CHESTER, PA (October 28, 2023) -- In a big Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) contest, the King's College football team fell, 31-14, on the road at Widener University on Saturday afternoon. With the setback at Leslie C. Quick Stadium, the Monarchs drop to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in the conference, while the Pride improve to 6-2 with a 5-2 conference mark.
 
King's (6-2, 5-2 MAC) started the game strong as Amir Gibson intercepted a pass on 2^nd-and-9 from the King's 44-yard line to set up a scoring drive on the Monarchs opening possession. It took just eight plays and 63 yards over 4:21 of action for Russell Minor-Shaw to run it in from 19-yards out to put King's ahead, 7-0, with 6:43 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
Widener (6-2, 5-2 MAC) responded with scores on back-to-back possessions, jumping ahead 14-7 to start the second quarter. The teams traded empty drives, but the Monarchs seemed to shift the momentum as Gibson broke up a pass that was intercepted by Alex Tristan to put the ball back into King's hands with 4:34 to go in the half. This time it would be the Pride defense to take advantage of a Monarch miscue, taking over on their own 49-yard line and scoring on just four plays to jump ahead 21-7 going into the break.
 
The Monarchs began the second-half on a high note, scoring on a length 10-play, 75-yard drive over 5:25 of game clock as this time it was a one-yard gain from Jake Feese for his first collegiate touchdown that pulled King's within 21-14 with 9:31 to go in the third.
 
Trevor Gleason came up with a big stop to half a driving Widener offense, forcing and recovering a fumble to regain possession for the Monarchs with 5:42 on the third-quarter clock, but the Pride collected another takeaway and drove down the field to score on a 22-yard field goal to push their advantage to 24-14 after three quarters of action.
 
Widener put the game away for good with their opening drive of the fourth quarter, holding a 31-14 edge over King's. Despite a strong drive for the Monarchs, the Pride defense continued to hold off a comeback effort from the Monarchs as King's dropped a 31-14 decision in the MAC contest on the road on Saturday afternoon.
 
Minor-Shaw threw for 139 yards on 11 completions while also putting up his second consecutive 100-plus rushing game, running for 104 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown. Brennan Robinson posted 40 rushing yards on eight carries, while Mike DiGregorio was the Monarchs' leading receiver with 64 yards on five catches and returned two punts for 33 yards.
 
The defense was led by Jared Reto with nine tackles, including six solo, while Teone Sherrod added six tackles with a break up. Colin Hazelton had a strong outing, posting six tackles with 3.0 tackles for a loss of 14 yards and 2.0 sacks for 11-yards lost, while Tristan added six tackles, a break up, and a quarterback hurry to go along with his interception.
 
Widener was led by Chase Diehl with 263 passing yards, completing 12-of-20 attempts, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Shawn Thompson rushed for 88 yards on 22 carries. Additionally, Damique Stokes caught two touchdown passes and added 90 total receiving yards. Colin Murt paced the Pride defense with his own nine tackles with a break up and a quarterback hurry.
 
As a team, the Monarchs had the advantage in the run game, out gaining Widener 173-97 while adding 139 passing yards for 312 yards of total offense. King's also completed 6-of-12 on third down and went 2-for-2 in the red zone.
 
The Monarchs will continue their two-game road stint as they take the long trip to Owings Mills, Md. next Saturday, November 4. King's will face a tough Stevenson team with a 12:00 p.m. kickoff in MAC play.