NOVEMBER 14, 2009
KING'S FOOTBALL FACING CROSS TOWN RIVAL WILKES IN MAYOR'S CUP GAME
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College football team will close out the 2009 season on Saturday when the Monarchs host cross town rival Wilkes University in the 14th annual Mayor's Cup Game. Kickoff is slated for 1:05 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium in the Betzler Athletic Complex. The game will be televised live locally on Fox 56 WOLF-TV, Channel 5 on all local cable companies and channel 56 on Direct TV and the Dish Network.
King's enters the game with a 2-7 overall record and a 1-5 Middle Atlantic Conference mark and looks to put an end to a four-game losing streak. The Monarchs have not won since a 35-24 victory over Widener on October 10. King's is also looking for its first win at home as the Monarchs have gone 0-5 this season at McCarthy Stadium.
Wilkes enters the contest with a 6- 3 overall record and a 3-3 MAC mark. The Colonels won their first three games of the year before losing their next three to stand at 3-3. Wilkes has rebounded to capture their last three contests. The Monarchs will also look to snap a six-game losing streak to Wilkes, dating back to the 2003 season. King's won three straight games over the Colonels from 2000-2002, but Wilkes has won every game played since the 2003 campaign.
KING'S FOOTBALL ON THE AIR:
The game will be televised live locally on Fox 56 WOLF-TV, Channel 5 on all local cable companies and Channel 56 on Direct TV and the Dish Network. Bob Ide and John Mendola will serve as game commentators while Erin Dugan will work as the sideline reporter.
The game will also be web cast live on the Internet by going to the WRKC LIVE link at the following address:
Fans can also follow the action on LiveStats, an online statistical program that displays live play-by-play and statistics at the following link:
ABOUT THE GAME:
The game is the final regular-season contest of the season for both teams. King's enters the game with a 2-7 overall record and a 1-5 Middle Atlantic Conference mark. Wilkes is 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the MAC. Wilkes hopes to receive an ECAC Bowl berth.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
This is the 23rd all-time meeting between the programs with Wilkes holding a 17-5 advantage following a 21-3 victory last season. It will also mark the 14th time the teams will be playing for the Mayor's Cup, which was instituted in 1996 by former Wilke-Barre mayor Tom McGroarty and continues today with current Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, a 1982 King's College graduate. Since the teams began playing for the Mayor's Cup in 1996, Wilkes holds a 10-3 lead, including victories in the last six meetings. Wilkes won the first four Mayor's Cup games from 1996-1999 until King's broke through and won three straight from 2000-2002.
THE COACHES:
Monarch mentor Rich Mannello, the longest tenured head coach in the MAC, is in his 17th varsity year at King's and owns a current record of 69-104-1 with the Monarchs, five post-season playoff appearances since 2000, and the 2002 MAC title. Wilkes is led by 13-year veteran Frank Sheptock who is 88-58 with the Colonels.
LAST WEEK:
King's comes off a 28-21 road loss to FDU-Florham. Wilkes tallied a 29-24 home victory over Widener.
THANK YOU SENIORS:
The contest also marks the final game for 21 King's senior players. They include Christian Becker (63), Kyle Berardinucci (33), Brett Brown (76), Brandon Cogley (64), Andrew Dalius (68), Justin Dalton (87), Andrew DeRito (98), Zach Dunn (72), Matt Ihlein (5), Eric Fay (22), Corey Lavin (11), Brian Mitros (25), Doug Mucha (34), Claude O'Connor (46), Chase Rieger (70), John Scalzo (71), Clyde Towns (94), Mike Verbitski (3), Alex Watty (53), Mike Zimmerman (13), and Justin Zlotek (21).
KING'S ON OFFENSE: I-FORMATION
The Monarch offense is ranked fifth in the MAC with 326.9 yards of total offense per-game. The Monarchs are third in rushing with 152.0 yards each contest while standing sixth in passing at 174.9 yards per-game. Senior quarterback Corey Lavin has completed 50.0 (125-255) percent of his passes for 1,574 yards with 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while rushing for 378 yards on 80 attempts. Senior tailback Claude O'Connor ranks third in the MAC with a 91.2 yards per-game average, totaling 730 yards on 169 carries and three touchdowns. Sophomore Phil Shaw adds 210 yards on 44 carries. Senior wide receiver Mike Verbitski ranks second in the MAC with 54 catches for a conference-best 838 yards. His 13 receiving touchdowns also tops the MAC and is a King's single-season record. Junior Rob Lane follows with 28 receptions for 360 yards. Senior tight end Justin Dalton has registered 12 catches for 135 yards while sophomore Glenn Ford as 11 for 101 yards.
WILKES ON OFFENSE: MULTIPLE
Wilkes is ranked eighth in MAC total offense with 258.4 yards per-game. The Colonels stand eighth in rushing at 80.9 yard and fifth in passing at 177.6 yards. Wilkes' offense is directed by senior quarterback Rob Johnson who has completed 55.3 (120-217) percent of his passes for 1,519 yards with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sophomore tailback Zach Tivald tops the Colonels running backs with 439 yards on 125 carries with three touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Harry Reese adds 151 yards on 62 attempts with three scores. The receivers are led by junior Jordan D'Emilio with 44 receptions for 516 yards and one touchdown. Senior Gennaro Zangardi follows with 23 catches for 380 yards and four scores. Junior tight end Anthony Dorunda contributes 10 catches for 103 yards.
KING'S ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
King's is ranked seventh in MAC total defense, allowing 390.7 yards per-game. The Monarchs stand seventh against the run, yielding 169.0 yards and are eighth versus the pass in permitting 221.7 each contest. Sophomore linebacker P.J. Nivens tops the squad with 59 tackles, including 40 solo stops and 2.0 sacks. Junior defensive end Ryan Nelson follows with 58 tackles with 10.0 tackles for 36 yards in losses and 2.0 sacks. Freshman linebacker Ryan Cordingly has tallied 53 tackles. Sophomore cornerback Mike Schifalacqua has made 46 tackles. Senior cornerback Brian Mitros has tallied 39 tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss and an interception while freshman linebacker Ryan Kelly posts 36 tackles. Junior tackle Craig Geibert has 34 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks while junior safety John Cuiffo has registered 34 tackles with an interception. Senior Justin Zlotek has made 30 tackles; sophomore safety Jim McHugh has 29 stops while senior linemen Alex Watty and Christian Becker have 28 and 19 tackles
respectively.
WILKES ON DEFENSE: MULTIPLE
The Colonel defense is ranked sixth in MAC total defense in yielding 348.3 yards per-game. Wilkes is rated sixth in rushing defense, allowing 150.2 yards each contest, while standing fourth against the pass at 198.1 yards per-game. The unit is led by junior safety Kevin Gerhart who has tallied 84 tackles with three interceptions ad has broken up six passes. Senior safety Sean Madden follows with 65 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss. Senior cornerback Corey Gilroy adds 45 tackles with three interceptions while freshman linebacker Andrew Yacina contributes 44 tackles. Junior defensive end Tom Lombreglia has made 43 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Ryan Clifford has posted 40 tackles while senior defensive end Sean O'Neill has garnered 39 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Junior safety Greg Nielsen has netted 38 tackles while sophomore tackle James Moore 35 stops with 5.5 tackles for loss. Junior tackle Chris Swinarski chips in with 33 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks.
King's vs. Wilkes (Wilkes leads 17-5)
Year Winner Score
1946 Wilkes 7-0
1947 Wilkes 12-6
1948 Wilkes 26-0
1949 Wilkes 47-7
1950 Wilkes 14-12
1951 King's 27-7
1952 King's 34-13
1993 Wilkes 41-14 (King's returns to varsity football since for first time since 1963)
1994 Wilkes 26-7
1995 Wilkes 29-15
1996 Wilkes 13-0*
1997 Wilkes 23-0*
1998 Wilkes 31-21*
1999 Wilkes 30-6*
2000 King's 20-0*
2001 King's 28-12*
2002 King's 34-7*
2003 Wilkes 37-0*
2004 Wilkes 12-6*
2005 Wilkes 36-13*
2006 Wilkes 28-7*
2007 Wilkes 35-0*
2008 Wilkes 21-3*
*Mayor's Cup Games
