WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 22, 2022) – On a crisp fall afternoon in McCarthy Stadium, the King's College football team overcame some first-half setbacks and a 17-7 deficit to defeat the visiting Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen, 34-24, in the MAC contest on Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs improve to 6-1 overall, 5-1 in the MAC, while the Dutchmen fall to 4-4 with a 4-2 conference mark. This also marks the first winning season for the Monarchs since 2013.
 
In a back-and-forth start where neither team could find a rhythm offensively, it was Lebanon Valley (4-4, 4-2 MAC) who found the end zone first as Braden Bohannon found Malaki Blair from 73-yards out on the first play of the drive to put the Dutchmen ahead, 7-0, with 8:38 to go in the opening quarter. Both offenses stalled again, and a missed field goal attempt from the visitors gave King's (6-1, 5-1 MAC) the ball to start the second quarter.
 
On their second drive of the half, the Monarchs tied up the game as Tyler Moore completed a pass from five-yards out to a wide open Brandon Cohen in the back right corner of the end zone, and an extra-point from Kyle Prescavage was good to see the score knotted at seven each with 12:03 remaining in the half.
 
Lebanon Valley had an immediate answer, stringing together a lengthy 10-play, 43-yard drive over 5:02 of the game clock as Dion Bryant ran it in from a yard out to put the Dutchmen ahead, 14-7. With time expired and one final play before the break, Lebanon Valley tacked on a field goal thanks to Devin Crone to see the Monarchs trailing, 17-7, at the halftime break.
 
King's came out of the locker room and swung the momentum, scoring on the opening drive as Moore found Cohen again after facing pressure, this time for a 31-yard touchdown reception as King's trailed by just three, 17-14, with 13:02 to play in the third.
 
The Monarchs defense forced a quick three-and-out from the Dutchmen before taking their first lead of the game on their ensuing drive. Facing pressure again, Moore stayed in the pocket and delivered a pass to Jayon Hailey who broke several tackles and saw some great blocks downfield as he ran the ball 56 yards for the touchdown as King's took a solid 20-17 lead with 10:06 left in the quarter.
 
After three empty drives, the Monarchs converted on the first play of their drive as Moore threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, this time to Joe Herman for 64 yards to increase the Monarchs lead to 27-17 with 3:13 in the period.
 
With the Dutchmen driving, the King's defense came up big as Zach Barber delivered a huge hit on his tackle to force a fumble from Ian Murhon that was recovered by Mozeleski to extinguish the Lebanon Valley offense. On the visitors' next drive, they put an end to their second-half scoring drought as Dion Bryant ran for a 36-yard touchdown to close within three, 27-24, with 11:06 to play in regulation.
 
King's offense had an immediate response as they put together a lengthy 11-play, 64-yard drive over 5:32 of the game clock as this time it was Shemar Ellis to run the ball in from a yard out to see King's with a  34-24 advantage with 5:28 left.
 
Despite getting a first down on their next possession, back-to-back break ups from Ahmad Griffin and Donte' Thompson put a stop on a huge fourth-and-two play from the Dutchmen to give the Monarchs the ball on a turnover on downs. King's took plenty of time driving down the field to eat up the game clock, and after a near miss on a fake field goal attempt, King's gave Lebanon Valley the ball with just 1:21 to play in the game.
 
The Dutchmen could not convert on their final drive as time expired, giving King's the important team win, 34-24, over Lebanon Valley in the MAC contest on Saturday afternoon in McCarthy Stadium.
 
Tyler Moore put on a show today for an electric home crowd, posting 315 yards with four touchdowns, going 14-for-26 in the pocket. Jayon Hailey also had an impressive day, recording his first game over 100 yards as he totaled 159 yards rushing and 64 yards receiving with a touchdown. Joe Herman led the receivers with 76 yards on two catches with a touchdown, while Tyler Carey was not far behind with 71 yards on three receptions. Brandon Cohen caught a team-high four passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns to round out the top offensive performers.
 
The defensive efforts were paced by Zach Barber with 10 total tackles, including six solo, with a forced fumble and a pass break up. Joseph Carchio added nine tackles, while Jake Ruppert posted eight. Dylan White led with 2.0 tackles for a loss of four yards, while Dallas Solomon recorded 1.5 sacks for three-yards of loss with two quarterback hurries. Additionally, Teone Sherrod came up with yet another interception that he returned for 40 yards.
 
On special teams, Anthony Prato saw three punts land inside the 20, averaging 34.0 yards per punt. Kyle Prescavage averaged 53.0 yards per kickoff while going 4-for-4 on point extra-point attempts.
 
Tanner Lewis led Lebanon Valley as he completed 18 passes on 25 attempts for 166 yards, while Dion Bryant led the run game with 113 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. The Dutchmen receivers were paced by Malaki Blair with 91 yards on four catches and a touchdown, while Rylee Stahl caught a game-high seven passes for 66 yards. The Lebanon Valley defense was led by Jacob Horton and Erik Williams with nine total tackles each, while Brody Robinson and Rhyle Strausbaugh each posted 1.0 sacks.
 
As a team, the Monarchs offense dominated as they out gained the Dutchmen 512 yards to Lebanon Valley's 450. King's held the edge in both the run game (197-160) and in the air (315-290).
 
The Monarchs will head back down to Reading, Pa. next Saturday, October 29 as they take on the Golden Wolves of Alvernia University. Kick off is set for noon in the MAC match up.