WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 8, 2022) – The King's College football team posted a dominant team performance as they defeated the visiting Stevenson University 20-7 at McCarthy Stadium. The Monarchs limited the Mustangs to just one score to end the opening half as they improve to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the MAC, while the Mustangs fall to 4-2 with a 2-2 conference mark.
 
After a scoreless opening quarter, King's (4-1, 3-1 MAC) had possession heading into the second period. It took just three plays to set up a 34-yard field goal attempt for Kyle Prescavage to put the Monarchs ahead, 3-0, with 13:22 to go in the half.
 
Three empty drives later, the Monarchs strung together another scoring drive as a one-handed catch for 11 yards from Brandon Cohen set up a four-yard touchdown run from Jayon Hailey. The Prescavage extra point attempt was successful as King's increased their lead to 10-0 with 3:26 remaining in the opening half.
 
Stevenson's (4-2, 2-2 MAC) offense finally connected for a one-yard touchdown run from Maurice Hammond as the Mustangs pulled within one score with 17 seconds to go in the half. King's had one more chance to increase their lead, but a last-second effort was broken up by the Mustang secondary as the Monarchs maintained their 10-7 lead at the break.
 
The second half was dominated on both sides of the ball by the Monarchs. After a competitive but scoreless third period, King's again had possession heading into the final 15 minutes of action. King's capped off their drive with a 26-yard field goal from Prescavage with 13:35 left in regulation.
 
On the next Mustangs drive, the Monarchs defense delivered as the defensive line delivered back-to-back sacks from Jake Silver and Mike Karycinski, before the quarterback pressure forced an interception by Donte' Thompson to give King's possession with 12:12 left in the game. It took nine plays to set up the 26-yard field goal from Prescavage to see the King's lead increase to 20-7 with 7:03 to play.
 
Stevenson was putting together a strong drive with just over four minutes left, but consecutive break ups by Ahmad Griffin and Teone Sherrod forced a turnover on downs. The Mustangs saw one last shot to chip away at the Monarchs lead, but this time Sherrod stepped into the passing route to intercept the ball and give King's possession with 26 remaining. The Monarchs ran out the game clock to post the 20-7 final in the MAC contest on Saturday afternoon.
 
Tyler Moore was stellar at quarterback, completing 20 passes on 35 attempts with no interceptions for 289 yards. Shemar Ellis and Jayon Hailey posted matching 59-yard games with a touchdown each, with Ellis delivering on 18 attempts and Hailey totaling 19. Michael DiGregorio led the King's receivers with 101 yards on five catches, while Brandon Cohen totaled a team-high six receptions for 76 yards.
 
Brendan Mozeleski and Jassiem Lettsome paced the defense with six tackles each, while Karycinski posted a team-best 1.5 tackles for a loss of six yards, including 1.0 sacks for a five-yard loss. Jamil Thomas also had a strong game on the defensive line, adding 1.0 sacks for a loss of eight yards. In the secondary, Ahmad Griffin led with three break ups and added three tackles, while Sherrod posted two break ups, four tackles, and an interception.
 
On special teams, Anthony Prato totaled 151 yards on four punts, including one inside the 20, for an average of 37.8 yards per punt. Prescavage was strong in the kick off game, posting 280 yards on five kickoffs for an average of 56.0 yards per attempt, while also going 2-for-2 on point after attempts with two field goals. The Monarchs returners saw DiGregorio post 25 yards on four punt returns, while Tyler Carey led the kickoff return game with 49 yards on one return.
 
Ryan Sedgwick went 16-for-35 for 117 yards with two interceptions, while Maurice Hammond led the running backs with 43 yards on 12 carries. The Mustangs receivers were paced by Emmanuel Ekop with 48 yards on four catches, while Clarence Travis totaled 18 tackles with 3.5 tackles for a loss of eight yards.
 
As a team, King's dominated inside the box score, holding the advantage in first downs (21-11) and total offense (407-185). The Monarchs run game posted 118 yards on 42 carries, while the passing game totaled 289 yards on 20 completions. King's also went 4-for-5 in the red zone while holding possession for 35:54 of the game clock.
 
The Monarchs will be back in action next Saturday as they travel to Reading, Pa. to taking on Albright College. Kick off is set for noon in the MAC match up.