OWINGS MILLS, MD (October 26, 2019) – The King's College football team led early but couldn't keep things going offensively as the Monarchs fell to host Stevenson University 39-15 in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action from Mustang Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Monarchs jumped out on top early on with 9:36 remaining in the opening quarter, as sophomore signal caller Tyler Moore rolled left and hit a wide-open Gabe Boccella for a 65-yard touchdown to put King's up 6-0. The score was the tandem's fourth touchdown connection of over 50 yards this season.

Stevenson responded on the ensuing drive, as the Mustangs needed just three plays to go 75 yards before Ryan Sedgewick hit Keenan Franz for a 29-yard touchdown throw and catch down the middle. The Monarchs would keep the lead though, as Dallas Solomon blocked the point after touchdown to keep the score 7-6 King's.

After a stop by the home team, Stevenson got the ball back and cashed in an 8-play, 37-yard drive with a 23-yard field goal from Brody Campbell. In the second quarter neither team could get much going offensively, though King's stopped SU on fourth down midway through the quarter at the Monarch 34 yard line.

The best drive for King's in the second quarter encompassed 10 plays and 64 yards over 5:29 of the period, highlighted by a Boccella 41-yard reception down to the Mustang 19. That's where the drive would end though, as freshman Kyle Prescavage would miss a 39-yard field goal to the left.

The Mustangs would take advantage, driving 79 yards over nine plays punctuated by a Sedgewick 13-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Lee. Once again though, the special team unit for King's would block the extra point thanks to offensive lineman Peter Swartz. The deflection popped right out to junior Jaret Horn, who went 98 yards down the right sideline to earn King's two points and make the score 15-9 going into halftime. It was the first blocked PAT returned for a TD for King's since Craig Haywood accomplished the feat in 2004.

The Mustangs would come out of the locker room after the intermission and tally 10 points I the first seven minutes to take a 25-9 lead with 8:27 to go in the third. King's would go to the air its next drive, going 75 yards over 6:07 before freshman Joseph Herman caught a fade in the left corner of the end zone from Moore to make the score 25-15 after missed two-point conversion. On the drive, Moore completed nine of his 11 passes including two third-down conversions.

The one-score game would be short lived though, as Sedgwick hit Chaz Lyzes over the middle and the Stevenson receiver went 87 yards for the score to make the game 32-15. The defenses would start to take over from that point, and King's got its first takeaway as Elijah Demosthene picked off Sedgwick to give the ball back to King's with just over 10 minutes to play.

The Monarchs best drive would come later in the fourth quarter, moving down to the Stevenson 45-yard line but Moore would miss Boccella short on 4^th-and-3 to give the ball back to SU. That's as close as King's would come to cutting into the host's lead, as Stevenson tacked on another rushing score late to put the game away.

Moore threw for a career-high 276 yards Saturday, completing 19 of his 35 passes for a pair of touchdowns. Moore has now thrown two touchdowns in six of the seven games this season. Boccella finished with a career-high 150 yards receiving on six catches, while Tim Costantino added four catches for 43 yards. Boccella also tallied a career-high 223 all-purpose yards.

Herman tallied three grabs for 22 yards, and Brandon Cohen posted two catches on 28 yards. Sophomore Quincy Clark rushed for 11 yards on 12 carries, taking full first-team duties with Jordan Downes out.

Junior Mando Sallavanti led the defense with seven tackles, two for loss, while freshman Joe Carchio tallied eight tackles as well. Senior defensive back Mikal Butler made seven tackles, including five solo stops, and Brendan Mozeleski led the squad with six solo tackles.

Sedgwick finished with 395 yards through the air, posting three touchdown scores, and Saadiq Pitts rushed for 120 yards and two scores. Ryan Schoppert led the Mustangs (5-2, 4-1 MAC) in tackles with seven.

King's will look to get back in the win column next weekend, hosting Albright College November 2 in McCarthy Stadium in Wilkes-Barre, PA for Friends and Family Weekend. Stevenson will head to Lebanon Valley College next Saturday in MAC play.