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SEPTEMBER 25, 2005
KING’S FOOTBALL DROPS
HEARTBREAKER WITH NO TIME REMAINING IN 29-27 LOSS AT ALBRIGHT
READING – Andrew Sorice hauled in a batted down pass in the end zone
from John Port with no time remaining in the game as Albright College
battled back to post a stunning 29-27 victory over King’s College
Saturday in the grand-opening of Shirk Stadium in Reading.
With the win, Albright improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Middle
Atlantic Conference. King’s, meanwhile, fell to 1-3 and 1-2 after
suffering one of its most devastating losses in team history despite an
NCAA Division III record-breaking performance by tailback John Ortiz.
King’s led 18-0 at the half, only to watch Albright battle back to take
a 23-20 lead with 1:54 left in the contest. The Monarchs would answer
with a 47-yard scoring play when Chris Barnic found Blake Letchford for
the go-ahead score with 1:02 left, as King’s would take a 27-23 lead.
But Albright would have one last miracle up its sleeve. Taking over at
its own 34 following the Monarch kickoff, the Lions would move to the
King’s 47. After a King’s sack forced a third-and-24 play, the Monarchs
were flagged for pass interference, giving the Lions a first down at the
Monarch 46 with 0:35 remaining.
After five yard pass to Bryon Haupt, Bob Cirko would break up a pass to
Steve Asay in the end zone to set up a third-and five play with 0:17
remaining. Port would then avoid a sack and picked up the fist down with
seven yard run to the King’s 31 with 0:10 remaining. On the next play,
Cirko would break up another Port throw into the end zone with 0:04
left.
On the last play of the game and the ball at the King’s 31, Port lofted
the ball into the back of the end zone and the ball was batted toward
the ground by King’s safety Craig Haywood. But Albright Sorice came from
no where to make a diving catch, snaring the ball in the end zone before
it hit the ground to give the Lions a miraculous victory.
The comeback win overshadowed a brilliant effort by King’s Ortiz. The
junior tailback rushed for a career-high 267 yards, the second most in
King’s history, on an NCAA Division III record 59 rushing attempts.
Ortiz led King’s to an 18-0 half-time lead, running for 167 yards in the
first two periods of the game.
King’s opened the game strong with a 13-play, 64-yard drive capped by a
one-yard run by Ortiz. Tim Lust would miss the extra-point kick as
King’s led 6-0 with 9:09 left in the first quarter.
Albright would attempt to answer when the Lions, aided by a pass
interference penalty, would move the ball to the Monarch seven-yard
line. King’s linebacker Mike Lyons would strip Albright tailback Vince
Andrews on the next play and Tore Alaimo recovered for King’s at the
four to end the threat.
King’s would respond with an impressive 20-play, 96-yard drive that used
8:14 off the clock. The Monarchs would attempt a two-point conversion
but Ortiz was stopped short of the end zone as King’s held a 12-0 lead
with 10:28 left in the half.
Two possessions later King’s would force a punt took over at its own 31
with 2:42 remaining in the half. King’s would moved to the Albright 17
and two plays later Barnic would find Letchford all alone in the back of
the end zone for a 14-yard score. The two-point conversion failed and
King’s took an 18-0 lead with 0:36 remaining in the half, a lead the
Monarchs would take into the locker room.
King’s dominated the first half, holding a 23:34-to-6:26 advantage in
time of possession and led 20-5 in first downs. The Monarchs ran 57
plays compared to just 21 for Albright. King’s held a 262-to-97
advantage in total first half yards. In the first half, Ortiz rushed for
176 yards on 35 carries to pace the Monarch attack.
In the second-half, Albright would respond on its first drive of the
second half with a nine-play 67-yard drive, capped by a 14-yard run by
Andrews. Mike Richardson would block the extra-point kick as Albright
closed to within 18-6 with 11:52 left in the third quarter.
Two possessions later, Albright would take over at its own 46 following
a King’s punt and moved to the Monarch 16. Port would hit Jordan
McCauley for nine yards and first and goal at the Kings seven. On the
next play, Port found Haupt in the end zone for an Albright score.
Dustin Kaplan’s conversion kick would bring the Lions to within 18-13
with 4:10 remaining in the third period.
Albright would force another Monarch punt and took over at the King’s 41
following a short 22-yard punt by Jeff Searfass. Albright would move to
the Monarch nine where the drive would stall and Tom Fitzgerald would
kick a 33-yard field goal to bring Albright within 18-16 with 14:43 left
in the fourth quarter.
King’s would fail to advance the ball and was forced to punt where the
Monarchs would commit a big special team’s mistake. Searfass fumbled a
high snap and was tackled at the Monarch 18 yard line.
Albright would move to the King’s 15 where Fitzgerald would attempt a
32-yard field goal. The kick, however, said wide right as the Monarchs
would escape to maintain an 18-16 lead with 12:35 remaining.
King’s would miss out on a scoring chance when the Monarchs drove to the
Lion four. But on a crucial fourth-and-one play from the two-yard line,
Albright stopped Ortiz for no gain and took over at the two with 5:55
left in the contest.
The Monarchs defense would then come up with a big play of its own when
linebacker John Haller sacked Port in the end zone for a safety with
5:20 left in the game as King’s extended the lead to 20-16.
Albright would get the ball back at its own 13 following a King’s punt
and advanced the ball its own 34. Port would then hit Steve Asay along
the right sideline for 46 yards to the Monarch 16-yard line with 2:02
left. On the next play, Port found a wide open Nick Brightbill in the
end zone for the go-ahead score. Fitzpatrick’s conversion gave the Lions
a 23-20 lead with 1:54 left.
On the ensuing kickoff, Craig Haywood would return the ball 31 yards to
the Monarch 41 with 1:45 remaining. Three plays later, Barnic found
Letchford open at the 15 and the Monarch senior avoided an Albright
tackler and raced untouched into the end zone to complete a 47-yard
hookup with 1:02 left. Lust added the conversion kick as King’s took a
27-23 lead, setting up Albright’s final game-winning drive.
Port finished 24-of-41 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Haupt made
seven catches for 56 yards while Asay and McCauley added five receptions
each. Vince Andrews led the Albright rushing attack 78 yards on 14
carries.
Ortiz 59 carries broke the NCAA Division III record of 58 attempts set
by Bill Kaiser of Wabash against DePauw in 1985. According to the NCAA
record books, the all-divisions record is 62 carries by Nelson Edmunds
of Division II Northern Michigan University against Wayne State in 1991.
Ortiz also surpassed the MAC record of 55 carries set by former Monarch
all-American Chris Shivery against Juniata in 2001. His 267 rushing
yards ranks behind Damon’s Saxon’s 289-yard performance in 2000 as
second most in King’s history.
Barnic completed 14-of-28 passes for 187 yards and two scores. Walker
made five receptions for 54 yards while Letchford added four catches for
76 yards.
King’s out gained Albright 468-to-396 in total yards and held a massive
41:08-to-18:52 advantage in possession time. The Lions, however, out
gained King’s in the second half by a 299-206 margin.
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