King's College Athletics

WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 17, 2026) -- The King's College football team controlled possession for more than 41 minutes and leaned on a relentless defensive effort to earn a 21-10 victory over Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) foe Lebanon Valley College on Saturday afternoon at McCarthy Stadium. The Monarchs improved to 2-3 overall and 2-3 in the MAC, while the Flying Dutchmen fell to 0-6 overall and 0-5 in conference play.
 
Prior to kickoff, King's hosted its Mental Health Awareness Game in partnership with Morgan's Message. A moment of silence was held before the national anthem in remembrance of Morgan Rodgers, whose legacy inspired the creation of the organization dedicated to eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and ensuring mental health is treated with the same importance as physical health among student-athletes. Family members, supporters, and members of the campus community were on hand as the Monarchs honored the organization's mission and raised awareness for student-athlete mental health.
 
King's wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. The Monarchs marched 75 yards on 12 plays during their opening possession, culminating with 8:07 remaining in the first quarter when Jaelin Mims dropped back, settled into the pocket, and delivered a strike to Kival Clarke in the back of the end zone. Clarke made an off-balance grab on the 26-yard touchdown reception to give King's an early 7-0 advantage.
 
Lebanon Valley responded with a 65-yard touchdown run later in the quarter to even the score at 7-7, but the Monarchs quickly regained control thanks to a methodical offensive attack.
 
A 16-play, 84-yard drive that consumed more than nine minutes of game clock restored the Monarchs' lead midway through the second quarter. Anthony Hall finished the possession by slicing through traffic with a pair of quick cuts, avoiding a tackle and scampering untouched into the end zone. The first touchdown of Hall's collegiate career gave King's a 14-7 lead with 5:37 remaining before halftime.
 
The Flying Dutchmen trimmed the deficit to 14-10 on a 42-yard field goal as time dwindled in the second quarter, sending the teams into the locker room separated by just four points.
 
Neither side scored in the third quarter, but King's continued to dictate the pace of play by controlling possession and forcing Lebanon Valley into difficult situations. The Monarch defense came up with a key turnover midway through the period when Connor Hughes forced a fumble near midfield and later teamed up with Michael Richino to get the stop on fourth-and-one and extinguish a promising Flying Dutchmen drive.
 
The decisive sequence came early in the fourth quarter. After Joey Rehberg converted a fourth down near midfield late in the third quarter, the Monarchs continued to pound the football deep into Lebanon Valley territory. Facing fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line, Rehberg powered forward on a quarterback sneak and broke the plane with 13:27 remaining. Aaron Losada nailed his third extra point attempt of the night, moving to 13-for-13 on the season and extending King's lead to 21-10.
 
The defense took over from there.
 
Lebanon Valley's best chance to answer came midway through the fourth quarter, but Jayson Howarth burst into the backfield for a crushing sack that set up a fourth-and-long situation. Rather than attempt a long field goal, the Flying Dutchmen elected to run a fake. James Mangine immediately diagnosed the play, breaking through to bring down the holder in the backfield and turn the ball over on downs.
 
With the offense protecting the football and the defense repeatedly forcing stops, the Monarchs steadily drained the clock. Lebanon Valley mounted one final drive in the closing minutes, but Will Mecca put the game away with an interception at the King's 20-yard line and returned the ball 15 yards to seal the victory.
 
Mims completed 11-of-19 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. Clarke led all Monarch receivers with four catches for 85 yards and a score, while Devin Duana added three receptions for 50 yards. The ground attack produced 188 yards, led by Reynaldo Carter's 61 yards, Hall's 53 yards and touchdown, and Rehberg's 49 yards and a score.
 
Defensively, Richino and David Ennis shared the team lead with seven tackles apiece, while Jacob Mullery added six stops and a pass breakup. Hughes recorded four tackles and a forced fumble, Howarth added a fourth-quarter sack, and Mecca's interception closed the door on the Flying Dutchmen. The Monarch defense repeatedly returned the ball to the offense throughout the afternoon, allowing King's to dominate possession by a 41:01 to 18:59 margin and control the flow of the game from start to finish. Lebanon Valley managed just 251 total yards and converted only one of its 10 third-down attempts.
 
The Monarchs return to action next Saturday when they travel to FDU-Florham for another MAC showdown. Kickoff from Robert T. Shields Field in Madison, NJ is slated for 12:00 p.m.