SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

KING'S FOOTBALL FALLS TO FIRST-PLACE LYCOMING, 33-10

WILLIAMSPORT -- The host Lycoming College football team built a 20-10 halftime lead and used a dominating second-half defensive effort to post a 33-10 victory over visiting King's College in a Middle Atlantic Conference matchup Saturday at David Person Field in Williamsport.

With the win, Lycoming improved to 4-1 with its fourth straight victory while upping its MAC mark to 4-0. Gritty in defeat, King's slipped to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the MAC.

Lycoming struck quickly in the first play of the game when quarterback Tyler Jenny hit Jarrin Campman for a 78-yard touchdown pass to give the Warriors the early lead. Zach Czap made good on the conversion kick as Lycoming took a 7-0 lead after just 0:17 of play.

After a King's punt, Lycoming took over at its own 34 and used eight plays, including a 20-yard pass from Jenny to fullback Nick Mongiello, to reach the Monarch five. From there Craig Needhammer need one carry to reach the end zone for a Lycoming score. Czap missed the extra-point kick but Lycoming built a 13-0 lead with 6:42 left in the first quarter.

After the teams traded punts on the next four possessions, Lycoming assumed possession at midfield following a King's punt and immediately went to work. Showers ran for 10 yards to the 40 before Jenny found John Sibel for 14 yards to the King's 26. Later in the drive, a pair of Showers runs gave the Warriors a first and-goal from the three. From there Needhamer scored on a second-down one-yard run to stretch the lead to 20-0 with 12:42 remaining in the half.

King's had its first scoring opportunity on its next possession. Hartranft found Dan Kempa for 29 yards to the Monarch 48. Two plays later Hartranft hooked up with Matt Henry for 30 yards to the Warrior 26. On the next play Hartranft was sacked for a six-yard loss back to the 32. After a short completion to Kempa, King's was faced with a third-and-10 from the Warrior 26. But Hartranft was sacked again and the Monarchs were forced into a fourth-and-eight play from the Lycoming 34. The Warrior defense would hold when Hartranft's pass to Kempa was well short of a first down.

The Monarchs defense, though, shut down the Warrior offense and forced a punt, giving King's possession at its own 15. A 15-yard pass to Steven Duncan moved the ball to the King's 45 while Judens Goimbert followed with a six-yard run to the Lycoming 49. Hartranft, however, was sacked again, moving the ball back to midfield. On third-and-six, Hartranft found Slade Eigenmann for 13 yards and a first down at the Warrior 37. The drive continued with a 17-yard pass to Kempa at the 20, followed by a 13-yard screen pass to Duncan for a first down at the seven. On the next play Kyle McGrath ran a draw play untouched into the end zone to get the Monarchs on board. Kevin Mulvihill converted the extra-point as the Monarchs cut the lead to 20-7 with 1:48 left in the half.

Lycoming gave itself good field position when Needhammer returned the ensuing kickoff to the Warrior 45. But on first down, King's defensive end Billy Beinke came up big when he intercepted a Jenny screen pass at the Lycoming 44 to give the Monarchs a scoring chance with 1:37 on the clock.

On first-down Hartranft hit Adam Kudlacik down the right sideline for 40 yards to the Lycoming four. An incomplete pass and a short scramble by Hartranft gave the Monarchs a third-and-goal at the three. On the next play, however, McGrath was held for a one-yard carry, giving the Monarchs a fourth-and-goal from the two. From there Mulvihill made good on a 20-yard field goal with 0:02 on the clock as King's cut the lead to 20-10 at the halftime break.

Lycoming outgained King's 211-205 in total yards but held the Monarchs to just 23 rushing yards in 17 attempts.

On the third possession of the second the Lycoming defense stopped King's deep in its own territory, forcing the Monarchs to punt from its own one-yard line. The Warriors benefited from a short punt as Needhammer fielded the offering at the Monarch 30 and returned the ball 18 yards to the Monarch nine. Lycoming took advantage on second down when Jenny hit Sibel in the left corner of the end zone on a nine-yard scoring toss. Czap hit on the extra points as Lycoming extended its lead to 27-10 with 4:33 left in the third quarter.

On King's next possession Hartranft was drilled while passing and the ball fluttered into the arms of Warrior linebacker Kabango Bukasa, giving Lycoming a first-down at the King's 16.

Consecutive runs by Needhammer moved the ball to the King's nine, setting up a third-and three play. From there Jenny found Showers for a six-yard gain and a first-and-goal at the Monarch three. On the next play Showers burst over right tackle and into the end zone. Czap would miss his second extra-point kick of the day as Lycoming pushed the lead to 33-10 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter.

The Warrior defense was dominant in the third quarter, holding the Monarchs to 17 total yards on three punts and an interception. Field position was a key factor in KIng's struggles as the  Monarchs started their four third-qurater possessions from their own 22, 35, four, and 14 yard lines.

Neither team would score the rest of the way but King's had one last chance when the Monarchs drove from their own 13 to the Warrior three-yard line. A short run and two incomplete passes set up a fourth-and-goal play for King's. From there a Hartranft pass to Henry at the goal line fell incomplete as the Warriors took over on downs with 1:08 to play and ran out the clock to walk away with the victory.

Lycoming outgained King's 323-304 in total yards but King's was held to just 36 rushing yards on 30 carries. The Warriors also held a 16-14 advantage in first downs. The Lycoming defense held King's to just 99 total yards in the second half but 78 of those yards came on the Monarchs' final drive.

Despite being under pressure much of the game, Hartranft paced King's offensively, completing 19-of-34 passes for 239 yards with an interception but was sacked six times. Kudlacik caught five passes for 67 yards while Duncan also had five receptions for 58 yards. Kempa chipped in with four catches for 59 yards. McGrath, who entered the game second in the MAC with a 118 yards per-game average, was held to 36 yards on 14 carries.

For Lycoming, Showers rushed for 83 yards on 18 carries while Needhammer added 66 yards on 15 attempts. Jenny completed 12-19 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Sibel led Lycoming with four catches for 35 yards.

Defensively for King's, Jake Ksiaziewicz, Kris Matthews, and Ben Ray led the Monarchs with seven tackles apiece.

King's will enjoy a bye week before returning to the gridiron October 13 with a 1:00 p.m. home game against defending MAC champion Delaware Valley College.