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A historic, record-setting season for the King’s football team ran out of steam on Saturday against one of the nation’s premier Division III programs.
The Monarchs couldn’t slow down undefeated Salisbury, falling to the host Sea Gulls by a 33-13 final score in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
The rushing attack that had given so many King’s opponents fits was stymied by the Gulls, who held the Monarchs to just 50 rushing yards and outgained King’s 345-217 in total yards.
Salisbury put King’s in the hole right off the bat. After a long return on the opening kickoff set up the Gulls in King’s territory, halfback Ronald Clark hit the hole for a 40-yard touchdown on Salisbury’s very first play from scrimmage.
Clark was Salisbury’s leading rusher with 95 yards, while SyRus McGowan added 63 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.
The Gulls took a 13-0 lead before King’s found the answer in the form of Brennan Robinson. A 1,000-yard rusher who has been limited by injury in the playoffs, Robinson broke free and got a key block from his quarterback Russell Minor-Shaw to finish up a 20-yard touchdown run. A two-point try was no good, making it a 13-6 game.
Minor-Shaw was held to just 26 net yards on the ground, with three sacks costing him a lot of yardage on the stat sheet. He threw for 167 yards, and scored on a short run midway through the fourth quarter to end a long King’s scoring drought.
Salisbury scored right before the half to make it 19-6 and ran the lead out as far as 33-6 before Minor-Shaw’s touchdown cut it to 33-13.
Old Forge graduate Mike DiGregorio, who had a game-winning touchdown for King’s in last week’s victory over Ursinus, caught five passes for 59 yards, leading the Monarchs in both receptions and yards.
King’s finishes the year with a 10-2 overall record, going 1-1 in the playoffs after winning the Middle Atlantic Conference championship with a perfect conference record.
Salisbury improves to 11-0 and will take on Randolph-Macon next Saturday in the third round after the Yellow Jackets took down Washington and Jefferson in their second-round game.