup Results (Wilkes leads 9-3)
Year Winner Score
1996 Wilkes 13-0
1997 Wilkes 23-0
1998 Wilkes 31-21
1999 Wilkes 30-6
2000 King's 20-0
2001 King's 28-12
2002 King's 34-7
2003 Wilkes 37-0
2004 Wilkes 12-6
2005 Wilkes 36-16
2006 Wilkes 28-7
2007 Wilkes 35-0
2008 Middle Atlantic Conference Standings
School MAC Overall
Albright 3-1 5-2
Lebanon Valley 3-1 5-2
Lycoming 3-1 5-2
Delaware Valley 2-2 4-3
Widener 2-2 4-3
Wilkes 2-2 2-5
FDU-Florham 1-3 3-4
King's 0-4 1-6
2008 King's College Football Schedule (1-6, 0-4 MAC)
September
6 Sat. Randolph-Macon College Home Win 34-13
13 Sat. Ithaca College Home Loss 28-38
20 Sat. Hampden-Sydney College Away Loss 6-22
27 Sat. -- Bye Week --
October
4 Sat. Delaware Valley College* Home Loss 19-34
11 Sat. Widener University* Home Loss 3-17
18 Sat. Albright College* Away Loss 0-16
25 Sat. Lebanon Valley College*# Home Loss 7-35
November
1 Sat. Wilkes University*$ Away 1:00 p.m.
8 Sat. Lycoming College* Home 1:00 p.m.
14 Fri. FDU-Florham* Away 7:00 p.m.
*Middle Atlantic Conference Game
#Homecoming Game - $Mayor's Cup Game
