ANNVILLE, PA (September 25, 2021) -- In their first road test of the 2021 season and of their Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) schedule, the King's College Monarchs football team dropped a 24-6 decision to the host Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen at Arnold Field on a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs drop to 1-2 (0-2 MAC) with the loss while the Dutchmen improve to 2-2 (1-1).

After two empty possessions to start the game, the Dutchmen converted a 47-yard drive on five plays in just 2:15 as first-year quarterback Brandon Bohannon connected with senior Andrew Olson for 25 yards to put the first points of the game on the board, and after the made extra point attempt from Kevin Roberts, the Dutchmen led 7-0 with 9:46 left in the first.

The King's defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs from the Dutchmen to end the first quarter and continued that same defensive pressure into the second as the Monarchs forced a third straight three-and-out for the Dutchmen.

The Dutchmen responded in their next drive to push their lead, 14-0, as Bohannon found Cameron Niemeyer for an eight-yard touchdown reception to cap off an eight play, 67-yard drive that took 3:55 off the game clock. The extra-point attempt from Roberts was good again with 8:05 to play in the half.

King's got on the board on the next drive as senior quarterback Tekoah Guedes went 4-for-5 on completions with two carries for 19 yards and a touchdown run to cap off an 11-play, 77-yard drive in 3:07 of action, still trailing 14-6 with 4:53 remaining in the half.

The Monarchs defense stepped up again, holding Lebanon Valley to just 53 yards of offense down the final stretch of the half and went into the break down 14-6 in Annville, Pa.

Both teams struggled to put a drive together to start the third as the teams combined for five three-and-outs over the first 9:34 of the second half. Lebanon Valley put together a seven play, 38-yard drive over 3:13 of action that resulted in a 21-yard field goal from Kevin Roberts, pushing the Dutchmen lead to 17-6, with 2:13 to play in the third.

A Monarchs three-and-out gave Lebanon Valley the ball to close out the third, but the Monarchs defense stopped the Dutchmen and forced a punt to put King's on their own 46 yard line. A King's interception gave the Dutchmen the momentum to put the final points of the game on the board with 7:29 to play after a nine-play, 63-yard drive that lasted 5:15 as Bohannon hit Ryan Eshelman from 21-yards out to push their lead to 24-6.

King's had two more opportunities to close the deficit down the stretch but could not get into a flow offensively as they dropped their MAC road test, 24-6.

Despite holding the 15-14 advantage in the first-down column, the Monarchs were outgained by the Dutchmen, 315-278 for the game. Tekoah Guedes went 15-for-32 for 159 yards and two interceptions, while also leading the run game for King's with 81 positive yards on 22 carries. Senior Gabe Boccella led the Monarchs receivers with five receptions for 71 yards, while senior Brandon Cohen totaled six catches for 45 yards. Tim Costantino added four grabs for 40 yards, and rushers Enzo Poulson and Shemar Ellis each added 15 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Brendan Mozeleski and Joseph Carchio led the Monarchs with nine tackles each, with Mozeleski adding 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks. Dylan White added eight tackles with 1.0 tackles for loss, while Jamil Thomas led King's with 2.5 tackles for loss, adding seven tackles and a sack. Additionally, Alex Tristan recorded an interception for the Monarchs with a six-yard return.

Lebanon Valley got a 206-yard performance from Braden Bohannon as he completed 14 passes on 25 attempts with three touchdowns and an interception while being sacked three times. Malachi Williams led the Dutchmen on the ground with 42 yards on 17 carries, and Andrew Olson led the Dutchmen receivers with three receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. For the Lebanon Valley defense, Ryan Enright and Brandon Brubaker each led with eight tackles, while Brubaker added 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack.

King's (1-2) returns home to McCarthy Stadium next Saturday, September 25 for a 1:00 p.m. kick off in Wilkes-Barre, PA against Alvernia University in MAC play.