Football

King's College 35, Delaware Valley 23

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Richard Jackson carried the ball 40 times for a season-high 223 yards and one touchdown as King's College overcame a 21-6, first-half deficit and defeated host Delaware Valley College, 35-23, in front of a Homecoming crowd of 4,500 at James Work Memorial Stadium.

The loss was the first of the season for the Aggies as they fell to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). King's, the defending MAC co-champions, improved to 4-2, 3-2.

Delaware Valley entered the game ranked first in the MAC and fifth in all of Division III in total offense with an average of 465 yards per game. The Aggies had also put up 1,152 yards of offense in their last two wins. However, the Monarchs, who were ranked first in the conference in total defense (271 yards per game), held the Aggies to 312 yards, including just three yards on 12 plays in the third quarter.

Delaware Valley took a 21-6 lead with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns just 2 minutes and 8 seconds apart. Following an interception by Andrew Erby, the Aggies went 35 yards on three plays capped by quarterback Adam Knoblauch's eight-yard touchdown run with 11:52 left in the half. Jackson fumbled on the next drive and Delaware Valley's Jesse Leonard returned it 13 yards to the King's 20-yard line. Five plays later, Steve Cook scored from four yards out for a 21-6 score with 9:44 remaining.

However it was all King's from there. Later in the second quarter, the Monarchs went on a 12-play, 92-yard scoring drive with Jackson picking up 65 yards along the way. Backup T.D. Callahan ended the drive with a three-yard touchdown run and David Hessler hit Mike Novia on the two-point conversion pass for a 21-14 score with 1:42 to go.

Delaware Valley went three-and-out and King's took over on its own 23-yard line with 66 seconds remaining in the half. Hessler went 3-for-3 for 71 yards on the drive, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Julian Walker to tie the game at 21-21 with 17 seconds left.

The Monarchs took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 77 yards on six plays with Jackson scoring his lone touchdown of the day - a three-yard run - as King's took the lead for good, 28-21 with 11:59 left in the third quarter.

Hessler and Walker teamed up once again, this time for a seven-yard touchdown in the third while Delaware Valley's last points came with 43 seconds left in the game as King's punter Matt VonTanhausen took a safety by running out his own end zone.

The Aggies opened the game by going 82 yards on four plays, including a 75-yard scamper by Cook that put the ball at the one-yard line. Knoblauch snuck in from there for a 7-0 lead. Hessler got King's first points with a one-yard touchdown of his own with 3:31 left in the first quarter.

Knoblauch finished just 12-for-27 for 169 yards and two interceptions. He was also sacked a season-high six times. Nick Brady was the Aggies' top receiver with seven catches for 103 yards. Cook led the ground attack with 95 yards on 13 carries. Carlo DeAngelo paced the Delaware Valley defense with 15 tackles from his safety position. Nick Sabean and Anthony Silver added 11 and 10 tackles respectively.