OCTOBER 12, 2013

KING'S FOOTBALL SET TO HOST FDU-FLORHAM SATURDAY

WILKES-BARRE — The King's College football team will look to make it two victories in a row on Saturday when the Monarchs host FDU-Florham in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest slated to kick off at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium in the Betzler Athletic Complex.

The King's-FDU game will stands as one of only two games being played in the MAC this week. MAC leader Lycoming (4-1, 4-0 MAC will travel to Annville to face Lebanon Valley (4-1, 3-1 MAC) in a key matchup. Each of the remaining six MAC squads will enjoy bye weeks.

Ticket prices for the King's-FDU matchup are set at $4 for adults, $2 for seniors and non-King's students with I.D. Children under age-six shall be admitted free.

The Monarchs enter the game with a 1-3 overall record as well as a 1-2 MAC mark after a 41-40 double-overtime victory over Misericordia University last week.  FDU, meanwhile, is also 1-3 overall but stands 0-3 in the MAC after a 52-7 home loss to Albright.

King's is looking to snap a two-game losing streak at the hands of FDU. The Devils won last season's contest 30-14 in New Jersey prior to capturing a 17-3 victory over King's in the teams last meeting in Wilkes-Barre in 2011. The Devils have also won three of the last four meetings with the Monarchs' last triumph coming in a 45-14 win in 2010.

The Monarchs are looking to find a level of consistency as the season enters the midway point. King's has displayed the ability to make plays on both sides of the balls, but mistakes and penalties have proven costly.  

King's currently ranks third in the MAC in most penalty yards per-game (77.8) while the team had the second fewest penalty yards per-game (49.3) in the league a year ago.

Monarch coach Jeff Knarr is hoping a solid performance against FDU will help the team during its final five games of the year, the most difficult stretch of the season for the Monarchs. Next week King's travels to face sixth-place Stevenson before taking to the road again to meet 2011 MAC champion Delaware Valley, currently standing second in the MAC.

On November 2nd, the Monarchs host current MAC leader Lycoming, then travel the following week to play defending MAC champion Widener, currently in third place in the MAC. The Monarchs then wrap up the season November 16 when King's hosts the annual Mayor's Cup Game against arch-rival Wilkes.


Directions to McCarthy Stadium (off campus) in the Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex:

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ABOUT THE GAME:    
Today's game marks the fourth week of the Middle Atlantic Conference schedule for both King's and FDU-Florham.     

ABOUT THE SERIES:    
This is the 21st all-time meeting between the programs with King's owning a 13-7 lead. FDU, however, has won the last two meetings, including a 30-14 triumph last season in Madison, NJ. The last time the teams played in Wilkes-Barre, the Devils downed King's 17-3.    

THE COACHES:     
Monarch mentor Jeff Knarr is in his fourth season of rebuilding the program at King's and owns a 5-27 career record. Devil coach Brian Surace is in his third year at FDU and is 3-17, with two of his victories coming against King's.  Surace was a one-time King's assistant coach in the Monarchs' intern coaching program back in 1995. Devil defensive coordinator Scott Sperone was also a one-time King's assistant coach/intern in 2001.   

LAST WEEK:    
King's built a 13-0 lead over Misericordia but missed out on several other first-half scoring opportunities, holding on for a 41-40 double-overtime win. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to start the season. FDU, meanwhile, dropped its third straight game since a season-opening victory with a 52-7 home loss to Albright.    

NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR GARRETT/KAIJALA
The King's defense gained a level of national recognition on Tuesday.  The sack/fumble return combination of linebacker Nick Kaijala and defensive end Ron Garrett was named the D3Football National "Play of the Week"  On the play, Kaijala sacked Misericordia quarterback Jeff Puckett, forcing a fumble. Garrett scooped up the ball and raced untouched for a 48-yard touchdown, marking the third straight game Garrett has scored on a defensive return. The play was originally credited as a 39-yard return but later changed to 48 yards after a review of the game film.  

KING'S ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE-I    
King's enters today's game averaging 26.5 points and 17 first downs per-game. The Monarchs have an average of 324.3 total yards per-game, including 223.7 passing yards and 100.5 rushing yards each contest. Junior quarterback Tyler Hartranft has completed 53-of-119 passes for 827 yards with five touchdowns and three interception. Junior tailback Kyle McGrath, the MAC's second-leading rusher in 2012,  has 314 yards on 81 carries, averaging 78.5 yards per-game. Senior tailback Judens Goimbert chips in with 93 yards on 27 carries with one score. He is also second on the team with eight catches for 64 yards.

Senior split end Josh Sanders has seven receptions for 158 yards and one score. King's receiving corp is led by junior Dan Kempa with 26 catches for 550 yards and five touchdowns. Kempa averages a MAC-leading 137.5 receiving yards per-game, a figure that ranks fifth nationally in NCAA Division III. He also leads the MAC with a 27.7 yards per-kickoff return average.  

FDU-FLORHAM ON OFFENSE: SPREAD     
In four games thus far FDU-Florham has averaged 17.0 points and 18.0 first downs per-game. The Devils have averaged 318.5 yards of total offense per-game, including 112.5 rushing yards and 206.0 passing yards. Senior quarterback Michael Santos has completed 76-of-138 passes for 799 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Sophomore tailback Craig Kimbrough leads the team with 291 rushing yards on 50 carries, averaging 5.1 yards on each attempt. He is also the team's second leading receiver with 14 receptions out of the backfield for 85 yards. The Devils group of receivers is paced by senior Anthony Fruncillo with 19 catches for 262 yards and one score. Senior tight end Doug Van Orden follows with 13 receptions for 190 yards while senior Joe Tauriello adds 12 catches for 135 yards.     

KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE 3-4    
Defensively, the Monarchs have allowed 36.7 points per-game and an average of 399.0 yards of total offense per-game. King's has yielded 159.0 rushing yards per-game while surrendering 240.0 passing yards. Junior linebacker Nick Kaijala leads the team with 36 total tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Senior linebacker Jake Ksiazkiewicz follows closely with 34 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. Sophomore defensive back Anthony Martuccio has contributed with 31 tackles and a forced fumble while junior safety Kris Matthews has tallied 26 tackles.

Senior defensive end Ron Garrett has posted 26 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss and three consecutive game with a defensive touchdown return. Junior defensive tackle Pete Santorelli adds 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and an interception while junior linebacker Chad Curtice has 23 tackles with 3.0 quarterback sacks. Senior linebacker Ben Ray has made 17 tackles with one sack while senior defensive end Billy Beinke has also registered 17 stops with 1.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore cornerback Tyler Struckus chips in with 13 passes and broken up three passes.

FDU-FLORHAM ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE    
Defensively, FDU-Florham is allowing opponents 46.0 points per-game an average of 441.5 yards of total offense per-game. The Devils have yielded opponents to accumulate 246.5 rushing yards and 195.00 passing yards each contest. Senior linebacker Mike Mancino tops the squad with 38 tackles, including 21 solo stops. Junior safety Anthony Alecci follows with 28 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

enior safety Joe Mancini adds 24 tackles with two interceptions while  junior cornerback Mickey Weiks has tallied  18 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and an interception. Sophomore Ryan Rodriguez has contributed 15 tackles with one interception and one fumble recovery while senior outside linebacker and junior inside linebacker Robert Loneker have recorded 14 tackles apiece. Junior linebacker Nick Barber, sophomore linebacker Nick Galletta, and junior defensive end Nick Vazzano have tallied 11 tackles each.  

NEXT WEEK:
The Monarchs travel to Owings Mills, Md. to face Stevenson University at 1:00 p.m. in Mustang Stadium.