The King's College football team concludes its 2019 season this afternoon, taking on local rival Wilkes University for the 24th Mayor's Cup Game in McCarthy Stadium. The Monarchs are coming off a 41-21 loss to Widener last weekend down in Chester, PA, as Widener scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes to stretch out a 27-21 game with seven minutes to play. The Colonels fell last weekend 42-21 to Stevenson University, but remains 7-2 on the season and 4-2 in the MAC coming into today's game. King's has won the last three outings in this series, while taking five of the next eight games. 

Event Details
Opponent: vs. Wilkes University (7-2, 5-2 MAC) - 24th Annual Mayor's Cup
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA – Betzler Field at McCarthy Stadium (Directions)
Tickets: Adults - $5, Seniors & Non-King's Students - $2, King's Students & Children 6 and under - Free
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Jeff Knarr Coaches Show


Things To Know:
King's vs. Wilkes Game Notes
King's vs. Wilkes Flip Card
Tailgating Policy
Pet Policy

The Coaches: Jeff Knarr is in his 10th season with the Monarchs, as he is only the second coach of King's College football since 1991. Knarr took over for Rich Mannello, who was the head coach since football was reinstated at King's in 1993. Today is the 100th game that Knarr has been the head coach of the Monarchs. Jonathan Drach was named head coach of the Wilkes University football team on February 8, 2018 becoming the ninth mentor of the program since its inception in 1946. Drach came to Wilkes after 11 years at Hobart. As the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hobart, Drach was instrumental in leading the Statesmen to six Liberty League Conference championships, seven NCAA playoff appearances (two Sweet Sixteens/one Elite Eight) and three consecutive undefeated regular seasons.

Looking at Wilkes: The Colonels come into the contest ranked fifth in the MAC in offensive scoring with 31.2 points per game, while also ranking fifth in defense allowing 28.1 points a contest on average. Wilkes is posting 372.8 yards per game offensively, sixth in the league, while allowing the fourth-least with 334.9 yards a game. Senior quarterback Jose Tabora is currently seventh in the league in passing yardage with 1,758 on the year, but also brings the weapon of his legs to the table with 386 yards rushing. Nick Yanik is third in yards per game with 87.1, scoring four times while making 40 catches, and Derek Nelson has 501 yards and five TD catches as well. Defensively, Bud Moyer leads the conference in tackles with 92, averaging 10.2 per game. Pat Ricci is fourth in the MAC in sacks with six, and teammate Dane Tarantelli is 11th with four on the season. Nahjir Woods is the leader in the secondary, breaking up eight passes including three interceptions in 2019. Wilkes can clinch a postseason bid into the MAC/Centennial Bowl Series with a win, but will need a little help if the Monarchs earn the win. 

Red on Red: King's will be in red pants with red jerseys and gold helmets for Senior Day against Wilkes Saturday. 

On the Airwaves: This week's game will be broadcast live on Fox56 in Wilkes-Barre, and simulcast on Facebook and www.kingscollegeathletics.com. 

Single Digit Tough:  The Monarchs award single digits based on merit, and recently named two more as Single Digit players. So far this season, three players (Gabe Boccella, Joe Damiano, Elijah Demosthene) have earned single digits, including most recently Elijah Demosthene, who will now wear No. 6. Due to NCAA regulations, linemen can not wear single digits, but Joe Damiano and Peter Swartz wear single digits in practice. With those three, King's now has eight Single Digit Tough players: Sallavanti (1), Horn (2), Downes (3), McCall (4), Shelton (5), Demosthene (6), Boccella (8), Damiano (66), Swartz (67). 

Captains This Weekend: The Monarchs will send out all of its seniors for the coin toss against Wilkes, as Jordan Downes, Jayner Gorospe, Mikal Butler, Gabe Brown, Joe Damiano, Peter Swartz, Brian Carson, Devin Ringler and Gene Gibbons will represent the Monarchs. 

A Look At The Monarchs: 

• Senior running back Jordan Downes currently ranks third in all-purpose yards in Division 3 Football 
• King's College Head Coach Jeff Knarr will be coaching his 100th game with the Monarchs.
• The defense for the Monarchs currently rank third in points allowed per game in the MAC with 24.9 points a contest
• Sophomore quarterback Tyler Moore ranks third in the MAC for completion percentage with 61.3% completion. 
• Senior cornerback Mikal Butler ranks for 2nd in the conference with 11 total passes-defended including eight pass breakups and three interceptions. 
• Senior running back Jordan Downes is currently 70 yards away from moving into second on the all-time rushing list at King's College. 
• Junior safety Jaret Horn leads the MAC in interceptions with five on the season. 
• Junior tight end Brandon Cohen leads the MAC in receptions with 34 for tight ends. 
• The Monarchs' defense also seems to work well under pressure, as they stand at second in the conference in third down conversion percentage. King's is allowing teams to convert on just 31.1 percent of third downs. 
• King's also proves that they play a fair game, as they are first in the conference for fewest penalty yards with 438.
• Junior Gabe Boccella comes in at sixth in the conference in all-purpose yardage. He is also third in the conference in receiving yards with a total of 781.
• Joe Carchio continues to be another standout for the freshman class, as he has tallied 28 solo tackles and ranks fourth in the conference in punt yards. 
• The Monarchs had three players with 10 or more tackles against Albright, the first time that has happened in a game since 2016 when Bobby Russell, Jacoby Foresman and Jake Manetti accomplished the feat in a  21-17 win over Lebanon Valley September 24. 
• So far this season, senior Jordan Downes has three of the top six games in the MAC in rushing attempts, two more than any other player in the conference. 
• This season, Tyler Moore has been the only player to complete a pass for King's, which would be the first quarterback to accomplish this feat since Chris Barnic in 2004. 
• King's is 4-0 on the season at home, but three of the four wins have come by one score. The only double-digit win at home this year was against Albright, a 36-16 win on November 2. 
• This season, King's is 0-3 when the opponent outgains it during a contest, but 5-1 when gaining more yards than its opposition. 
• The Monarchs will be in red pants and red uniforms, a combination that the Monarchs have gone 2-0 in this season. 
• Over his tenure, King's head coach Jeff Knarr has a 5-4 record in Week 10, the most wins of any week of the season except Week 6 (7-3). 
• During the last two seasons, Jordan Downes has lost just three fumbles over his 389 attempts, including only one this and none at home in 2019. 
• King's has been successful on five of its last seven fourth downs including 4-of-5 last week at Widener. 
• Of Gabe Boccella's 46 catches in 2019, 29 have gone for first downs and six have been scores. Furthermore, 16 of those have been on third down.