SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
 
KING'S FOOTBALL LOOKING FOR FIRST WIN OF SEASON SATURDAY AT LYCOMING

Directions to Lycoming

WILKES-BARRE – A year ago the King's College football team pulled one of the biggest upsets in recent memory when the Monarchs posted a 28-24 victory over eventual Middle Atlantic Conference co-champion Lycoming College. The two teams will square off again on Saturday when King's travels to Williamsport to face Lycoming at 1:30 p.m. at James Person Field.

Tickets for the game are set at $5 for adults and $3 seniors and students. Children age-12 and under shall be admitted free.
 
The game looms large for both teams. King's stands at 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the MAC and a second straight conference loss would do major damage to any hopes the team has to contend for at least a share of the MAC title.  Lycoming, meanwhile, is 2-0 and 1-0 in the MAC and looks to exact a measure of revenge from last year's loss while remaining unbeaten in conference play.

King's is looking to find a level of consistency on both side of the ball and will face a major challenge in reaching that goal against a Lycoming squad that is perennially among the upper echelon of the MAC.  The Warriors enter the game ranked 23^rd nationally in Division III.

The Monarchs allowed 442 yards of offense in its week-one 33-14 loss at Moravian (2-0) but showed vast improvement in limiting Stevenson to 163 total yards last week.  The King's offense amassed 352 total yards of offense against Moravian but had six possessions inside the Moravian 35-yard line that resulted in zero points. Against Stevenson the Monarchs gained 284 total yards but seven of King's 11 penalties came on the offensive side of the ball. Three times King's advance to the Stevenson 26-yard line or beyond and did not score in a 7-0 loss.
 
The Monarchs are hoping for a similar performance against Lycoming that it received last year when King's outgained the Warriors 359-to-331 in total yards. 
 
 
ON THE AIR:
 
Live Video: http://athletics.lycoming.edu/sports/2014/8/27/FOOT_0827140951.aspx

LiveStats:  http://www.lycoming.edu/livestats/football/

Live Audio (ESPN Williamsport):  http://espnwilliamsport.com/
 
 
ABOUT THE GAME:
Today's game stands as the second week of the Middle Atlantic Conference football schedule. last year King's was 6-4 overall and 6-3 in MAC play. Lycoming, meanwhile, was 7-3 overall and shared the MAC title with Lebanon Valley College.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 24th all-time meeting between the teams with Lycoming owning a 16-6-1 advantage. The Monarchs won last season's game 28-24 in Wilkes-Barre after scoring the game-winning touchdown with 0:09 left as Tyler Hartranft hit Justin Burke with a 39-yard scoring strike. The week-eight loss ultimately cost Lycoming sole possession of the MAC title. The last time the teams met in Williamsport Lycoming won 33-10.   
 
THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Jeff Knarr is in his fifth season of rebuilding the program at King's and owns a 10-32 career record. Lycoming coach Mike Clark is in his seventh season and stands at 42-21.
 
LAST WEEK:
King's fell to 0-2 overall. Dropping its MAC opener 7-0 to Stevenson in a defensive struggle.  Lycoming improved to 2-0 by handling Albright 26-0 in its MAC opener. 
 
KING'S ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE-I
After two games King's is ranked fourth in the MAC with an average of 318.0 yards of total offense per-game. The Monarchs, however, are ranked ninth of 10 teams in scoring offense at 7.0 points per-game.  The King's ground game stands fourth in the MAC with 121.0 yards each contest while the passing game is fourth with 197.0 yards per-game. Senior quarterback Tyler Hartranft has completed 32-of-62 passes for 381 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions.
 
Junior running back Patrick Robinson has rushed for 124 yards on 20 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per-carry. He has also caught eight passes out of the backfield for an additional 49 yards. Senior running back Kyle McGrath has 61 rushing yards on 20 carries and has caught five passes for 35 yards. McGrath has rushed for 1,892 yards in his career and is 92 yards away from surpassing Chris Shivery (1,983 yards) to move into sixth-place all-time in King's rushing history.
 
King's Career Rushing Leaders
5,365 by Richard Jackson, 2001-04?
2,808 by Jim Demaise, 1996-98?
2,670 by Damon Saxon, 1997-2000?
2,206 by Mike Conaghan, 1995-98?
2,159 by John Ortiz, 2003-06
1,983 by Chris Shivery, 1998-2001
1,892 by Kyle McGrath, 2011-present
 
Senior wide receiver Dan Kempa caught 12 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown while standing third in the MAC with a 6.0 receptions per-game average. Kempa is 15 catches away from breaking the Monarchs' career record of 117 receptions set by Julian Walker from 2002-05. He is also 70 yards away from breaking the school mark of 1,965 career receiving yards also set by Walker. Freshman wide-out Tyler Marroni adds four catches for 50 yards while sophomore tight end Jay Thomas has caught three passes for 56 yards.

King's Career Receptions
117 by Julian Walker, 2002-05
103 by Dan Kempa, 2011-present

King's Career Receiving Yards
1,965 by Julian Walker, 2002-05
1,898 by Dan Kempa, 2011-present

LYCOMING ON OFFENSE:  MULTIPLE PRO-STYLE
The Warriors enter the week with the Middle Atlantic Conference's top scoring offense at 34.0 points per game after posting 42 against Susquehanna and 26 against Albright. The Warriors are second in the league with a 158.22 passing efficiency, as senior quarterback Tyler Jenny leads the MAC with a 0.640 completion percentage. He is also second in the league in passing yards per game at 221.5. Jenny has completed 32-of-50 passes for 443 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions??
 
Senior tailback Craig Needhammer also tops the MAC in rushing, averaging 116.0 yards per-game, including a MAC best four touchdowns on the ground. Junior wide-out Ryan Umpleby is seventh in the MAC with 5.5 receptions per-game while standing third with 98 receiving yards each contest. Senior John Sibel adds 10 catches for 116 yards.
 
KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE 3-4
Defensively, the Monarchs had a strong showing against Stevenson last week, allowing just 163 yards of total offense in the game. The unit is currently ranked fifth overall in the MAC in yielding 302.5 yards of total offense per-game. The Monarchs stand fourth in passing defense, permitting 135.5 yards through the air, while ranking eighth against the run in surrendering 167.0 yards. The Monarchs, however, allowed just 89 yards to Stevenson for an average of 2.1 yards per-carry.
 
Sophomore inside linebacker Bobby Russell tops the squad with 16 tackles thus far, including one quarterback sack. Senior safety Kris Matthews followed with 15 tackles and one pass break-up. Senior inside linebacker Nick Kaijala and junior outside linebacker James Burke both add 14 tackles apiece.
 
Junior safety Anthony Martuccio has contributed nine tackles with two tackles for loss while senior defensive lineman Peter Santorelli, freshman outside linebacker Hassan Maxwell, and freshman nose-guard Bob Shaw have all tallied eight tackles each. Maxwell added his first career interception last week against Stevenson. Junior defensive end Michael Martina has earned his first career start this week after a strong effort against Stevenson when he posted a career-high six tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
LYCOMING ON DEFENSE:  4-3
Through the first two games of the 2014 campaign, the Warriors have again posted staggering defensive numbers. They are currently seventh in the nation in scoring defense (6.5) and ninth in total defense (187.5). The squad is also 10th in passing yards allowed (98.0),  10th in 3rd down conversion percentage (0.400), 19th in passes intercepted (4) and 21st in red zone defense (0.400). Three Warriors are in the top 10 in the MAC in tackles for loss, with senior Jimmy Nottingham fifth with 1.8 per game while senior Braden Zeiner and Brian Campbell are each tied for seventh at 1.5 per game. Zeiner is tied for third in the league in sacks at 1.0 per game.
 
NEXT WEEK:
King's will celebrate Homecoming when the Monarchs host local rival Misericordia University at 1:00 p.m. in McCarthy Stadium.