Phillip Shaw
Phil Shaw and the Monarchs travel to Madison, NJ to face FDU-Florham

King's Football Team Traveling to Face FDU-Florham, Listen to the WRKC Broadcast

11/6/2009 11:49:50 AM

NOVEMBER 6, 2009

KING'S FOOTBALL TRAVELING TO FACE FDU-FLORHAM

WILKES-BARRE, PA – With two games remaining and a Middle Atlantic Conference title out of reach, the King's College football team will be playing for pride as well as for one of the largest senior classes in recent years.  The Monarchs will look to close out the season on a high note, beginning Saturday with 1:00 p.m. away game at FDU-Florham in Madison, NJ.

King's enters the game with a 2-6 overall record and a 1-4 Middle Atlantic Conference mark and hopes to end a three-game losing streak on Saturday.  FDU-Florham, meanwhile, is the lone team in the MAC without a conference win, entering the matchup at 1-7 and 0-5 in MAC play. The Devils dropped their first two games of the year before posting a 49-30 win over Newport New Apprentice School of Virginia, but have lost five straight games since.
 
This year's game will mark the second straight year King's will have played at FDU's Robert T. Shield Field, and the third time in the past four years.
 
The Monarchs are coming off a brutal three-week stretch against the top three teams in the MAC. King's fell to MAC co-leader Delaware Valley last week; third-place Lebanon Valley October 24; as well as MAC co-leader Albright on October 17.  The three teams combine for a record of 22-2 overall and 14-1 in MAC games.


KING'S FOOTBALL ON THE AIR:
The game will be broadcast live on the radio by WRKC, 88.5 FM and will also be simultaneously web cast live on the Internet. The webcast can be accessed by going to the WRKC LIVE link at the following address:  http://www.kings.edu/IITS/index.htm
                                                           
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 17th meeting between the two teams with King's holding a 12-4 advantage, including a 16-8 victory at FDU-Florham a year ago. The Monarchs have won the last four meetings with the Devils since dropping a 15-10 verdict at Shield Field in 2004. King's last home game against FDU was a 17-14 victory in 2007.

THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Rich Mannello, the longest tenured head coach in the MAC, is in his 16th year at King's and owns a current record of 69-103-1 with the Monarchs, five post-season playoff appearances since 2000, and the 2002 MAC title. FDU-Florham mentor Rich Mosca is in his seventh year with the Devils and owns a 15-53 mark.

LAST WEEK:
King's comes off a 47-21 loss at home to MAC first-place Delaware Valley College, its third straight loss against the top three teams in the league. The Monarchs fell to third-place Lebanon Valley two weeks ago, along with MAC co-leader Albright a week earlier.  FDU dropped a 49-28 verdict to MAC co-leader Albright.

KING'S ON OFFENSE: I-FORMATION
The Monarch offense is ranked fifth in the MAC with 328.6 yards of total offense per-game. The Monarchs are third in rushing with 152.1 yards each contest while standing sixth in passing at 176.5 yards per-game. Senior quarterback Corey Lavin has completed 52.8 (115-218) percent of his passes for 1,412 yards with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while rushing for 297 yards on 68 attempts. He stands thee touchdown passes shy of equaling the school-record of 18 touchdowns thrown set by Chris Barnic in 2004.

Senior tailback Claude O'Connor ranks third in the MAC with a 95.7 yards per-game average, totaling 670 yards on 147 carries. Sophomore Phil Shaw adds 193 yards on 43 carries. Senior wide receiver Mike Verbitski ranks second in the MAC with 46 catches for a conference-best 731 yards. His 11 receiving touchdowns also top the MAC and are a King's single-season record. Junior Rob Lane follows with 27 receptions for 340 yards. Senior tight end Justin Dalton and sophomore split end Glenn Ford have both registered 11 catches apiece.

FDU-FLORHAM ON OFFENSE:  MULTIPLE
The Devils are fourth in MAC total offense with 365.0 yards per-game. FDU is fifth in rushing offense with 131.8 yards while standing second in passing offense with 233.2 yards each contest.  The Devils attack is led by senior do-everything senior quarterback Bill Winters who is a dual threat on the ground as well as through the air. Winters stands second in MAC total offense with 256.4 yards per-game, totaling 1,606 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Devil signal-caller is second in MAC passing yardage at 200.8 yards per-game while ranking sixth in MAC rushing at 445 yards on the ground.  

Aiding the rushing attack is junior tailback Bayshawn Wells who has 293 yards on 78 carries while junior Brendon Griffin adds 152 yards on 31 attempts. Senior Kyle Bucowiec, who tops the MAC with 49 catches for 448 yards leads the receivers. Senior tight end Beau Reed adds 26 receptions for 249 yards while senior Lou Pietrangelo contributes 24 catches for 378 yards. Junior Al Scamporino chips in with 20 catches for 390 yards and a team-high six touchdowns, including an outstanding 19.5 yards per-reception average.                     

KING'S ON DEFENSE:   MULTIPLE
King's is ranked seventh in MAC total defense, allowing 385.5 yards per-game. The Monarchs stand seventh against the run, yielding 168.6 yards and seventh versus the pass in permitting 216.9 each contest. Sophomore linebacker P.J. Nivens tops the squad with 59 tackles, including 40 solo stops and 2.0 sacks. Junior defensive end Ryan Nelson follows with 53 tackles with 8.0 tackles for 32 yards in losses and 2.0 sacks. Freshman linebacker Ryan Cordingly has also tallied 53 tackles. After missing two games with and injury, he returned against Delaware Valley, where he was injured in the second quarter and stands as a game-time decision against FDU.

Sophomore cornerback Mike Schifalacqua has made 38 tackles while senior cornerback Brian Mitros has tallied 36 tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss, an interception, and has broken up four passes. Junior lineman Craig Geibert has made 30 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks while freshman linebacker Ryan Kelly has also posted 30 tackles. Junior safety John Cuiffo contributes 28 tackles with an interception; senior linebacker Eric Fay has registered 26 tackles while junior lineman Vince Pabst and sophomore safety Jim McHugh have tallied 26 tackles each.  Senior defensive tackle Alex Watty and senior safety Justin Zlotek both chip in with 24 tackles.

FDU-FLORHAM ON DEFENSE: 4-3
The FDU defense allows the most points in the MAC, at 37.4 points per-game.  The Devils are last in MAC total defense, yielding 410.9 yards per-game. FDU is last in rushing defense (203.6) and fifth in pass defense (207.2).  Sophomore linebacker Steve Hoverson tops the unit with 68 tackles, including 9.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Junior linebacker Ian Moore follows with 57 tackles with two fumble recoveries. Senior safety Jason Glezman adds 52 tackles with three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Junior linebacker Al DelConte contributes 43 tackles with 5.0 tackles for losses while junior safety Gino Abbate contributes 41 tackles. Junior cornerback Matt Porricelli has tallied 40 tackles while breaking up four passes Gilbert Taylor has 33 tackles with 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.  Senior defensive end James Gartland contributes with 31 tackles and four tackles for loss. Senior safety Dan Labrutto has registered 21 tackles with three interceptions while junior defensive end George Gibson chips in with 18 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

NEXT WEEK:
The Monarchs will host cross-town rival Wilkes University in the annual Mayor's Cup Game at 1:05 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium in the Betzler Athletic Complex.  

The game will be televised locally on WQMY-TV MyNet TV on Comcast Cable channel 11 and Service Electric Cable channel 4. The game will also appear on Direct TV and Dish Network channels for WQMY MyNet TV.
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