OCTOBER 27, 2007
WILKES RETAINS MAYOR’S CUP WITH 35-0 WIN OVER
KING’S
WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes University held
King’s College to only seven yards in total offense and the Monarchs
committed five costly turnovers as the Colonels rolled to a 35-0 victory
over their cross-town rivals in the annual Mayor’s Cup Game on Saturday
afternoon at Betzler Fields.
The win, the fifth
straight for Wilkes over the Monarchs, improved the Colonels to 3-5
overall and 3-2 in the Middle Atlantic Conference. King’s saw its
record slide to 0-8 overall and 0-5 in conference play.
Wilkes took the opening
kickoff and promptly put together a scoring drive. Starting at their
own 45 following a 27-yard kickoff return by Kevin Gerhart, the Colonels
used seven plays to march deep inside King’s territory. Quarterback Al
Karaffa was a perfect three-for-three passing on the drive, including a
pair of tosses to tight end Kyle Regner covering 17 and five yards. On
fourth-and-two, Wilkes opted to try a field goal and the Colonels Mario
Della Fortuna connected on a 36-yard attempt to give his team a 3-0 lead
with 11:14 left in the first quarter.
The Wilkes defense
would get in on the scoring later in the first quarter. With King’s
facing a third-and-three situation from their own 26, quarterback Jeff
Searfass had his pass intercepted by Corey Gilroy at the Monarchs 28,
and Gilroy returned it down the Wilkes sideline for a touchdown with
2:52 left in the stanza. Della Fortuna added the point after to give
Wilkes a 10-0 lead.
The Colonels would
begin their third scoring drive of the first half on the King’s 46
following a 17-yard punt return by Aireil Adams. Karaffa hit Alan Frost
for a 16 yard gain to advance the ball to the Monarchs 30. Alex Pearson
would pick up nine yards on consecutive carries to make it a
third-and-one from the 21 as the second period began. On the first play
of the new stanza Karaffa went to the air and hit Rocky D’Aconti for a
score with 14:51 showing on the clock. The PAT by Della Fortuna was
good and Wilkes had a 17-0 advantage.
The Wilkes defense held
King’s on downs on their next possession. On fourth down from their own
26-yard line the snap from center sailed over punter Andrew DeRito’s
head and into the endzone. DeRito out-raced the Wilkes defender and
kicked the ball out of the back of the endzone for a safety that made it
19-0 with 13:49 left in the first half.
Darius Harrison would
set up the next Wilkes score when he intercepted a pass by Blaine Fox
and returned it 17 yards to the King’s 6. However, the drive stalled at
the Monarchs two and Della Fortuna was called on to attempt a 20-yard
field goal. The try was good and the Colonels held a 22-0 lead with
7:45 left before intermission.
Special teams would
lead to another Wilkes score early in the third quarter. King’s took
the second half kickoff but was unable to move the ball and was forced
to punt. The Colonels’ F.J. Campbell broke through and broke DeRito’s
punt attempt that was recovered on the Monarchs three-yard line.
Pearson would then find his way into the endzone on a three-yard run
with 14:01 left in the quarter. Della Fortuna’s PAT was off the mark
and Wilkes held a 28-0 lead.
King’s would hand
Wilkes another scoring opportunity just moments later when a fourth-down
snap on an attempted punt was off the mark and DeRito had to fall on it
at his own 23-yard line. The Colonels would take advantage of the
miscue as Pearson carried the ball on all five plays, including a
one-yard TD plunge with 10:10 left in the third. Della Fortuna was
successful on the point after and the lead moved to 35-0 and that is the
way the game would end.
Wilkes used a balanced
offensive attack to finish with 273 yards in total offense. The
Colonels had 133 yards on the ground and 140 yards through the air.
King’s managed to throw for 42 yards, but the Monarchs were held to
minus-35 yards rushing in the game.
Pearson led the Wilkes
running backs with 72 yards and two touchdowns. Karaffa finished the
afternoon by completed 8-of-14 passes for 132 yards and a score. Regner
had three catches for 30 yards and Gennaro Zangardi contributed two
receptions for 55 yards.
Brandon Murray was the
top ground-gainer for King’s with 22 yards. Searfass started at
quarterback and hit on 1-of-5 passes for 13 yards and two
interceptions. Blaine Fox came on to replace Searfass and finished the
afternoon 3-for-17 through the air for 29 yards and three
interceptions.
Tim Yeagley was named
the Most Valuable Player of the game for Wilkes after registering eight
tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss. Kyle Follweiler chipped
in with six stops and three tackles for loss. Harrison had five
tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception, while
David Grega had five tackles and two interceptions.
Tore Alaimo earned Most
Valuable Player honors for King’s after racking up a game-high 14
tackles and recovering a fumble. Matt Rhodes chipped in with 11
tackles, while Brian Mitros, who had an interception, and Justin Zlotek
added eight tackles each.
