Claude O'Connor
Claude O'Connor rushed for a career-high 158 yards against Widener

King's Football Comes Back to Upend Widener, 35-24

10/10/2009 4:17:25 PM

OCTOBER 10, 2009

KING'S FOOTBALL POSTS BIG 35-24 WIN OVER WIDENER

CHESTER – There were no shortage of heroes for the King's College football team as the Monarchs posted an impressive 35-24 upset win over host Widener University Saturday at Leslie C. Quick Stadium in Chester.

One could point to tailback Claude O'Connor who rushed for a career-high 158 yards on 33 carries. Another could look to quarterback Corey Lavin, who completed 17-of-24 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another 64 yards.  Or perhaps wide receiver Mike Verbitski, who caught 10 passes for 143 three yards and two scores. Perhaps even the King's defense, which came up with three crucial stops deep inside its own territory to deny Widener the end zone, allowing just three points combined in those possessions.
 
In the end, however, King's put together its finest team effort in posting its first-ever win at Widener after eight previous attempts had failed. King's, which had lost heartbreaking decisions to Widener - 25-20 in 2006 and 21-17 in 2007 – in its last two trips to Chester, would not be denied this time, even after falling behind 14-0 in the contest. With the win, King's improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAC while Widener fdell to 3-2 and 1-1 in league play.
 
Things started out poorly for King's when O'Connor fumbled in King's territory and Gus Lopez recovered for the Pride at the Monarch 39 after the third possession of the game.
 
Widener quarterback Chris Haupt looked to capitalize when he found Rick Ritter for a 14-yard completion to the Monarch 25 before hitting Marc Bandola for 23 yards to the King's five. Three plays later Haupt would score form one-yard out. Matt Breslin made good on the point-after attempt as Widener took a 7-0 lead with 3:26 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Widener took over at its own 37 following a King's punt. A 28-yard run by Mike Bobrin and an 11-yard pass to Bandola helped move the ball to the Monarch six. Three plays later Haupt connected with Tim Schaub on a six-yard touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 63-yard drive. Breslin's kick was good as Widener built a 14-0 lead with 12:53 remaining in the first half.

King's, though, answered on its next possession with a grinding 13-play, 60-yard drive. O'Connor carried five times for 27 yards and an 11-yard pass from Lavin to Bob Lane moved the ball to the Pride 14. After a four-yard pass to Verbitski gave King's possession on the Widener six, Lavin scored on a six-yard run to get the Monarchs on the board. Andrew DeRito's conversion cut the score to 14-7 with 6:06 left in the half.
 
Widener countered with a five-play 55-yard drive, capped by a 37-yard touchdown pass from Haupt to Ritter. Breslin added the extra-point as the Pride quickly took a 21-7 lead with 3:06 remaining in the second period.
 
The Monarchs, however, wasted little time in responding when Lavin hit Verbitski for 55 yards to the Widener 25. Three plays later, Lavin again found Verbitski, this time in the end zone for a 13-yard scoring play, capping a four-play, 80-yard scoring march. DeRito's conversion brought the Monarchs to within 21-14 with 1:23 left in the half.

King's would quickly regained possession following a Widener punt at its own 31. A 24-yard pass to Lane and a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Widener moved the ball to the Pride 22. After an incomplete pass, King's attempted a 40-yard field goal, but DeRito's kick bounced off the right upright on the final play of the half.
 
In the third quarter, Widener took the second half kickoff and put together a long drive, marching 12 plays to the Monarch seven. On the next play, King's defense came up with one of three big stands when Monarch safety Brian Mitros intercepted Haupt in the end zone to keep the Pride off the board.
 
King's carried over the momentum when O'Connor broke free for a 14-yard run on the Monarchs first play of the drive. After a nine-yard pass to Glen Ford, King's faced a critical third-and 12 play from the Widener 46. From there, Lavin broke loose with a clutch 33-yard run to the Widener 13. After O'Connor picked up nine yards on two carries, King's was called for an illegal procedure penalty, pushing the ball back to the Pride 8. But on the next play, King's responded when Lavin hit Justin Dalton with an eight-yard scoring play, to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. DeRito added the point-after as the Monarchs tied the score at 21-21 with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter.
 
After the Monarch defense held to force a Widener punt, King's assumed possession at their own 31. Lavin started the drive off with an 11-yard pass to Verbitski, followed by a 12-yard hook-up with Lane. On the next play, O'Connor burst free for a 33-yard gain to the Widener 12. Two plays later, Lavin connected with Verbitski again, this time for a 12-yard touchdown, to give the Monarchs their first lead of the game. DeRito's extra-point would give the Monarchs a 28-21 advantage with 14:27 remaining in the contest.
 
Widener missed out on a chance to cut into the led when the Pride drove to the King's 17. There, the Monarchs defense again held firm as the Pride would send in the field goal team. Breslin, however, missed a 34-yard field goal attempt as the Monarchs maintained a seven-point lead.
 
The Pride would then force a Monarch punt on the next possession and took over at the King's 45 following a 32-yard punt by DeRito. Haupt found Justin Horning for 14 yards to the King's 43 before connecting with Ian Decker for 23 yards to the King's six. From there the Monarch defense once again stiffened and the Pride was forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Breslin to cut the lead to 28-24 with 6:51 remaining in the game.  
 
This day would belong to the Monarchs, though as the squad would respond with a decisive drive beginning at its own 17. A seven-yard pass to Verbitski and an eight-yard run by Lavin gave the Monarchs an important first down. After a short gain by O'Connor, Lavin hit Lane for an 18-yard gain and a personal foul call against the Pride on the play moved the ball to the Widener 32. On the next play, O'Connor came up with another big run, rumbling 31-yards to the Pride one-yard line. On the Monarch senior deservedly finished off the drive with a one-yard run to extend the King's lead. DeRito's kick gave the Monarchs a 35-24 advantage with 2:59 left in the contest.

Widener would make one last attempt to rally but the King's defense again came up big when Nick Beinke sacked Haupt fro a 10-yard loss on second down. After a Widener penalty, and an incomplete pass on third down forced a fourth-and-25 play. Haupt's pass to Horning fell incomplete with 1:48 to play as King's ran out the clock to walk away with the victory.

King's outgained Widener 458-to-312 in total yards, including 225 rushing yards and 231 passing yards in the Monarchs most balanced effort of the season.  King's posted 28 first downs compared to 15 for Widener. Joining O'Connor, Lavin, and Verbitski in King's biggest offensive output of the season was Lane, who made four catches for 65 yards.
 
For Widener, Haupt completed 14-of-30 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns and one costly interception. Bandola made four catches for 81 yards while Ritter added four receptions for 80 yards and one score. The Pride offense entered the contest with a 173.2 rushing yards per-game average but were held to a mere 57 yards on 28 carries by the Monarchs.  

Ryan Nelson led the King's defense with seven tackles while John Cuiffo added six. Tyler Hagan, Vince Pabst, P.J. Nivens, and Ryan Cordingly all added five stops each.
 
The Monarchs return home Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. home contest against Albright.

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