OCTOBER 8, 2010
KING'S FOOTBALL FACING WIDENER IN 2010 HOMECOMING GAME
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College football team will return to action Saturday at 1:00 p.m. when the Monarchs host Middle Atlantic Conference rival Widener University at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium. The game will also stand as King's 2010 Homecoming contest.
King's (0-4, 0-1 MAC) enters the game looking to post their first victory of the season under rookie head coach Jeff Knarr. The Monarchs stand at 0-4 thus far and gave dropped three straight games by a touchdown or less. King's went 0-3 in their three non-conference games in preparation for the opening of MAC play.
After a 31-7 loss to powerful Springfield College on opening day, the Monarchs fell 31-28 to Bethany, followed by a 14-7 loss to William Paterson. A week ago, the Monarchs dropped its MAC opener with a 31-24 loss at Lycoming College. Widener stands at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in MAC play after winning its league opener at home against FDU-Florham last week.
ON THE AIR:
The game will be broadcast locally over the radio by WRKC, 88.5 FM. An Internet voice stream of the broadcast will be available on the WRKC LIVE link at: http://www.kings.edu/IITS/index.htm.
The game will also be available on the Internet via LiveStats at the following link:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/football/
ABOUT THE GAME:
Today's game represents week-two of the Middle Atlantic Conference schedule. It also marks a matchup of first-year head coaches as King's Jeff Knarr and Widener's Isaac Collins are both in their rookie years. It is also King's first home contest in nearly a month since the Monarchs hosted Bethany on September 11.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 18th meeting between the two programs with Widener holding a 14-3 advantage. King's won last season's game with a 35-24 triumph in Chester. The last time the teams played at McCarthy Stadium, Widener posted a 17-3 victory. The Monarchs' last home win over Widener was a 31-24 decision on October 25, 2005.
THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Jeff Knarr is in his first season at King's after spending the past 11 years as an assist at Muhlenberg College, serving the final four as offensive coordinator. Widener coach Isaac Collins is also in his first season and came to the Pride from The Citadel where he was the defensive coordinator.
LAST WEEK:
King's traveled to Williamsport where the Monarchs held an early lead but fell to Lycoming College 31-24. Widener, meanwhile, overcame a 13-7 halftime deficit to rally past FDU-Florham 35-20 at home.
KING'S ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE - I
The Monarch offense is averaging 257.5 yards of total offense per-game, including 82.2 rushing yards and 175.2 passing yards. Senior quarterback Corey Lavin runs the show and has completed 59-of-123 passes for 699 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. The ground game is paced by sophomore tailback Eric Ofcharsky who returned to the line-up last week after missing the previous seven quarters with an injury. Ofcharsky tops the squad with 173 rushing yards on 48 carries with one touchdown, while catching eight passes for 91 yards.
Junior tailback Matt Spencer adds 59 rushing yards on 16 carries while senior Brandon Murray chips in with 42 yards on 16 attempts. Sophomore David Abdalla tops the receivers with 17 catches for 341 yards and averages 20.1 yards per-reception with three touchdowns. Senior split end Jay Torres adds nine catches for 106 yards; junior wide-out Glenn Ford contributes eight catches for 58 yards and one score; while senior tight end John Cuiffo has caught six passes for 42 yards and one touchdown. Senior tight end Ken Loomis has five catches for 30 yards while junior fullback Jordan Haddock has made four receptions for 21 yards.
WIDENER ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE
The Widener offense enters the game averaging 247.0 total yards per-game, including 116.5 rushing yards and 130.5 passing yards. The quarterback duties have been shared thus far by sophomore Chris Haupt and freshman Colin Masterson. Haupt has completed 18-of-29 passes for 199 yards with one touchdown and one interception while Masterson has completed 33-of-66 passes for 309 yards with one touchdown and six interceptions.
The rushing game is paced by senior tailback Adam Smith with 209 yards on 45 carries. Junior fullback Brendan Curran adds 65 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Junior wide receiver Cedrick Clayton tops the squad with 18 catches for 233 yards and one score while senior tight end Michael Penna follows with 10 receptions for 95 yards.
KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE 3-4
King's has allowed 386.5 yards of total offense per-game thus far, including 231.8 rushing yards and 154.8 passing yards. Sophomore linebacker Ryan Kelly tops the unit with 46 tackles and 2.0 sacks for 13 yards in losses. Fellow second-year linebacker Ryan Cordingly follows with 33 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks for 17 lost yards.
Senior safety Edwyn Edwards adds 29 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and two passes broken up. Senior defensive end Ryan Nelson has tallied 22 tackles with 2.0 for loss while sophomore linebacker Matt Henry contributes 19 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss. Senior nose guard Nick Bienke has posted 17 tackles with 2.0 sacks while junior safety Jim McHugh and senior lineman Craig Geibert chip in with 17 and 16 tackles respectively. Sophomore cornerback Andrew Yablonsky has 14 tackles with an interception while sophomore linebacker Mike Briggs checks in with 12 tackles.
WIDENER ON DEFENSE: 4-3
The Pride defense allows 273.8 yards of total offense each game, including 196.2 passing yards and a scant 77.5 rushing yards per-contest. Senior linebacker Jon Natter tops the squad with 26 tackles and an interception. Sophomore linebacker Joe Wojceichowski follows with 25 stops, including 7.0 tackles for loss.
Senior cornerback Kevin Franklin adds 21 tackles with two passes defended and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive end Shane Szumski has made 17 tackles, including 4.5 sacks for 28 yards in losses while senior safety E.J. Stroman also has 17 tackles . Senior All-American linebacker Joe Favinger has made 16 tackles with 16 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss.
NEXT WEEK:
King's will travel to Reading to face Albright College at 1:00 p.m. at Shirk Stadium. Albright was the 2009 MAC runner-up and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III national playoffs.
