King's College Athletics

RADNOR, PA (October 10, 2026) -- The King's College football team battled back with three second-half touchdowns but was unable to overcome an early deficit, falling to Eastern University, 41-21, in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action Saturday afternoon. The Eagles, who entered the contest unbeaten in conference play and receiving votes in the Week 5 d3football.com Top 25 poll, improved to 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the MAC, while the Monarchs dropped to 1-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
 
Eastern controlled much of the first half, building a 20-0 lead before King's broke through with 14:55 remaining in the second quarter. Facing a red-zone opportunity, Jaelin Mims sold the play-action fake before Nick Hoffman slipped behind the defense. Mims lofted the ball to a wide-open Hoffman for a 16-yard touchdown reception, cutting the deficit to 20-7.
 
Eastern responded with three unanswered touchdowns spanning the end of the second quarter and the third quarter to build a 41-7 advantage midway through the third.
 
Despite the deficit, King's continued to battle into the final quarter. The Monarchs struck again with 14:13 remaining when Devin Duana used pre-snap motion to create separation from his defender. Mims floated a pass over traffic and Duana hauled it in before slipping just inside the pylon for a 17-yard touchdown reception, trimming the margin to 41-14.
 
King's added one more score with 6:54 to play following an impressive 12-play, 75-yard drive. Joey Rehberg provided the spark with a powerful run to the Monarch 45-yard line for a first down. A short time later, Duana broke a tackle after a reception and turned it into a 14-yard gain to move the chains again. Anthony Hall then converted a crucial fourth-and-one to keep the possession alive. The drive culminated when Mims rolled to his left and connected with Aiden Cook for a five-yard touchdown, marking the second career scoring reception for the tight end and pulling the Monarchs within the final 41-21 margin.
 
Mims completed 21-of-31 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns. Duana led the receiving corps with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Hoffman, Duana, and Cook each found the end zone through the air. Rehberg paced the rushing attack with 45 yards on the ground.
 
Defensively, David Ennis led the Monarchs with 12 tackles. Jacob Mullery added seven stops, including a sack, while James Mangine and Michael Richino each recorded six tackles. Mike Keene registered a forced fumble late in the contest while Xander Murray contributed five tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
The Monarchs make their return to McCarthy Stadium after a three-week hiatus next Saturday, playing host to Lebanon Valley College for their Mental Health Awareness game. Kickoff against the Flying Dutchmen is slated for 1:00 p.m.