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OCTOBER 18, 2003
BOB ZIADIE
JACKSON RUSHES FOR 241 AS KING’S HOLDS OFF LEB-VALLEY 44-31
WILKES-BARRE – Junior tailback Richard Jackson rushed for a season-high
241 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries and King’s College held off
a furious second-half comeback as the host Monarchs posted a 44-31 victory
over a determined Lebanon Valley College squad Saturday at Betzler
Fields.
With the win, King’s won its third straight game to improve to 5-2
overall and 4-2 in the Middle Atlantic Conference. Lebanon Valley fell to
1-6 and 1-5 in conference play.
King’s built a 28-10 half-time lead before the Flying Dutchmen stormed
back to score 21 unanswered points and take a 31-28 lead heading into the
final quarter of play.
With King’s clinging to a 28-24-lead, Lebanon Valley would march 65
yards on nine plays as quarterback Roger Poorman scored on a quarterback
sneak to put Lebanon Valley on top for the first time in the game at 31-28
with 1:47 left in the third quarter. The touchdown capped a 21-0
third-quarter assault for the Flying Dutchmen.
King’s would respond immediately when quarterback David Hessler hit
Jimmy Snelling for a 28-yard gain to the Lebanon Valley 27. The Monarchs
would advance to the 17 before the drive would stall and Matt VonTanhausen
hit a 34-yard field goal to knot the score at 31-31 with 14:04 left in the
contest.
Later in the period King’s would assume possession at its own 33
following a punt. After an eight-yard run by Hessler, Jackson broke free
off tackle for a 59-yard scoring play to put the Monarchs on top.
VonTanhausen’s kick gave King’s a 38-31 lead with 9:43
remaining.
Lebanon Valley would immediately counter when Poorman found John Schuster
for 11 yards, then hit Dan Kelly for 30 yards to the King’s 39. But the
Monarch defense would stiffen and force Lebanon Valley into a
fourth-and-four play from the 33. Poorman’s pass to Dave McCullough
would fall incomplete and the Monarchs would regain possession with 6:59
left.
Jackson would pick up 14 yards on three caries before Hessler hit Julian
Walker for a 37-yard gain to the Dutchmen 11. On the next play, T.D.
Callahan rumbled into the end zone to extend the Monarch lead.
VonTanhausen’s kick would give King’s some breathing room with a 44-31
advantage with 4:14 left in the contest.
King’s took a 7-0 lead when Jackson capped a 57-yard drive with a
37-yard touchdown run with 9:11 left in the first quarter. Lebanon Valley
would knot the score at 7-7when the Dutchmen scored on a 46-yard pass from
Poorman to McCullough with 13:19 remaining in the second quarter.
The Monarchs would answer on its next possession when Hessler hit Walker
for a 42-yard gain to the Lebanon Valley 20. Three plays later, Hessler
found tight end Matt Nicodemus in the back of the end zone to put the
Monarchs on top 14-7.
The Flying Dutchmen would respond when Poorman hit tailback Pete Henning
for 17 yards, followed by a 15-yard facemask penalty, moving the ball to
the Monarch 22. The drive would eventually stall and Keller drilled a
29-yard field goal to bring Lebanon Valley to within 14-10 with 6:50 left
in the half.
King’s would again counter on its next possession when the Monarchs
moved the ball 59 yards when Jackson would rush five times for 40 yards in
the drive, including a five-yard touchdown run with 3:23 remaining to give
King’s a seemingly comfortable 28-10 half-time lead.
Lebanon Valley had other ideas as the Flying Dutchmen forced a King’s
punt on the opening possession of the second half and began to drive. On a
third-and-10, Henning took a handoff on a draw play and scampered 43 yards
into the end zone. Keller’s kick brought the margin to 28-17 with 13:09
left in the third quarter.
The momentum changed on the next possession when King’s marched 58 yards
to the Lebanon Valley 15. On the next play, Jackson broke free off left
tackle and raced towards the end zone. Jackson would attempt to break a
tackle at the one-yard line and extended his arms in an effort to place
the ball into the end zone. But the King’s standout fumbled and Josh
Otzel recovered for the Dutchmen at the one-yard line to end the scoring
threat.
King’s would force a punt but the Dutchmen would take advantage of a
crucial mistake when Derek Zambino fumbled the kick at the Monarch 43-yard
line and Otzel recovered to set up the Dutchmen with excellent field
position. Poorman would eventually find Henning for a 10-yard scoring play
to bring the Dutchmen to within 28-24 with 6:11 remaining in the third
period.
Lebanon Valley would force another Monarch punt and the Dutchmen would
assume possession at the King’s 43. Poorman found Marek for passes of 21
and 17 yards, then hooked up with Jarrod Way for completions of 11 and 13
yards to move the ball to the King’s one-yard line. Two plays later,
Poorman would score on a quarterback sneak to give the Dutchmen the
lead.
The teams combined for 983 yards of combined offense. King’s outgained
Lebanon valley 514-to-469 in total yards.
The Monarchs rushed for 341 yards, compared to 121 for the Dutchmen.
Hessler completed 8-of-18 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and one
interceptions. Walker made four catches for 113 yards while Snelling
hauled in three passes for 55 yards.
Jackson bested his previously high of 223 yards set last week in a 35-23
win over Delaware Valley. Jackson, who carried 29 times in the game, also
reached the 1,000-yard plateau for the second straight year and now totals
1,129 yards.
Poorman completed 23-of-46 passes for 348 yards with two touchdown and two
interceptions. Marek had six receptions for 87 yards while McCullough made
five catches for 118 yards and a score.
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