WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 7, 2019) -- The Monarch football team finishes its regular season road schedule this weekend, traveling to Chester, PA to take on the Pride of Widener University Saturday at 1 p.m. in Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Stadium. The Monarchs are looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since Week 3 this season, having topped Albright College last weekend 36-16 in McCarthy Stadium. Sophomore Tyler Moore tossed a career-best three touchdowns, while Gabe Boccella had a receiving and rushing touchdown on the day. Widener was off last weekend, but prior to the bye also defeated Albright 59-34 in Reading, PA. In that contest, Sean McGaughey tossed a career-high seven touchdown passes. 

Event Details
Opponent: at Widener University (4-4, 3-3 MAC)
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2019
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Chester, PA – Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Stadium (Directions)
Tickets: Adults - $8 (Tickets Online)
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Things To Know:
King's vs. Widnener Game Notes



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. The Pride are coached by first-year head mentor Mike Barainyak, who spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Widener. Prior to his arrival in Chester, Barainyak spent two seasons on the coaching staff at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor as the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach, winning a national championship in 2016 and advancing to the national quarterfinals in 2015. While with the Cru, he was responsible for the development of two All-Americans, two All-South Region honorees, and six All-American Southwest Conference selections.

Looking at Widener: The Pride of Widener come into the game with the Middle Atlantic Conference's leading offensive unit by points per game with 38.5 and yards per game with 484.3. The Pride have been pretty efficient offensively, ranking second in first downs per game with 22.9, while also converting on 42.9 percent of third down attempts. Sean McGaughey leads Division III in passing yardage this season with 2,804 yards, but has had some very good targets. James Gillespie is first in D-III in receiving yardage (1,224) and yards per game (153.0), while his 15 touchdown grabs are currently second in the nation. The Pride does like to strike quick, posting only 27:20 time of possession on average per game, which is the lowest in the MAC. Defensively, Widener does prey on turnovers, having recovered a league-high eight fumbles while picking off nine passes. Matt Russo is second in the MAC in tackles with 77, and Mario Scotese is second in the league in sacks with six. 

Back in White: King's will be in red pants with white jerseys and gold helmets for this weekend at Widener. 

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 will wear a single digit 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 sophomore Tyler Moore, along with Gabe Boccella, Mando Sallavanti and Charles McCall for the opening coin toss Saturday at Widener.

A Look At The Monarchs: 

• The King's defensive unit has been a stalwart, as they rank first in the conference in turnover margin, causing 0.75 more turnovers per game than committed. 
• 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 29.1 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 372.
• Juniors Jaret Horn and Mikal Butler are both in the top five in the conference for interceptions per game and passes defended. Horn leads the conference with five picks, while Butler has three interceptions and five break-ups. 
• Yusef Wheeler, Elijah Demosthene, and Myles Shelton are all at the top of the conference for forced fumbles. 
• Senior Jordan Downes continues to dominate the conference in all-purpose yards with 190.86, which also ranks third in Division III coming into the week.
• Junior Gabe Boccella is not far behind with 121.38 yards, coming in at third in the conference. He is also third in the conference in receiving yards with a total of 734.
• Sophomore Tyler Moore continues to look consistent with his passes, as he ranks second in the conference in both completions per game (19.75) and third in completion percentage (62.2). 
• King's is seven for 13 in field goal attempts with help from Justin Timonte and Kyle Prescavage. Both freshmen rank in the top 10 in the MAC for field goals per game.
• Joe Carchio continues to be another standout for the freshman class, as he tallies 14 solo tackles and ranks fourth in the conference in punt yards. The Monarchs had three players with 10 or more tackles last week 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. 
• Gabe Boccella has been solid on punt returns this season, averaging 11.4 per return, which ranks third in the conference. He posted his long of 33 yards last weekend against Albright. 
• 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. 
• Freshman Devon Parker returned his first two kickoffs of his career last week, averaging 22.0 per return which leads the Monarchs this season. Though he doesnt' qualify, his average would rank him fourth in the MAC. 
• Head coach Jeff Knarr is looking for his first-ever win over the Pride of Widener, having gone 0-9 in his career against WU. Widener is the only remaining MAC team that Knarr's squads have yet to defeat. 
• Since Knarr has been at King's, he's posted a 33-61 overall record for a win percentage of .378. In a strange coincidence, the all-time winning percentage of the King's football program is also .378 (154-255-8). 
• Next weekend's game against Wilkes University will be Jeff Knarr's 100th game as the head coach at King's College.  

A Look Ahead: The Monarchs will finish their regular season with the 24th annual Mayor's Cup Game next weekend, September 16 at noon against rival Wilkes University. The game will air live locally on Fox 56, and also will be broadcast on King's College radio WRKC 88.5 FM in Wilkes-Barre.