EDWARDSVILLE, PA (November 12, 2022) – Despite holding the Colonels scoreless in the fourth quarter, the King's College football team faced a daunting first-half deficit as they fell, 58-42, in the 26^th annual Mayor's Cup game at Wilkes University's Schmidt Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs fall to 8-2 overall for the season, while the Colonels improve to 7-3.
 
Both teams came up empty on their opening drives before Wilkes (7-3) scored touchdowns on their next two possessions to hold a 14-0 lead after the first quarter of play. After Wilkes converted for their third scoring drive to start the second, Tyler Carey returned the kick off for 87 yards to get King's on the board as the Monarchs trailed, 21-7, with 14:34 remaining in the half.
 
The Colonels had an immediate response, but on the ensuing kick off, Carey delivered again, recording the longest kickoff return for a touchdown in program history with his 93-yard return to close the deficit to within 28-14 with 11:10 to play in the second quarter. Wilkes would tack on two more scoring drives down the stretch as the Monarchs trailed, 38-14, heading into the halftime break.
 
A King's miscue on their opening drive saw the visitors go down 45-14, but the Monarchs had an answer as they strung together a 15 play, 61-yard drive over 6:11 of the game clock as Tyler Moore found Ryan McCombs in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown reception as King's pulled within 45-21 with 7:35 remaining in the third period.
 
Two more Colonels scores set up a 36-yard touchdown reception by Tyler Carey with 22 seconds to go in the third as King's entered the final stanza trailing, 58-27. King's entered the fourth with momentum, converting on their first possession after an 11 play, 72 yard drive over 4:48, Moore found Cohen this time for an eight-yard touchdown catch as King's closed within 58-34 with 8:24 to go in regulation.
 
An interception by Teone Sherrod at the King's five-yard line was returned 20 yards to shut down a Colonels drive and set up another Monarchs scoring possession. Eight plays later, Moore found Cohen again, this time from 19 yards out as Cohen muscled his way into the end zone. Moore connected with Michael DiGregorio on the two-point conversion with 1:43 left on the game clock, with the Monarchs down 58-42.
 
An on-side kick attempt was deemed unsuccessful, so Wilkes ran out the remaining 1:43 of the game to hand the Monarchs the 58-42 loss in the 26^th annual Mayor's Cup on Saturday afternoon.
 
Senior Brandon Cohen was named the 2022 King's College Mayor's Cup MVP as he totaled a team-high 11 receptions to surpass the 100-catch milestone for his carer, adding at team-high 94 yards with two touchdowns. Tyler Moore completed 25 passes on 40 attempts for 242 yards with four touchdowns, while Shemar Ellis paced the run game with 81 yards on 12 carries. Tyler Carry delivered for three touchdowns, including the two kick off returns, with 311 return yards which is the most in a single game in program history since Matt Demarco ran for 168 yards against Widener in 2015.
 
The Monarchs defense was a balanced effort yet again, as Joseph Carchio, Brendan Mozeleski, and Zach Barber all posted seven tackles, with Carchio totaled one break up and Mozeleski adding 0.5 tackles for a loss of two yards. Dylan White led in tackles for loss with 1.5 for four-yards lost, while Amir Gibson led with two break ups. Additionally, Dallas Solomon blocked an extra-point attempt to keep a Colonels point off the board in the third quarter.
 
Xavier Powell was named the 2022 Wilkes University Mayor's Cup MVP with his 18 completions on 30 attempts for six touchdowns and 314 yards. The Colonels run game was led by Elijah Jules with 139 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown, while Jules also led all Wilkes receivers with 84 yards on four catches with a touchdown. John Washington posted a team-high nine tackles with a tackle for loss to lead the Colonels defensive efforts.
 
As a team, the Monarchs totaled 102 yards rushing and 242 yards receiving for 344 yards of total offense. On special teams, the Monarchs averaged 34.7 yards per return while holding the Colonels to just 15.4 yards on their return attempts. King's was efficient in their red-zone opportunities, converting on three-of-four chances while going 2-for-3 on fourth down conversions.
 
The Monarchs will be back in action next weekend as they qualified for a post-season opportunity as King's finished second overall in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) standings in the 2022 season. They will await their opponent and time as it will be released tomorrow evening.