OWINGS MILLS, MD (October 10, 2025) -- The King's College football team put together a statement win, knocking off undefeated Stevenson University, 35-28 in Friday night's Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) clash at Mustang Stadium. The Monarchs improve to 2-3 overall while evening their MAC record at 2-2. Stevenson falls to 4-1 and 3-1 in conference play.
King's set the tone right from the opening kick, as
Brandon Auguste fielded the ball at the two-yard line and broke through traffic for a 39-yard return to the Stevenson 41. A tripping call on the Mustangs moved King's 15 yards closer to the end zone.
On the second snap of the drive,
Brennan Robinson took the handoff and cut left to dodge a slew of defenders and leg his way across the goal line. Following a successful extra point attempt by
Aaron Losada, the Monarchs held an early 7-0 lead.
Jacob Mullery made his presence known in the defenses' first action of the evening, meeting a receiver in the backfield and making a huge tackle for a three-yard loss. Stevenson responded on the very next play, completing a 24-yard pass through double-coverage for a game-tying touchdown with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter.
The offensive flurry continued in the second King's offensive drive. On second-and-ten, quarterback
Jaelin Mims faked a handoff to a receiver in motion, allowing Robinson to break through the line of scrimmage for a 74-yard house call as King's reclaimed the lead, 14-7.
Stevenson sustained its ensuing drive deep into Monarch territory, culminating in a touchdown on third-and-eight to level the score at 14-14. After entering the matchup with the lowest third down conversion rate in the MAC, the touchdown pass marked the Mustangs fourth consecutive conversion of the evening.
After four-straight drives yielded touchdowns, both offenses stalled as empty possessions moved the game into the second frame still tied, 14-14.
King's defense opened the quarter strong, forcing Stevenson into a three-and-out thanks in large part to a sack by
Zach Hulsizer and
Jayson Howarth.
Bryan Kelly came up with a huge defensive play, tracking down a ball in the end zone and swatting it out of a receiver's hands. Four plays later, the Mustangs found the end zone to take their first lead of the night, 21-14.
The King's defense returned to the field with just over three minutes to go in the second frame, tasked with preventing Stevenson from tacking on any additional points before the half. The Monarchs shut down the run game, forcing a pass on third down that was overthrown for another three-and-out.
Inside the two-minute warning Mims efficiently moved the offense down the field looking to erase the deficit before halftime. Facing second and eight, he rolled to his left and delivered a perfect pass 36 yards downfield to
Nick Hoffman. The tight end hauled in the ball for a first down with under 30 seconds remaining on the game clock.
As time dwindled, Mims connected with
Kival Clarke with a short pass to the end zone, allowing the Monarchs to head into the half tied at 21-21
The King's defense did a great job exemplifying the expression 'bend don't break' in the opening drive of the second half. Despite a 49-yard Stevenson drive that spanned 10 plays and ate up 5:02, the possession ended in a missed field goal attempt after Hulsizer managed to disrupt the kick and keep it out of the uprights.
The Mustangs logged their fourth passing touchdown of the night with under a minute to go in the third frame to take a seven-point lead, sending the duel into a pivotal final fifteen minutes.
The Monarchs fired off a game-long 16-play drive to open the fourth quarter, marching down the field with short, consistent gains that brought the ball all the way to the one-yard line. On second and goal,
Jayon Hailey took the handoff and broke the plane, punching his way into the end zone to bring King's within a point of tying the contest. Stevenson blocked the extra point attempt, preserving a slim 28-27 advantage.
With just under seven minutes remaining in regulation time, the Monarch defense did an excellent job of getting off the field with yet another three-and-out, returning the ball back to Mims and the offense with 4:51 of clock time to work with.
Robinson continued his strong rushing performance, picking up 16 yards on a critical play that was called back for holding. The King's offense didn't let the setback phase them, as Mims used his speed to evade several defenders and set up a make-or-break fourth-and-one with two minutes on the clock.
Coming out of the two-minute warning, the Monarchs elected to hand the ball off to their leading running back in Robinson, who secured the necessary yardage for the all-important first down.
Following a short gain by Hailey, Mims threaded a perfect pass between two defenders to
Devin Duana for a massive 34-yard gain to the Stevenson 6-yard line. On second and goal inside the red zone with the seconds ticking down, Robinson marched his way into the endzone to give the Monarchs a late 33-28 lead.
The King's coaching staff elected to go for a two-point conversion and Mims delivered, finding Duana in the end zone to pad the lead, which now stood at 35-27.
Stevenson quickly attempted to drive down the field in 20 seconds, however a pass breakup by
Matt Blakemore sealed the deal on the 35-27 win for the Monarchs.
In total, King's racked up 392 yards of total offense, 223 coming from the ground game. Robinson led the charge with a career-high 213 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Mims finished the evening with 16 completions for 169 yards and one passing touchdown.
Hailey and
Rob Ford led the receiver group with four catches apiece. Clarke hauled in King's lone passing touchdown. Hoffman posted 44 receiving yards, including a 36-yard catch.
Blakemore and Mullery led the defense with eight tackles each. Hulsizer made a crucial blocked field goal while Blakemore, Kelly,
James Rush and
Mustafa Thompson all had pass break-ups.
Stevenson finished the game with 416 total yards of offense, 300 of which were through the air. Jordan Adams completed 26 of 38 passing attempts and threw for four touchdowns. Louis Clouser led the Mustangs' ground game with 74 yards on 18 carries. Dominick Marino was involved in eight tackles.
The Monarchs return home to McCarthy Stadium next Saturday to host Alvernia University. Kickoff against the Golden Wolves is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
--MONARCHS--
