WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 11, 2023) -- It was a record-setting affair at McCarthy Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the King's College football team shutout Alvernia, 50-0, to remain unbeaten at home and secure a home bid for the upcoming Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. The Monarchs improve to 8-2 overall and 7-2 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), while the Golden Wolves fall to 1-9 for the season and 1-8 in MAC play.
 
King's (8-2, 7-2 MAC) opened the game with a quick scoring drive as Dylan Manna connected for a 32-yard field goal to put the Monarchs on the board just three minutes into the game. On their next drive, Russell Minor-Shaw connected with Mike DiGregorio from 17-yards out and pushed their lead to 9-0 with 7:25 to play in the quarter. After a few quick empty possessions, King's found their rhythm again as it took just one play for Minor-Shaw to find Jayon Hailey for a 21-yard touchdown reception as the Monarchs ended the opening quarter with a 16-0 edge.
 
The Monarchs started the second with a lengthy 14-play, 66-yard drive over 8:19 of the second before Minor-Shaw hit DiGregorio for his second scoring catch of the day, this time for 28 yards, and the duo found each other again on the next possession as the King's lead swelled to 30-0 with 1:05 left in the half. Alvernia (1-9, 1-8 MAC) ran one play before a King's timeout that set up an interception by Colin Hazelton in Monarch territory, and Minor-Shaw then hit his third different receiver for a scoring play as he connected with Tyler Carey for a 26-yard touchdown catch to give the hosts a 36-0 lead at the break.
 
King's did not take their foot off the pedal in the third, this time as Ryan McCombs caught a nine-yard pass for a score, but that would be the lone score in the chippy third quarter. One final blow to the Golden Wolves day came as Johnny Gilchrist ran the ball in from a yard out with 4:24 remaining on their way to the 50-0 shutout win over Alvernia on senior day.
 
Minor-Shaw threw for 256 yards, completing 15 passes, six for a score, on 21 attempts with no interceptions while also rushing for 62 yards on 11 carries. His six touchdown passes is a new single-game record, surpassing the previous mark of four accomplished eight different times. Hailey led the run game with 78 yards on 12 attempts while also adding three catches for 30 yards and a score. DiGregorio surpassed 100 receiving yards with the win, totaling 125 on six catches for three touchdowns, while Carey posted 72 yards on two catches.
 
Jake Ruppert and Jared Reto led the balanced team effort on defense with seven tackles each, with Reto adding 1.0 tackles for loss and a break up. Hazelton added five with his interception, while Jake Silver recorded five tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
On special teams, EJ Schreiner returned five punts for 94 yards, while Anthony Prato punted three times for 105 yards. The first year duo of Dylan Manna had four kickoffs for an average of 56.3 yards, and Theo Mazias had five attempts for an average of 50.2 yards. Additionally, Alyssa Accordino connected for five PATs in the win.
 
Colin Payne was 16-for-29 for 71 yards with an interception while also leading the team with 27 rushing yards on three carries. Joseph Perkins was the top receiver at 22 yards on five catches. On defense, Jamel Fleming led with 11 tackles and a break up, while Elijah Carr had 10 with 1.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
 
As a team, King's out gained Alvernia 485-115 for the game, including a 199-46 edge on the ground and 286-69 in the air. The Monarchs were 6-of-12 on third down while limiting the Golden Wolves to just one conversion on 11 attempts. Additionally, King's was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone in the win.
 
King's will await its opponent for next weekend's Centennial-MAC Bowl Series game at McCarthy Stadium.