WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 27, 2022) -- After securing their first winning season since 2013, the King's College football team prepares for it's final trip outside of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. in their 2022 regular season as they travel to Alvernia University for Saturday's MAC contest with a noon kick off. The Monarchs are coming off a thrilling 34-24 win over Lebanon Valley in the match up between one-loss MAC teams, while the Golden Wolves fell, 42-10, at Lycoming this past Saturday.

Event Details:
Opponent: at Alvernia (2-5, 1-4 MAC)
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Reading, Pa. - Alvernia University Turf Field (Directions)
Tickets: Adults - $6, Seniors and Students $4, Children Under 12 - Free
Live Coverage: (Live Video)(Live Stats)

Things to Know:
King's vs. Alvernia Game Notes
Tailgating Policy
Alvernia Football Gameday Central



The Coaches: Jeff Knarr is in his 13th season (12th with a 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 118th game that Knarr has been the head coach of the Monarchs. Steve Azzanesi is in his first season as the head coach of the Golden Wolves after being named the second head coach in program history on January 24, 2022. Prior to Alvernia, Azzanesi served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Division I (FCS) Delaware State University, as well as an 18-year stint as an assistant coach at Wesley College.

Looking at Alvernia: The Golden Wolves fell, 42-10, on the road at Lycoming in their last appearance on October 22. The host Lycoming stormed out to a 21-0 lead, and Alvernia could not recover as they dropped to 2-5 with a 1-4 mark in conference play. Alvernia is led offensively by running back EJ Lee as he averages 71.71 yards per game, posting 502 yards on 114 carries with four touchdowns. The receivers are a balanced group and are led by Neeko Scurlock with 39.86 yards per contest, totaling 279 yards on 25 catches with three touchdowns. Quarterback Monte McMorris has appeared in six out of the Golden Wolves' seven games, recording 377 yards for 62.83 yards per match up and completing 35 passes on 68 attempts with two touchdowns. Defensively, the Golden Wolves are led by Tajon Whiten with 47.0 total tackles and two pass break ups. Jyleen Neals leads in tackles for loss, posting 5.0 for a loss of 21 yards, while Jeromy Sayles has recorded a team-best 2.5 sacks for 25-yards lost. Additionally, Taron Gale leads Alvernia with three interceptions with a forced fumble.

Travel Gear: In their final MAC road game of the 2022 season, the Monarchs will wear their traditional road white jerseys paired with their red pants. As always, King's will be sporting their gold helmets on Saturday.

Single Digit Tough: The Monarchs award single digits based on merit, leadership and are retained throughout their time at King's. King's returned two single digit members from the 2021 season and added two more this past spring. Two weeks ago, the King's football program was proud to announce its most recent addition to the member of the Single Digit Tough group as they named senior defensive lineman Dallas Solomon as a Single Digit Tough Monarch. The Monarchs now have five Single Digit Tough players: Mike Karycinski (0), Joseph Carchio (1), Brendan Mozeleski (3), Dallas Solomon (8), and Brandon Cohen (9).

Captains This Weekend: Four Monarchs will head to midfield on Saturday afternoon for the coin flip. The offensive unit will be represented by Brandon Cohen and Tyler Moore, while the defense will send out Zach Barber and Dylan White.

A Look at the Monarchs:

• King's returns a core of leaders and role players on both sides of the football in 2022. For the offense, the Monarchs return All-MAC Second Team honoree in Brandon Cohen as he ranked as one of the top tight ends in the MAC, posting 28 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 21.30 yards per game. The defensive unit returns All-MAC First Team selection in Brendan Mozeleski as he ranked fifth in the conference with 83 total tackles for an average of 8.3 per contest. His 1.20 tackles for loss also ranked ninth in the MAC last season.
• The Monarchs return 28 seniors on their roster, including seven who have returned for their fifth year of collegiate eligibility. Sixteen of those 28 are listed on this week's two-deep, including 13 projected as starters.
• King's comes into this year's season with a total of 11 coaches on staff, and of that group three are King's graduates (Ben Bakanas, Joe Damiano, Tommy Gilmore). 
• King's was picked to finish eighth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll among the 11 conference schools. Alvernia was slated 11th.
• Tyler Moore enters this weekend after becoming the first Monarch to record a 300-plus yard passing game since Zach Whitehead in the 2017 Mayor's Cup. He is also the most recent King's quarterback to throw for four touchdowns since Tommy Klock threw for four touchdowns against Lycoming in 2018. These individual efforts earned Moore the Monarchs' first MAC Player of the Week honor in the 2022 season as Moore was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday morning.
• Moore also leads the MAC as he averages 238.0 yards per game, completing 114 passes on 202 attempts for a 56.4 completion percentage with 12 touchdowns.
• Zach Barber picked up the first D3football.com Team of the Week recognition for a King's player in 2022 as the last time the organization honored a Monarch was Joseph Carchio after he earned Mayor's Cup MVP honors to end the 2021 season.
• Jayon Hailey becomes the first 100-yard rusher of the season for King's as Shemar Ellis was the last to accomplish the feat in the 2021 Mayor's Cup win over Wilkes. He has now moved into the top-10 rushers in the conference as he ranks eighth with 54.2 yards per game.
• As a team, the Monarchs rank fourth in the MAC in scoring offense with 22.7 points per game. After last weekend's impressive performance, King's now leads the MAC in passing offense at 238.0 yards per contest with a second-best offensive efficiency rating of 138.7.
• The King's defense has remained strong all season as they currently rank third in the conference in defending the run game, holding teams to just 108.1 rushing yards per game. The Monarchs also rank second in interceptions with 11 while adding 150 return yards for an average of 13.6 per game. Additionally, the defensive line have posted 18 sacks for a loss of 125 yards which ranks third in the MAC.
• Brandon Cohen ranks at the top of the tight ends in the MAC, averaging 37.1 yards per game off 260 receiving yards on 17 catches.
• Joseph Carchio currently sits at sixth in the MAC with an average of 7.7 tackles per game. He is joined by Brendan Mozeleski (6.6) and Dylan White (6.0) who also rank in the top-20 in the conference in tackles per contest.
• The trio of Dallas Solomon (1.14), Jassiem Lettsome (0.93), and Dylan White (0.79) all fall in the top-20 in the MAC in tackles for loss per game, while Solomon ranks seventh in sacks.
• The Monarchs secondary has proven to be some of the best in the conference as Teone Sherrod and Amir Gibson are the top two pass defenders, with Sherrod ranking first and Gibson ranking second. Sherrod also leads the MAC in interceptions with four and a conference second-best 98 return yards for a touchdown.

Up Next: The Monarchs will return home to McCarthy Stadium for their final regular-season home game as well as their MAC finale as they host Misericordia University for a noon kick off in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. King's will also be honoring the senior members of the program prior to kick off.