Alex Watty
Alex Watty and the Monarch defense will play a key role in attempting to slow down a potent Albright offense

Monarch Football Hosting Undefeated Albright Saturday, View LiveStats

10/16/2009 11:20:17 AM

OCTOBER 17, 2009
 
KING'S FOOTBALL FACING MAJOR CHALLENGE WITH 23RD RANKED ALBRIGHT COLLEGE
(Lions stand as the lone remaining undefeated team in the MAC)

WILKES-BARRE –The King's College football team, fresh off a 35-24 upset win over Widener University, will face its biggest challenge of the year when the Monarchs host Middle Atlantic Conference rival Albright College Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on Mini Football Day at McCarthy Stadium.

King's enters the contest with a 2-3 overall record and a 1-1 MAC mark after posting its first ever win at Widener after eight previous losses. Albright, meanwhile, is 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the MAC after easily handling Lycoming 26-7 on the rod in Williamsport. Albright enters the contest ranked 23rd nationally in the American Football Coaches Association Division III National Poll. It is the Lions' first appearance in the national rankings this season.

The Monarchs, who ended a three-game losing streak to Widener, will look to snap a two-game skid to Albright. After King's posted a 38-14 home win over Albright in 2006, the Lions traveled to Wilkes-Barre for a second straight year in 2007, posting a 24-21 victory over the Monarchs. A year ago in Reading, Albright garnered a 16-0 victory at Shirk Stadium.
 
KING'S FOOTBALL ON THE AIR:
The game will be web cast live on the Internet by going to the WRKC LIVE link at the following address:  http://www.kings.edu/IITS/index.htm
 
Fans can also follow the action on LiveStats, an online statistical program that displays live play-by-play and statistics at the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/football/

ABOUT THE GAME:
Today's game is the fifth of the season and the third week of Middle Atlantic Conference contests. King's enters the game with a 2-3 overall record and a 1-1 Middle Atlantic Conference mark. Albright stands as the only undefeated team left in the MAC with a 5-0 overall record and a 2-0 league mark. The Lions are currently ranked 23rd nationally in the American Football Coaches Association Division III national poll. A year ago, Albright was 8-3, shared the MAC championship with Lycoming and Delaware Valley, and posted a 42-14 victory over Montclair State in the ECAC South Central Bowl.

ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 15th all-time meeting between the programs with Albright holding an 8-5-1 advantage after posting a 16-0 victory over the Monarchs a year ago in Reading.

THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Rich Mannello, the longest tenured head coach in the MAC, is in his 17th year at King's. Mannello owns a current record of 69-100-1 with the Monarchs, including five post-season playoff appearances since 2000, along with the 2002 MAC title. Albright is coached by John Marzka who is in his third year at the helm and sports a 20-7 mark with the Lions.

LAST WEEK:
A week ago traveled to Widener where the Monarchs posted a 35-24 win to register their first-ever victory in Chester after eight previous attempts. Albright posted a dominating 26-7 road victory over Lycoming in a game that was more one-sided than the final score. The Lions owned a 506-to-183 advantage in total yards while registering 22 first-downs compared to just eight for Lycoming. King's dropped a last-minute 24-21 decision to Lycoming two weeks ago.

KING'S ON OFFENSE: I-FORMATION
The Monarchs offense is averaging 336 yards of total offense per-game, including 162.5 rushing yards and 172.2 passing yards each contest. Senior quarterback Corey Lavin, who was named the MAC "Offensive Player of the Week" after a sterling effort against Widener, has completed 68-of-135 passes
for 861 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for another 203 yards on 15 carries. Senior tailback Claude O'Connor leads the MAC in rushing with a 113.5 yards per-game average, totaling 454 yards on 95 attempts and a 4.8 yards per-carry average. Sophomore tailback Phillip Shaw has picked up 139 yards on 30 carries, averaging 5.1 each attempt.

Senior wide receiver Mike Verbitski is fourth in the MAC with 27 catches, ranking second in the conference with 478 receiving yards, while scoring eight touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Rob Lane has 17 receptions for 221 yards while sophomore receiver Glenn Ford has six catches for 55 yards while senior tight end Justin Dalton has five receptions for 38 yards and one score.

ALBRIGHT ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE
The potent Albright offense is ranked first in the MAC with an average of 467.8 total yards per-game. The balanced Lion attack is first in passing yards with 305.1 yards while standing third in rushing with 162.6 yards each contest. Leading the way at quarterback is senior all-American candidate Tanner Kelly who has completed a stunning 74.0 (94-127) percent of his passes for 1,385 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. To compound matters, Tanner has also rushed for 246 yards on 57 carries with three more scores.

Ironically, it was in a 38-14 loss to King's during his freshman year that Kelly made his mark on the collegiate scene. Kelly would come of the bench to complete12-of-21 passes for 141 yards against the Monarchs in relief of then-starter Derek Dubbs. Kelly would use the performance to earn his first career start the following week, completing 16-of-24 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-14 win over Juniata. He has been the Lions' starter ever since.
 
Kelly's favorite target is senior wide receiver Nate Romig who has 25 catches for 488 yards and six touchdowns. Albright has five players who have at least 10 catches on the year, including junior Luke Wallace with 14 receptions for 18 yards. Scott Pillar has tallied 12 catches for a whopping 26.5 yards per-reception average with three scores. Adding to the Lion offensive arsenal is sophomore tailback Josan Holmes, the 2008 MAC "Rookie of the Year", who has rushed for 287 yards on 68 carries with four
touchdowns while adding 14 catches for 105 yards out of the backfield.

KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
King's defense has yielded an average of 360.8 yards per-game, including 202.2 passing yards and 158.6 rushing yards. Excluding the 488 rushing yards allowed to Springfield in week-two, the King's defense has allowed just 81.0 rushing yards per-game in the remaining four games. Freshman linebacker
Ryan Cordingly has posted a team-high 47 tackles, including 24 solo stops. Junior defensive end Ryan Nelson follows with 34 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss.

Sophomore linebacker P.J. Nivens has notched 33 tackles with two for loss while senior linebacker Eric Fay has 22 tackles. Senior cornerback Brian Mitros and junior safety John Cuiffo have both tallied 24 tackles with an interception. Sophomore cornerback Mike Schifalacqua has garnered 23 tackles while junior defensive lineman Vince Pabst has made 19 tackles. Junior tackle Craig Geibert posts 17 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss while senior lineman Christian Becker contributes 15 stops with 4.0 tackles for loss. Senior tackle Alex Watty chips in with 14 tackles.

ALBRIGHT ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
Albright is ranked first in MAC total defense, surrendering just 254.2 yards of total offense per-game. The Lions are second in rushing defense, allowing only 101.6 yards per-game while also standing second in the conference in yielding just 152.6 yards each contest. Senior linebacker Bob Harper tops the unit with 22 tackles and an interception. Senior linebacker Andrew Kilber follows with 21.5 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss.

Senior rover Brendan Bresnahan adds 21 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss. Senior safety Dave Harig and junior cornerback Josh Hare both post 20 tackles with an interception. Senior cornerback Brett Gaul tallies 13.5 tackles while sophomore defensive end Alvin Thomas has garnered 12 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

NEXT WEEK:
The Monarchs travel to Annville to face Lebanon Valley (4-1) at 1:00 p.m.
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