WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 14, 2024) -- The King's College football team is set for their final regular-season match up of the 2024 season as they host the Stevenson University Mustangs on their home turf at McCarthy Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs will also honor their 30 seniors prior to kickoff at approximately 11:20. In their last time out, the Monarchs dominated Albright, 41-6, as they exploded for 34 unanswered points in the second and third quarter, while the Mustangs defeated Misericordia handily in Dallas, 56-17, last weekend.

Event Details:
Opponent: vs. Stevenson (5-4, 5-3 MAC)
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA - McCarthy Stadium (Directions)
Tickets: $5 for Adults, $2 for Seniors, $2 for Non-King's Students showing I.D. Free for children age-six and King's showing I.D.
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Things to Know:
King's vs. Stevenson Game Notes
King's vs. Stevenson Flip Card
Tailgating Policy
Pet Policy
Spectator Policy

The Coaches: Mike Cebrosky has captained this team to its first out right MAC title in program history and first title since 2002. The team is also on pace to break several records this season and finish with top-10 program marks, while their current eight-game win streak is the longest in program history. Ed Hottle is in his 14th season at Stevenson and has led the Mustangs to seven straight postseason appearances spanning back to the 2014 season. He looks to extend that streak to eight with a potential bowl-game bid on the line this weekend.

Looking at Stevenson: After dropping their first two contests to Rowan and Lebanon Valley, the Mustangs went on to win four straight, including a thrilling 21-20 victory against Delaware Valley. A two-game skid against Eastern and FDU-Florham set up the dominant performance last weekend at Misericordia to keep their chances at a bowl game alive. As a team, the Mustangs average 25 points per game on 347.7 yards of total offense while their opponents average 21.44 points on 331.2 yards per contest. Stevenson has the edge in the run game, out gaining opponents 148.9-111.0 per night but face a 220.22-198.78 deficit in the pass game. LJ Blackwell leads the run game with 50.11 yards per game while both Kirk Reed and Edward Emmens average just above 43 yards per contest. Nyaire Wilson has been their go-to this last stretch, throwing for 234.2 yards per game and completing 80-of-137 with nine touchdowns. Wilson connects with Deion Richardson for 100.33 yards per game and eight touchdowns. On defense, Clarence Travis leads the way with 57.0 total tackles, adding five break ups and two fumble recoveries, while Gordon Hoover adds 6.0 sacks for a loss of 26 yards. Bryan Kelly leads the secondary with seven break ups and two forced fumbles, while Samuel John Jr. has a pair of interceptions with six break ups.

Home Threads: For their regular-season finale and senior day, the Monarchs will wear their traditional home red jerseys with gold pants, looking to remain unbeaten in their gold pants this season, with their traditional gold helmets.

Single Digit Tough: The Monarchs award single digits based on merit, leadership and are retained throughout their time at King's. The 2024 roster returned one single-digit member from last year in senior wide receiver Tyler Carey, while adding four more ahead of this season. The Monarchs now have 11 Single Digit Tough players: Sean Lavine (0), Jake Ruppert (1), EJ Schreiner (2), Mike DiGregorio (3), Tyler Carey (3), Amir Gibson (4), Jared Reto (5), Brennan Robinson (6), Ryan McCombs (7), Liam Carroll (55), and Kenny Monaco (66).

Captains This Weekend: In honor of senior day, King's has named 11 captains in Justin Kane, Tyler Taylor, Jake Foley, Jace Keenhold, Tyler Carey, Morgen Chapman, Jack Palmer, Drake Taylor, Carnell Kemp, Shemar Ellis, and Maurice Scott. At the coin toss, the offense will be represented by Jace Keenhold and Jake Foley, while Justin Kane and Tyler Taylor will represent the defense.

A Look at the Monarchs:

• The Monarchs have no shortage of veteran talent on this year's squad, with just over 30 student-athletes listed as a senior on the roster. This week's two-deep features 22 seniors listed, while the offense returns all but one starter from 2023.
• King's enters the season with a total of 13 coaches on staff, and of that group six are King's graduates or soon-to-be graduates. (Ben Bakanas, Tommy Gilmore, Will Cameron, Mike Karycinski, Brendan Mozeleski, Dallas Solomon).
• King's was picked to finish second in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll among the 10 conference schools. Stevenson was slated to finish third in the poll.
• The stifling defensive efforts that held their last two opponents to just sixth points has the team jumping up the ranks in the conference standings. The Monarchs defense is second in scoring defense (19.4 points per game) and interceptions (11), third in defensive passing efficiency (118.2%) and opponent 4th-down conversions (39.3%), and fourth in rushing defense (127.4 yards per game) and sacks (24).
• Their efforts are led by Jake Ruppert who ranks fifth in tackles (80) and Jared Reto who ranks sixth (76), while Osman Kamara leads the defensive line and is tied for seventh with 9.0 tackles for loss and third with 7.5 sacks. The secondary is anchored by Amir Gibson, who leads the MAC with 16 passes defended and 13 break ups, and Zach Barber, who ranks second with 15 passes defended and leads with five interceptions.
• The offense continues to thrive, putting up their third 40-plus point effort this season. As a team, King's leads the MAC in scoring offense (34.2 points per game), total offense (405.9 yards per game), rushing offense (235.4 yards per game), and offensive passing efficiency (177.6%), while ranking second in 3rd-down conversions (45.9%) and third in first downs (18.0 per game).
• Brennan Robinson continues to lead the MAC with 101.4 rushing yards per game, while Jayon Hailey has moved up to sixth at 68.0 yards per game. Russell Minor-Shaw leads the MAC quarterbacks in passing efficiency rating (178.6%) and passing touchdowns (23), while ranking fourth in passing yards per game (170.4 yards per game) and eighth in rushing yards per game (66.3). Mike DiGregorio maintains his status as one of the top wide receivers in the MAC with 54.1 yards per contest.
• On special teams, the punt team has seen some growth as Joachim McElroy ranks fourth with 36.7 yards per punt. The special teams unit ranks second in net kickoff average (37.1) and third in net punting average (36.1), and they have recorded the most extra-points made in the conference this season with 40.

Up Next: The Monarchs will await their opponent and location for the upcoming 2024 NCAA Division III Football Championships. The selection show is scheduled for Sunday, November 17th at 5:00 p.m. and can be found at NCAA.org.