SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

KING'S FOOTBALL HOSTING ALBRIGHT IN HOMECOMING MATCHUP

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College football team will return home Saturday when the Monarchs host Middle Atlantic Conference rival Albright College at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium in the Betzler Athletic Complex. The game will be part of King's 2013 Homecoming festivities.

Ticket Prices 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 are looking to pick up their first win of the season. After an opening-week 21-19 loss to William Paterson on September 7, King's was forced endure a bye week on September 14. Whatever cohesion and chemistry the team had begun to develop in the William Paterson game was pushed to the side with a week of game inactivity. The Monarchs appeared rusty during its September 21 loss at Lebanon Valley in King's MAC opener.

King's will face a challenging task against an Albright College squad that has finished among the top teams in the conference in recent seasons.

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


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ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 19th all-time meeting between the programs with Albright holding a 12-5-1 advantage after posting a 41-10 victory over the Monarchs a year ago in Reading. Albright has a six-game win streak in the series with King's last triumph coming by way of a 38-14 home decision in 2006. The Lion's last appearance at McCarthy Stadium was in 2011 wherer Albright was also King's Homecoming opponent. The Lions walked away with a 57-17 triumph.

THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Jeff Knarr is in his fourth season of rebuilding the program at King's and owns a 4-28 career record. Albright coach John Marzka is in his seventh year with the Lions and stands at 46-24.

LAST WEEK:
A week ago King's traveled to Annville and suffered a 38-17 loss to Lebanon Valley College. Albright, meanwhile, dropped a heartbreaking 20-17 verdict to Delaware Valley on a last second field goal.

KING'S ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE-I
King's enters today's game averaging 18.0 points and 17 first downs per-game. The Monarchs have an average of 263.5 total yards per-game, including 186.0 passing yards and 77.5 rushing yards each contest. Junior quarterback Tyler Hartranft has completed 26-of-69 passes for 359 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Junior tailback Kyle McGrath, the MAC's second-leading rusher in 2012, has 132 yards on 38 carries, averaging 66.0 yards per-game. Senior tailback Judens Goimbert chips in with 43 yards on 14 carries with one score. King's receiving corp is led by junior Dan Kempa with 14 catches for 219 yards and one touchdown while senior wide-out Josh Sanders adds five receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown. Senior fullback Slade Eigenmann and freshman tight end Brian Atkinson have two catches apiece. King's is expecting to get back 2012 All-MAC offensive lineman Kyle Grampp who missed the first two games with an injury suffered during pre-season camp.

ALBRIGHT ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE
In three games thus far Albright has averaged 21.7 points and 19.7 first downs per-game. The Lions have averaged 361.7 yards of total offense each contest, including 153.0 rushing yards and 208.7 passing yards. Senior quarterback T.J. Luddy has started all three games and completed 43-of-82 passes for 619 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. As a runner, he is second on the team with 25 carries totaling 34 yards after losses and sacks. The Lions' group of receivers is paced by senior Daniel McNair who has posted a team-high 16 catches for 234 yards and one touchdown. Fellow senior Devron Clark follows with 13 receptions for 192 yards. Freshman Vinny Williams has contributed seven catches for 118 yards while senior Griffin Eldridge adds four receptions for 49 yards.

KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE 3-4
Defensively, the Monarchs have allowed an average of 352.5 yards of total offense per-game. King's has performed well against the run in limiting teams to just 95.0 rushing yards, but has surrendered 257.5 passing yards. Junior linebacker Nick Kaijala leads the team with 16 total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Jake Ksiazkiewicz follows closely with 15 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and one sack.Junior safety Kris Matthews has tallied 14 tackles while junior defensive tackle Pete Santorelli adds 12 tackles, one sack, and an interception. Sophomore defensive back Anthony Martuccio has contributed with 12 tackles and a forced fumble while junior linebacker Chad Curtice has 11 tackles with 3.0 quarterback sacks. Senior defensive end Ron Garrett has posted 10 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and a 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Senior linebacker Ben Ray has made eight tackles with one sack while senior defensive end Billy Beinke has also registered eight stops with 1.5 tackles for loss.

ALBRIGHT ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE 4-3
Defensively, Albright is a veteran group with 10-of-11 starters being seniors. The Lions have allowed 302 yards of total offense per-game, including 110.0 rushing yards and 192.7 yards through the air. The unit has posted a combined seven takeaways thus far. Senior cornerback Levi Myers has made 29 total tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss, an interception, and two forced fumbles. Senior safety Matt Hnatiuk has made 29 total tackles with one fumble recovery. Senior linebacker Matt Filosa follows with 19 total tackles while senior defensive end Mark Capetola adds 17 total tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery. Senior safety Drew Peterson has contributed 13 total tackles, and three interceptions. Senior linebacker Sean Cunningham has registered 12 tackles while fellow senior linebacker Paul Hobbs has made 11 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Don Gould has accumulated 10 tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while junior safety Chris Stevens chips in with 10 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, one interception, and two forced fumbles.

King's Homecoming Results since 2002
2012 vs. Misericordia, 55-17 Win
2011 vs. Albright, 17-57 Loss
2010 vs. Widener, 21-36 Loss
2009 vs. Lycoming, 21-24 Loss
2008 vs. Lebanon Valley, 7-34 Loss
2007 vs. Wilkes, 0-35 Loss
2006 vs. Delaware Valley, 0-10 Loss
2005 vs. Susquehanna, 56-0 Win
2004 vs. Susquehanna, 49-35 Win
2003 vs. Moravian, 27-19 Win
2002 vs. Widener, 24-6 Win (King's MAC championship season)

Next Week:
King's Travels to face local rival Misericordia University in the Cougars Homecoming Game