WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 16, 2024) -- Trailing 21-20 early in the fourth, the King's College football team scored 13 unanswered points as they defeated Stevenson University, 33-21, in their regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at McCarthy Stadium. The Monarchs win their ninth straight and improve to 9-1 overall and 9-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), while the Mustangs drop to 5-5 with a 5-4 conference mark.
A slow start for the Monarchs offense saw the visiting Mustangs string together a lengthy 17-play, 87-yard drive over 8:06 of game clock to get on the board first, 7-0, with 3:24 to go in the quarter. After another King's (9-1, 9-0 MAC) punt, the defense forced a three-and-out to set up their first scoring drive of the game.
It took just six plays for Russell Minor-Shaw to scramble before finding a diving Tony Brison for a 33-yard touchdown grab to tie the game, 7-7, with 9:41 left in the half. Stevenson (5-5, 5-4 MAC) responded on their next drive, eating up 5:32 of the clock, but the Monarchs had their own answer as a 54-yard kick off return by Kival Clarke gave King's the ball in Mustang territory. A pair of runs from Jayon Hailey for 22 yards set up an 18-yard run from Minor-Shaw to close within one, 14-13, with 2:20 remaining in the second. Both offenses stalled down the stretch as the Monarchs trailed, 14-13, at the break.
The King's defense came out on a mission for the second half, forcing a turnover on downs their first time out. After a few quick gains, Minor-Shaw hit Clarke at the Stevenson 49-yard line, and Clarke took it to the house to give the Monarchs their first lead of the game, 20-14, with 9:40 to go in the third. Neither team could find a rhythm down the stretch as Stevenson had the ball in King's territory to start the fourth.
On 4th-and-4, Stevenson found the back of the end zone to regain the lead, 21-20, with 13:35 to play. This time it was the Monarchs to chew up a good chunk of the game clock, using 4:53 over nine plays and 65 yards to get back on top. A deep ball to Mike DiGregorio for a 26-yard grab set Minor-Shaw up for his second touchdown run of the game, this time for four yards, to jump ahead, 26-21, with 8:30 left.
Another three-and-out forced by the King's defense gave the Monarchs offense the ball on their own 42-yard line with 7:10 remaining. It took five plays for Minor-Shaw to find Clarke on the Stevenson 25-yard line, and Clarke took it into the end zone from there as the Monarchs jumped ahead, 33-21, with 4:10 to play.
The Mustangs had one final chance to extend the game, but on their fourth play of the drive, Jordan Adams' pass was intercepted by Ahmad Griffin to shut down the Stevenson drive. The Monarchs took care of business down the stretch, running out the remaining clock to secure the 33-21 win over Stevenson on senior day at McCarthy Stadium.
Minor-Shaw finished with 233 passing yards on 14 completions with three touchdowns while also rushing for 19 with two scores. Clarke had a career day, catching three passes for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also returning two kickoffs for 69 yards. Hailey added 94 rushing yards, while Brinson added 59 receiving yards and DiGregorio had 42.
Jake Ruppert led the defense with 11 tackles, while Jared Reto added nine with a sack. Both Zach Barber and Alex Tristan also totaled nine tackles, and Osman Kamara had eight with 1.5 sacks. Jake Silver had a solid performance with seven tackles, 0.5 sacks, and two hurries, while Griffin broke up two passes to go along with his interception.
On special teams, Joachim McElroy punted five times for 165 yards, including two inside the 20, and Aaron Losada kicked off six times for an average of 55.3 yards per kickoff.
Kirk Reed was the bright spot for the Mustangs offense in the loss, rushing for 171 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown, while Nyaire Wilson threw for 102 yards on 9-for-21 passing. Deion Richardson had three catches for 57 yards, while Clarence Travis had 12 tackles and 1.0 sacks.
The Monarchs will await their opponent and location for the upcoming NCAA Division III Football Championships. The selection show is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on NCAA.org.
Fourth-Quarter Rally Gives Football Ninth Straight Win
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241116_k0tu.xml
2024
Stevenson
21
King's
33
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson (5-5) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| King's (9-1) | 0 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 33 |
Nov 16, 2024
--MONARCHS--