Lessons learned: Monarchs regrouping

Mike Lovett has been at King’s for a lot of the ups and, most recently, the downs.

The 6-foot, 1-inch, 250-pound linebacker has stood in for three straight .500 or better seasons, including an ECAC Southeast Bowl appearance in 2006, but nothing compared to what King’s went through last season.

Mired in a winless streak that extended until the very last game of the season, the Monarchs were the lovable losers of the Middle Atlantic Conference. They finished their 14th season of football since reinstating the varsity program in 1993 with a 1-9 record, second to last in the MAC no thanks to a streak of injuries and a schedule that provided no let up when King’s needed it.

For most players, a season like that will get them all fired up. Lovett was downright philosophical.

“After the season last year, we learned a lot of life lessons,” he said. “You learn a lot about who you are on the inside.”

The 2007 season wasn’t entirely a throw-away for the Monarchs. The injuries that forced them out of a great deal of closely contested games also gave them a sneak-peak at what they would be in 2008. Freshman wide receiver Rick Ritter shined in the games he played in 2007 as well as a trio of talented freshman quarterbacks.

This season, they’ll all be back. And, they’re all going to be fighting to erase the memory of last year.

That won’t be easy, though. In King’s 33-year history – minus the 30-year break when the program was disbanded from 1963 to 1993 – the Monarchs have had eight one-win seasons. They’ve never followed up a one-win season with any more than two wins the following year, including two 1-9 seasons in the last 14 years.

But, the Monarchs have taken huge strides this offseason. The installation of a new synthetic field turf, a brand-new weight room and the promise of a revamped playbook all have King’s looking like they could turn around the misfortunes of Monarchs teams of the past.

The linebacker said this year’s incarnation of the team got together and made goals, starting small. He said they started the list with winning as many games as possible at home.

“Eventually we want to be MAC Champions,” said Lovett. “When we all have similar goals, everyone on the team has something to be motivated towards; something to work towards.

But Lovett isn’t the only one buying into King’s new team-only mantra. Senior defensive Lineman Tom Tulaney has as much experience as Lovett with winning and losing at King’s. This year, he’s ready to turn it around.

“I think everyone knows or is aware that we had a rough season last year,” he said. “We’re putting that in the past and forgetting about it. We’re trying to do big things this year.”

Defensively, King’s is as strong as ever. Despite losing the MAC’s second-leading tackler in Tore Alaimo, the Monarchs have only had to replace players at three positions.

Linebacker Matt Rhodes was second on the team last season with 77 tackles and should handle the extra burden well. …Tulaney and Lovett were both 10-game starters last season. …Senior safety Shane McNamara had 58 tackles and three interceptions. …Junior safety Justin Zlotek had 47 tackles and four interceptions. …Sophomore defensive tackle Alex Watty started all 10 games as a freshman last season, logging 38 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss.

In all, King’s returns 10 players who started at least four games and eight players who started all 10.

“Defense, when you break down that side of the ball and look at the depth chart, there’s a lot of experience there,” said King’s head coach Rich Mannello. “They’re ready to play. We haven’t had that for a while. We’ve always had to develop some guys.”

It’s the offense that worries Mannello heading into a season opener with Randolph-Macon Sept. 6 on the new turf at Betzler Field.

The biggest problem facing the Monarchs is choosing a new quarterback. Of the seven that arrived for preseason camp, three have emerged as likely candidates for the starting job. All three -- Blaine Fox, John Cuiffo and Olayinko Soda -- saw time last season when starter Jeff Searfass went down with a back injury.

And up until and including now, none of the three have been clearly able to establish themselves as a clear favorite.

One thing is clear, though, whoever does get the starting job is going to have to adapt to a line that may not have the experience of last year’s senior squad. King’s graduated four senior offensive linemen last season. Junior guard Brandon Cogley is the only returning starter, but Lake-Lehman grad Ryan Arcangeli started three games at center after injuries forced Cogley from center to guard.

“Those are two of the big-name leaders but we also lost four senior offensive linemen,” said Lovett. “Those are the guys that were maybe less vocal, but those were the guys that you could always depend on. That weighs a little heavy on you because you’re going from four guys who you could depend on for every play to a couple of new guys who really haven’t been tested yet.”

But don’t think for a minute that Lovett is throwing his teammates under the bus. It’s just the opposite.

He said the King’s football team hasn’t been closer in his four years. Last season’s record couldn’t have done more to bring the Monarchs together as a unit.

“After the season we as a team could have gone in two different directions,” said Lovett. “We could have splintered off and gone and done our own thing.