WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 2, 2024) -- The late efforts by the defense coupled with some extraordinary plays on special teams helped secure the King's College football team at least a share of the Middle Atlantic Conference season title and the automatic qualifying bid to the 2024 NCAA Championships with a 14-6 win over Delaware Valley University. With the win at McCarthy Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Monarchs win their seventh straight and improve to 7-1 overall and 7-0 in the MAC, while the Aggies drop to 6-2 with a 5-2 conference mark.
This marks the Monarchs first taste of a MAC title since the 2002 season.
It was a slow start to the highly-anticipated match up. Both teams traded punts on their opening drives before the King's (7-1, 7-0 MAC) defense delivered their first big play of the game on an interception by Zach Barber, broken up by Sean Lavine at the line, to give the Monarchs the ball in Aggie territory. The Monarchs used just three plays before Brennan Robinson exploded for a 34-yard touchdown run to put King's ahead, 7-0, with 9:38 to go in the first quarter.
The teams had empty possessions down the stretch, but it was Delaware Valley (6-2, 5-2 MAC) with the ball and driving to start the second quarter. On the second play of the frame, the Aggies went for it on 4th-and-2 from the 12-yard line, but the pass was broken up in the back of the end zone by Ahmad Griffin to put the ball back in the hands of the Monarchs and preserve the 7-0 advantage.
After another scoreless drive by the Monarchs, the defense came up big again as this time it was Jared Reto to pick off the Aggies quarterback at the King's 37-yard line before returning it 23 yards to set up the next scoring drive. Four plays and 80 yards later, Russell Minor-Shaw found Tony Brinson for a four-yard touchdown grab to extend the lead to 14-0 with 4:35 left in the half.
A Delaware Valley punt and a Monarch miscue ended the first half of play with King's maintaining their 14-0 edge heading into the locker room.
Despite struggling to find their groove offensively in the second half, the King's defense and special teams continued to thrive. The Monarchs forced another turnover on downs on the Aggies first drive and a punt on their ensuing drive, but in their next possession Delaware Valley finally got on the scoreboard with a 13-yard touchdown run from Louie Barrios IV. This time, it was the special teams unit to get a stop, blocking the extra-point attempt to keep their 14-6 lead with 13:16 remaining.
The Aggies defense forced another Monarch mishap to get the ball back in King's territory, but again it was the special teams to block a 27-yard field goal attempt with 9:41 to play.
King's punted on their next drive, and it seemed as though the Delaware Valley offense had found the recipe to stage their comeback. The Aggies ran down the clock once they got inside the 10-yard line and called a timeout with seven ticks left on the game clock. On their 4th-and-1 play that would give the visitors a shot at extending the game, Ahmad Griffin and Alex Tristan came up with a goal-line-stand to preserve the game and secure the Monarchs' first win over Delaware Valley since 2013, 14-6, at McCarthy Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Minor-Shaw finished with 88 passing yards and 40 rushing yards, while Robinson added 68 yards and a score on nine carries. Kival Clarke pace the receivers with 51 yards on five catches.
Jake Ruppert dominated in the game for the defense, posting 15 tackles, while Reto added eight with an interceptions. Griffin also made eight tackles with a pair of breakups and 0.5 sacks, while Osma Kamara had six tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks.
On special teams, Joachim McElroy averaged 46.5 yards per punt, including a booming 66-yard punt that put the Aggies inside the 5-yard line. Mike DiGregorio returned a kickoff for 20 yards, and Delaney Hilferty remained perfect, going 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts.
Delaware Valley was led by Louie Barrios IV with 119 passing yards on seven completions with two interceptions, while Jack Fallon ran for 109 yards on 25 carries. Alvaro Lora caught two passes for 80 yards, and Jacquez Mabin made nine tackles with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
As a team, the Monarchs recorded 217 yards of offense, while the defense limited the Aggies to 0-for-3 on fourth down and just 1-for-5 in the red zone.
King's will head out of Wilkes-Barre for their final road trip of the regular season to take on Albright College. Kickoff in the MAC match up is set for 12:00 p.m. in Reading.
Football Clinches Share of MAC Title, NCAA Bid with Win Over Delaware Valley
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241102_szgd.xml
2024
Delaware Valley
6
King's
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Valley (6-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| King's (7-1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Nov 02, 2024
--MONARCHS--