ONEONTA, NY (September 10, 2022) -- In their opening game of the 2022 season, the King's College used 17 unanswered points in the second half to snap an eight-game road losing streak as they defeated the host Hartwick College, 17-10, in Wright Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Monarhs start the season 1-0, while the Hawks fall to 1-1.

The King's (1-0) defense came out firing on the first possession of the game as Jake Rupert intercepted a Hartwick (1-1) pass on third and 10, returning the ball 10 yards to the King's 35 with 10:33 to go in the opening quarter. The Monarchs were unable to convert, and after the teams traded punts the Monarchs defense put the pressure on and forced a missed field goal opportunity by the Hawks to keep the game scoreless with 59 seconds to go in the quarter. King's offense was forced to punt and put the ball in Hartwick's possession to start the second quarter.

It was the King's defense that delivered again as  Colin Hazelton intercepted the Hawk's quarterback on a second and goal opportunity and returned the ball for an extra four yards to slam the door on the driving Hawks offense. Another quick possession for the Monarchs set up a successful 36-yard field goal from Hartwick to give the hosts a 3-0 lead with 6:15 to go in the half. On the ensuing Hartwick possession, the Hawks connected for a 27-yard reception as Kyle Szokoli completed a pass to Carlvin McDonal for a touchdown with 1:13 to play in the opening half. The extra-point attempt was successful as the Monarchs trailed 10-0 heading into the final minutes of the half.

Hartwick looked to extend their lead with 17 seconds to go, but Tyler Carey blocked another field goal attempt by the Hawks' kicker, and Tyler Moore ran out the game clock as King's went into the halftime break trailing, 10-0.

Out of the break, both teams came out slow as they each traded two empty possessions, but that was when the King's offense came to life with 7:04 left in the third. The Monarchs offense marched down the field and converted a seven play, 85 yard drive that saw Moore find Carey in stride for a 34-yard touchdown reception. Kyle Prescavage came on to tack on the extra point to pull the Monarchs within 10-7 with 3:27 to go in the third.

Hartwick punted the ball away on their next possession to give King's the ball heading into the fourth quarter. King's made their way down the field thanks to a 22-yard reception to Victor Taylor on 3rd and 11 from the Hartwick 40. Another big completion as Moore connected with Cohen for a 10-yard gain set the Monarchs up with a first and goal from the one-yard line when Shemar Ellis ran the ball into the end zone, and Prescavage converted again to put the Monarchs ahead, 14-10, with 10:30 to play.

This time it was Joseph Carchio's turn to slam the door on the Hartwick offense, intercepting in the ball at the King's 28 to set up the final scoring drive of the game. With 1:20 left on the game clock, Prescavage converted a 41-yard field goal attempt. The Hawks had one last chance to try and chip away at the King's lead, but Zack Barber collected the fourth interception of the game for the King's defense with a nine-yard return, and the King's offense let the clock run out to begin the season 1-0 with a 17-10 win on the road in non-conference play.

Moore finished the opener with 233 yards, completing 21 passes on 31 attempts, with a touchdown. Carey led the receiving core with 84 yards on five catches, while Cohen added 60 yards on four receptions. First year Victor Taylor paced the Monarchs back field as he ran for 34 yards on 11 carries in his collegiate debut. On special teams, Anthony Prato totaled 167 punting yards for an average of 41.8 yards per punt, including a game-long 55 yard punt. Michael DiGregorio was solid on the return game, retuning two punts for 32 yards and three kickoffs for 88 yards.

The Monarchs defense was led by Carchio with seven tackles, including six solo, with an interception and a pass break up. Ahmad Griffin added six tackles, while Amir Gibson and Hazleton added five each. Gibson also led King's with three pass break ups in the secondary. Dallas Solomon led with 3.0 tackles for a loss of 10 yards, including a six-yard sack, totaling four tackles in the game.

Hartwick was led by Kyle Szokoli with 277 yards on a 21-45 afternoon, adding four interceptions, and a team-high 19 rushing yards. Nate Rath totaled 65 receiving yards on three catches, while Jeremy Gerdvil led the defensive effort with 13 tackles, including 10 solo, 1.5 for loss, and 0.5 sacks.

As a team, the Monarchs held the edge in rushing yards (38-22), converting on 29 attempts, and averaged 11.1 yards per completion in the pass game for 271 yards of total offense. King's was also 2-for-2 in red-zone conversion in the win.

The Monarchs will open at home next Saturday, September 17th as they host the Delaware Valley University Aggies in their Middle Atlantic Conference opener at 1:00 p.m. in McCarthy Stadium.