READING, PA (November 9, 2024) -- After leading by just one after the first, the King's College football team went on to score 34 unanswered points in a 41-6 win at Albright College on Saturday afternoon in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) play. The Monarchs solidified their sole possession of the 2024 MAC title with the win and improve to 8-1 overall and 8-0 in the MAC, while the Lions drop to 2-7 with a 1-7 conference mark.
King's (8-1, 8-0 MAC) forced a turnover on downs with their first defensive efforts to set up a scoring drive as Russell Minor-Shaw hit Kival Clarke for a 43-yard touchdown grab with 5:21 left in the opening quarter. The teams traded punts before Albright (2-7, 1-7 MAC) got on the board, but the extra-point attempt was off target as the Monarchs maintained a 7-6 edge heading into the second.
The Monarchs then began their dominant effort, using just two plays as this time Minor-Shaw connected with Mike DiGregorio for a 27-yard touchdown catch to jump ahead 13-6 with 14:00 left in the half. Despite a lengthy drive, the Lions had another turnover on downs to set up a quick two-play drive as a 60-yard reception by DiGregorio set up a one-yard run from Minor-Shaw to jump ahead, 20-6, with 8:03 to go before the break.
A chaotic play to start the next King's drive backed the Monarchs up to their own 11-yard line, but after seven plays and 89 yards Minor-Shaw found Clarke again, this time for a 10-yard touchdown catch as the Monarchs entered the locker room with a 27-6 advantage.
King's had the ball to start the second half and converted on their opening drive as Jayon Hailey ran it in for a three-yard score. The defense forced yet another Lions punt before Hailey carried the ball 17 yards for his second straight score as the Monarchs lead swelled to 41-6 with 2:19 left in the third.
The defense took control again as Zach Barber intercepted a pass on the second play of the Albright drive to give King's the ball again heading into the final quarter of action.
Neither team could get much going in the final 15 minutes of play, and the King's defense forced another turnover on downs before keeling out the final 47 seconds of the game on their way to the 41-6 victory on the road at Albright on Saturday afternoon.
It was a great offensive performance by the Monarchs, led by Minor-Shaw who completed 7-of-9 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 20 yards. Hailey ran for 165 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns, while Shemar Ellis added 71 yards. DiGregorio had a 102-yard effort on three catches, while Clarke posted 53 yards with both grabs coming on scoring efforts.
The defense was led by James Mangine with six total tackles, while Amir Gibson had four with two break ups. Mike Richino, Alex Tristan, and Craig Graves all had a sack, and Osman Kamara totaled three quarterback hurries.
On special teams, Joachim McElroy punted four times for 127 yards, and DiGregorio returned one punt for 18 yards. Aaron Losada also kicked off seven times for 351 yards at an average of 50.1 yards per kickoff and went 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts.
Chase Roberts led Albright with 101 passing yards, going 13-for-24, while Alex Gradsy ran for 54 yards. Kyle Richards led the receivers with 68 yards on seven catches with a touchdown, and Samuel Moratori had 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sacks.
As a team, the Monarchs out gained the Lions 464-210 for the game, including a dominant 271-79 edge in the run game and 193-131 advantage in the pass game. The King's defense limited Albright to 3-for-12 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down, while the offense went 4-for-4 in the red zone.
The Monarchs will return home to host Stevenson University on their senior day in the regular-season finale next weekend. Kickoff in the MAC contest is set for 12:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.
Football Solidifies MAC Title in Dominant Fashion at Albright
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241109_nrzd.xml
2024
King's
41
Albright
6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's (8-1) | 7 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
| Albright (2-7) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Nov 09, 2024
--MONARCHS--