Box Score

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Lebanon Valley College barreled out to a 20-0 halftime lead and never looked back as it rolled by King's College, 34-7.

The Dutchmen (5-2, 3-1 MAC) now control their own destiny in the MAC championship hunt as Lycoming upset #22 Delaware Valley, 10-7, and Albright won, 17-10, over Wilkes. LVC is now in a three-way tie for first with Lycoming and Albright, and have yet to play both.

With leading rusher Charlie Parker out due to injury, Lebanon Valley went with a running-back-by-committee approach and didn't skip a beat as five backs plus quarterback Caleb Fick combined for 229 yards rushing.

Ben Guiles led LVC with 87 yards; Fick added 43 and a touchdown, and Cruz Mannherz ran for 39 yards and a touchdown. Blair Ransom scored two touchdowns on eight carries in his collegiate debut.

The game was played in a driving rain, limiting both teams in the air; LVC made just nine passes for 84 yards with a touchdown, and King's made eight for 71 yards and their lone score.

The Dutchmen defense had a huge performance, limiting the Monarchs (1-6, 0-4 MAC) to just 122 yards of total offense in the game and generating four interceptions, all by different players.

A slow start for both teams gave way to LVC taking possession off a punt at midfield late in the first quarter. The Dutchmen drove into the red zone for the first time, and Fick scored on a six-yard keeper to go up 6-0.

The Dutchmen forced a King's three-and-out and drove again, capping the drive with a 14-yard delayed draw to Mannherz to make it 13-0.

King's again failed to move the ball, and a 46-yard punt return by Andrew Shambach set LVC up on the Monarch 20. That set up a quick seven-yard strike from Fick to Brennan to bump the lead up to 20.

The Monarchs finally threatened with their first red zone chance late in the first half, but Jur'ey Fowlkes ended the drive with an interception in the end zone. Five plays later, Bryan Lynch fumbled the ball away at midfield, butBrian Cottone got it back two plays later with an interception of Olayinka Soda.

King's didn't threaten again until late in the 3rd quarter, when a bad snap forced Colt Zarilla to fall on a punt attempt in LVC territory. An LVC pass interference penalty put King's inside the 10, setting up Soda's pass to Bob Lane to cut the lead to 20-7.

LVC came right back as Fick keyed a drive with a big run and a fourth-and-four conversion. Lebanon Valley stalled again inside the 10, but was saved by a facemask penalty after Fick came up short on fourth-and-goal. That allowed Blair Ransom to rumble in for his first career touchdown with 11:19 left in the game.

A Dane Eichelberger interception Ransom drove in for his second score moments later to cap a six-play, 65-yard drive. Shambach picked off Soda on the ensuing drive to punctuate the defensive effort.

LVC now faces a huge game next Saturday, hosting fellow first-place team Albright in their annual rivalry game.