SEPTEMBER 12, 2009
KING'S FOOTBALL SET FOR HOME DEBUT WITH FIRST-EVER MEETING AGAINST SPRINGFIELD
(King's Coaches Rich Mannello and Jim Anderson Square Off Against Alma-Mater for First Time)
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College football team will make its 2009 home debut when the Monarchs face Springfield College Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium in the Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex.
Tickets are set at $4 for all adults and $2 for students while children under age-six will be admitted free.
The Monarchs enter the game with a 1-0 record after posting a hard-fought 16-10 road win over defending Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion Randolph-Macon College. Springfield, meanwhile, manhandled Fitchburg State with a 55-7 drubbing at home.
Despite the game standing as the first-ever meeting between the two programs, there is a great deal of history between the two schools. King's head coach Rich Mannello and associate head coach Jim Anderson are Springfield graduates. Both served as graduate assistants at Springfield following their playing days.
Their connections with Springfield remain strong to this day. Since 1992, eight other Springfield graduates have served as intern assistant coaches at King's under Mannello and Anderson while 10 graduates of the Monarch intern coaching program went on to earn graduate assistant coaching positions at Springfield.
While the game may constitute a reunion of sorts with the coaching staffs, the game itself stands as a very important non-conference game for both teams. King's is looking to reestablish itself as a contender in the Middle Atlantic Conference while Springfield is attempting to do the same in the Empire 8.
King's returns a veteran offensive and defensive line but is inexperienced in the backfield as well as at linebacker. The Monarchs have 21 senior players on the roster, the most in a number of years, and Mannello expects the experience and leadership to pay dividends.
Springfield, meanwhile, is also banking on experience to turn the program around. Since going 10-2 and reaching the second round of the NCAA Division III national playoffs in 2006, the Pride have posted back-to-back 4-6 seasons. Last year the squad paid its dues after returning just four total starters from 2007. This season, Springfield welcomes back 15 total starters.
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:
ABOUT THE GAME:
Today stands as the 2009 season opener for the King's College football team at McCarthy Stadium. The Monarchs face Empire 8 Conference member Springfield College in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. This also mark the first time King's head coach Rich Mannello and Associate head coach Jim Anderson will face their alma-mater. Coach Mannello is a 1983 Springfield graduate where he starred as an offensive lineman and was named to the Springfield All-Decade Team. Coach Anderson is a 1985 Springfield graduate where he was a first-team Kodak Division II All-American and was also a member of Springfield's All-Decade Team. The Pride have since moved down to Division III.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the first-ever meeting between the programs. However, Coach Mannello and Coach Anderson served as assistant coaches to Pride mentor Mike DeLong before eventually arriving at King's College.
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 68-97-1 with the Monarchs, five post-season playoff appearances since 2000, and the 2002 MAC title. Springfield is coach by Mike DeLong who enters his 26th year with his alma-mater and is the owner of a 154-114-2 overall head coaching record while standing 148-108-2 mark at Springfield. Both Anderson and Mannello served as graduate assistants at Springfield under DeLong following their playing days.
LAST WEEK:
A week ago, King's opened the season with a 16-10 victory over defending Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion Randolph-Macon College, a 2008 NCAA Division III national playoff qualifier. In the game the Monarchs overcame a 7-3 halftime deficit to emerge with the win. Springfield, meanwhile, posted a dominating 54-7 triumph over Fitchburg State in a game the Pride outgained their opponent 531-10 in total yards.
KING'S ON OFFENSE: I-FORMATION
Last week King's offense tallied 335 yards of total offense, including 236 rushing yards and 99 passing yards. The Monarchs enjoyed a big second half, rushing for 179 yards over the game's final 30 minute of play to take over the game. Senior tailback Claude O'Connor picked up 116 yards on 17 caries, including 107 yards in the second half. Senior quarterback Corey Lavin completed an efficient 11-of-19 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another 60 yards on 11 carries. Senior wide receiver Mike Verbitski caught a team-high three passes for 52 yards while junior tight end Ken Loomis added two short touchdown receptions. Junior wide receiver Bob Lane and senior tight end Justin Dalton chipped in with two catches apiece.
SPRINGFIELD ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE TRIPLE-OPTION
The Springfield triple option offense, similar to that utilized by Navy and Air Force, had its way against Fitchburg, amassing 531 yards of total offense, including a whopping 430 rushing yards and a 9.2 yards per-carry average. The Pride picked 316 total yards at the half, building a 35-0 lead at the break. Josh Carter, an extremely athletic sophomore quarterback, rushed for a team-high 184 yards on just 10 carries, scoring on runs of 79 and 67 yards. He also completed 3-of-4 passes for 75 yards and two scores. Senior fullback Baldwin Cunningham added 107 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns . Junior wide receiver Tim Brady chipped in with a team-high three catches and two touchdowns.
KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
King's defense yielded 225 yards of total offense, including 97 rushing yards and 128 passing yards. However, the Monarch defense surrendered just 80 yards of total offense in the second half. Freshman linebacker Ryan Cordingly posted a team-high nine tackles while junior defensive end Ryan Nelson followed with eight tackles, including one for five yards in losses. Junior defensive end Vince Pabst registered six tackles with one sack while senior linebacker Eric Fay also added six stops. Sophomore linebacker P. J. Nivens contributed with five tackles while junior safety John Cuiffo and sophomore cornerback Mike Schifalacqua both made four tackles. Senior defensive tackle Alex Watty, senior cornerback Justin Zlotek, junior defensive tackle Craig Geibert, and senior defensive end Christian Becker chipped in with two tackles each.
SPRINGFIELD ON DEFENSE: 4-3
The Pride defense was a virtual fortress against Fitchburg. The Pride pitched a defensive shutout as the only points Fitchburg scored was on a fumble return for a touchdown with under five minutes left in the contest. Springfield's defense completely dominated play, allowing only 10 total yards in the game, holding Fitchburg to -68 rushing yards in the contest. Junior defensive end Charles Kulcsar topped the unit with eight tackles, including 3.0 sacks for 25 yards in losses. Freshman linebacker Matt Pieteerse also added eight tackles and one stop for four lost yards. Sophomore defensive tackle Jean Hendrick added seven tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. Senior defensive tackle John Ward and junior linebacker Anthony Scarpetti both registered seven tackles. In all, the Springfield defense posted 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
NEXT WEEK:
The Monarchs return to McCarthy Stadium for another first-ever meeting, this time with New Jersey Athletic Conference foe William Paterson. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
