OCTOBER 18, 2013
KING'S FOOTBALL TRAVELING TO STEVENSON IN SEARCH OF 3rd STRAIGHT WIN
Read the 10/18/13 story of Ron Garrett's string of four straight games with defensive touchdowns in the Citizen's Voice Newspaper:
http://citizensvoice.com/sports/touchdown-machine-1.1570561
WILKES-BARRE — The King's College football team will look to make it three wins in a row on Saturday when the Monarchs travel to Owings Mill, Md. to face host Stevenson University in a 1:00 p.m. Middle Atlantic Conference matchup at Mustang Stadium.
Advance ticket purchase is recommended due to Homecoming at Stevenson, where a sell-out is expected. Tickets can be purchased online at:
http://stevensonfootball.eventbrite.com/
The Monarchs enter the game with a 2-3 overall record as well as a 2-2 MAC mark after a 52-21 home victory over FDU-Florham on Saturday. Stevenson, meanwhile, is 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the MAC.
Monarch coach Jeff Knarr is hoping a solid performance against Stevenson will continue to help build the team's confidence as the squad enters the second half of the season. King's second half of the season stands as its most difficult with games against Stevenson followed by a matchup with 2011 MAC champion Delaware Valley.
On November 2nd, the Monarchs host current MAC co-leader Lycoming, then travel the following week to play defending MAC champion Widener, currently tied for second- place in the MAC with Delaware Valley. The Monarchs then wrap up the season November 16 when King's hosts the annual Mayor's Cup Game against arch-rival Wilkes.
ON THE AIR:
Live Video -
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/stevenson.portal#
Live Audio -
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LiveStats -
http://livestats.prestosports.com/stevenson/
ABOUT THE GAME:
Today's game marks the start of the second half of the 2013 season for both teams. King's is looking to post its third straight victory of the season for the first time since the Monarchs won five straight in 2006. Stevenson is looking to halt a two-game losing streak after opening the season with a 3-0 mark.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the third all-time meeting between the programs with King's holding a 2-0 advantage. The teams first meet in 2011 with the Monarchs posting a 51-26 victory in Owings Mills, Md. The teams played last season n Wilkes-Barre with the Monarchs tallying a 34-21 triumph.
ABOUT THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Jeff Knarr is in his fourth season of rebuilding the program at King's and owns a 6-27 career record. Stevenson coach Ed Hottle is in his third season with the Mustangs and owns a 7-17 record.
LAST WEEK:
King's opened a 45-0 lead early in the third quarter before setting for a 52-21 triumph over visiting FDU-Florham at McCarthy Stadium, giving the Monarchs its second straight win of the season. Stevenson, meanwhile, comes off a bye week. The Mustangs last played October 5 and fell to defending MAC champion Widener 31-10.
KING'S ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE I
King's enters today's game averaging 31.6 points and 18.4 first downs per-game, while averaging 40.7 points over the last three games. The Monarchs rank seventh in the MAC with 350.2 total yards per-game. King's is third in the MAC with 222.8 passing yards each contest while standing eighth in rushing yards at 127.4 per-contest. Junior quarterback
Tyler Hartranft has completed 68-of-139 passes for 1,046 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Junior tailback
Kyle McGrath, the MAC's second-leading rusher in 2012, has 414 yards on 103 carries with six touchdowns. McGrath, who has reached the 100-yard plateau each of his last two contests, is averaging 82.8 yards per-game.
King's will play without versatile senior tailback
Judens Goimbert who was injured last week against FDU. Goimbert had contributed 104 rushing yards while catching four passes out of the backfield. The Monarchs, however, did get a huge lift from sophomore tailback
Patrick Robinson who was outstanding after Goimbert left the game. Robinson rushed for a career-high 94 yards while catching four passes for 80 yards and one touchdown.
King's receiving corp is led by junior
Dan Kempa with 29 catches for 592 yards and five touchdowns. Kempa averages a MAC-leading 118.4 receiving yards per-game, a figure that ranks ninth nationally in NCAA Division III. He is also second in the MAC with a 25.6 yards per-kickoff return average and fourth with a 7.0 yards per-punt return average. Senior split end
Josh Sanders is second on the team with nine catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns while posting a MAC second-ranked 22.7 yards per-catch average.
STEVENSON ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE
In five games thus far Stevenson ranks fifth in scoring in the MAC with 26.2 points while averaging 16.4 first downs per-game. The Mustangs are fifth in MAC total offense with a 378.4 yards per-game average. Stevenson ranks second in rushing with 198.6 yards while standing eighth in passing with 179.8 yards. Mustang quarterback John Gasparovic, a 6-5, 200-pound sophomore, runs the team offense and has completed 66-of-125 passes for 890 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Freshman tailback Trey Lee ranks third in MAC rushing with 581 yards and a 116.2 yards per-game average with five touchdowns. Junior tailback Marcus Holley follows with 235 yards, averaging 47.0 yards each contest. The Mustang receivers are paced by Jeromie Miller who has a team-high 21 catches for 357 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Madison Townley has 11 receptions for 146 yards with one score and averages 29.2 each reception.
KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE 3-4
Defensively, the Monarchs have allowed 33.6 points per-game and an average of 380.8 yards of total offense per-game. King's has yielded 143.2 rushing yards per-game while surrendering 237.6 passing yards. Junior linebacker
Nick Kaijala leads the team with 39 total tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Senior linebacker
Jake Ksiazkiewicz follows closely with 35 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and one sack. Sophomore defensive back
Anthony Martuccio has contributed with 33 tackles, one interception, and a forced fumble while junior safety
Kris Matthews has tallied 30 tackles.
Senior defensive end
Ron Garrett has posted 26 tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss and four consecutive game with a defensive touchdown return. Junior linebacker
Chad Curtice also has 28 tackles with 3.0 quarterback sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Junior defensive tackle Pete Santorelli adds 25 tackles, , 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. Senior linebacker
Ben Ray has made 24 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. senior defensive end
Billy Beinke has registered 19 stops with 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack. Sophomore cornerback
Tyler Struckus chips in with 13 tackles while breaking up four passes.
STEVENSON ON OFFENSE: 4-4
Defensively, Stevenson ranks eighth overall in the MAC in allowing 397.6 yards per-game. The Mustangs are eighth in the league against the run (177.0 per-game) and seventh against the pass (220.6 yards per-game). The unit has forced 10 turnovers this season, six via interception with four fumble recoveries.
Stevenson is led by sophomore linebacker Razonte Dunn who has a team-high 38 tackles. Junior linebacker Donnell Brown follows with 37 tackles while junior linebacker Tim Campbell adds 36 stops. Senior linebacker Marlon McLain contributes 28 tackles while sophomore safety Billy Lewis has posted 24 stops. Junior defensive end Moses Anoh has tallied 19 tackles and 3.5 sacks while junior nose guard Anthony Arcell, sophomore linebacker Resheed Lashley, and Tre'Von Wilkes chip in with 18 tackles apiece.
GARRETT REMAINS IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT:
King's senior defensive end
Ron Garrett continues to draw nation attention. The 6-1, 247-pound team captain registered a 22-yard touchdown fumble return last week against FDU-Florham, marking the fourth straight game her has scored a defensive touchdown. Two weeks ago his return against Misericordia was honored as the
D3Football.com "Play of the Week". This week his return against Misericordia is nominated for the
"Geico Play of the Year" program. In addition, his fourth return against FDU-Florham was featured on Tuesday's
CBS Sports Network. Garrett has also been selected to
Sports Illustrated Magazine's faces in the Crowd and will appear in the October 21 edition. His previous scores were a 95-yard fumble return against Lebanon Valley on September 21, followed by a 54-yard return of a blocked field goal against Albright.
