OCTOBER 27, 2012

KING'S FOOTBALL TO HOST STEVENSON IN MAC CLASH SATURDAY

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College football team will return to action Saturday when the Monarchs play host to Stevenson University at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.

Both teams enter the contest with identical records of 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the MAC.  Each team also posted their lone wins of the season against Misericordia University. King's defeated Misericordia 55-17 at home on September 22 while Stevenson upended the Cougars 35-7 on the road a week later.

The Monarchs are looking to secure their second win in as many tries against Stevenson, which is just its second season of varsity football. The Monarchs registered a 51-26 triumph over the Mustangs last season in Owings Mills, Md. in the first-ever meeting between the teams. Stevenson managed a 2-8 record in its first season and is looking to match their 2011 win total if the Mustangs can win in Wilkes-Barre. Stevenson has been competitive this seaosn, losing three games by a touchdown or less. A King's win would improve the Monarchs to 2-6 giving King's its largest victory total since the 2009 campaign (3-7).
       
ON THE AIR:               
King's student radio station WRKC 88.5 FM will broadcast the game, which will also be voice streamed over the Internet at the following link: http://wrkc.kings.edu/list/current.html     

A live video webstream will also be available at:   
http://stream01.kings.edu/sports/smoothstreamingplayer.html   

The game will be available on the Internet via LiveStats at:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/football/scoreboard.aspx           
       
Fans can also view the game on your mobile device at: 
http://stream01.kings.edu/sports/mobile.htm


ABOUT THE GAME:   
Today's game marks week-eight for both King's and Stevenson. King's enters the contest with a 1-6 overall record while standing 1-5 in the Middle Atlantic Conference.  Stevenson, which is in just its second season of varsity football, is also 1-6 and 1-5 in MAC play. Both teams have registered their lone wins against Misericordia University. King's won by a 55-17 count while Stevenson downed the Cougars 35-7.              

ABOUT THE SERIES:   
This is just the second meeting between the two programs. King's won the inaugural game between the two teams 51-26 last season in Owings Mills, Md. This will mark Stevenson's first trip to McCarthy Stadium.
 
THE COACHES:      
Monarch mentor Jeff Knarr is in his third season of rebuilding the program at King's and owns a 3-24 career record. Stevenson coach Ed Hottle is in his second season of building the Mustang program from the ground up. After going 2-8 last season he is currently 3-14 at Stevenson.         

LAST GAME:   
King's traveled to Reading where the Monarchs fell to Albright College 41-10. Stevenson, meanwhile, was at home and dropped a 38-35 Homecoming decision to Wilkes on a field goal with 0:11 left.      

KING'S ON OFFENSE:    MULTIPLE-I                     
The King's offense is currently ranked ninth in the MAC with an average of 293.3 total yards per-game. The Monarchs stand eighth in rushing with  133.8 yards per-game and are rated seventh in passing with 159.5 yards. The King's offense is under the direction of sophomore quarterback Tyler Hartranft who has started the past six games. Hartranft has completed 84-of-176  passes for 1,020 yards with two touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Sophomore tailback Kyle McGrath ranks second in the MAC in rushing with 614 yards on 117 carries with five touchdowns and averages 5.2 yards each attempt. He has also caught nine passes out of the backfield.   Junior tailback Judens Goimbert has been solid off the bench, adding 191 yards on 39 carries while averaging 4.9 yards per-carry. He has also contributed eight receptions for 42 yards and one score. Sophomore split end Dan  Kempa has a team-high 15 receptions for 279 yards with one touchdown. Senior split end Adam Kudlacik follows with 13 catches for 187 yards while junior wideout Josh Sanders adds 11 receptions for 134 yards. Senior tight end Matt Henry has caught nine passes doe 129 yards .      

STEVENSON ON OFFENSE:    MULTIPLE   
The Mustang offense is ranked sixth in the MAC in total offense with a 341.8 yards per-game. Stevenson is rated third in rushing at 203.5 yards and ninth in passing with 138.3 yards each contest. The offense has been led by standout freshman running back K.K. Smith who leads the MAC with 859 yards per-game, averaging a whopping 143.2 yards each contest. Smith has also caught 13 passes out of the backfield for 123 yards.

The Mustangs have used a two-quarterback approach with sophomore John Gasparovic completing 60-of-91 passes for 652 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Fellow sophomore Anthony Reid has completed 38-of-76 passes for 379 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Junior Jeromie Miller tops the receivers with 23 catches for 346 yards and two scores. Sophomore Anthony Smith follows with 17 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns.      

KING'S ON DEFENSE:    MULTIPLE 3-4   
King's defense is ranked fifth in the MAC, allowing an average of 336.8 total yards per-game.  The Monarchs are rated fourth against the run, yielding 116.2 yards each contest while standing fifth against the pass at 199.8 yards every game. Leading the way defensively for King's is senior linebacker Ryan Kelly with 50 total tackles with three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Junior safety Kris Matthews follows with 48 total tackles with four pass breaks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Junior linebacker Jake Ksiaziewicz has 43 tackles with 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. Fellow junior linebacker Ben Ray adds 40 tackles. Senior defensive end Ron Garrett has registered 30 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks while senior linebacker Ryan Cordingly is back from the injury list and has 26 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Chad Curtice has made 24 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss while senior defensive back Evan Crisman has 21 tackles and an interception       

STEVENSON ON DEFENSE:    4-4   
Defensively, the Mustangs rank eighth in the MAC, allowing 399.7 total yards per-game. Stevenson is eighth against the run in yielding 225.5 yards each game while standing fourth against the pass at 174.2 per-contest. Sophomore linebacker Tim Campbell posts a team-high 52 tackles while freshman linebacker Razonte Dunn follows with 49 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore safety Tyren Pinkett adds 35 tackles with three interceptions while freshman linebacker Chris Coffie contributes 33 tackles and two interception.

Freshman safety Antonio Lyles has registered 33 tackles while sophomore defensive end Moses Anoh has made 32 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Junior cornerback Trevon Wilkes has 31 tackles while junior defensive tackle Byron Barnes chips in with 30 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.    

NEXT WEEK:   
King's will resume action on Saturday, November 3 when the Monarchs host Lebanon Valley College on Senior Day at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.