WILKES-BARRE (PA) – Junior quarterback Mike Isgro threw four touchdown passes for the second week in a row as 16th-ranked Delaware Valley College opened Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) play with a 34-19 victory at King's College.
The win was the third straight for the Aggies as they improved to 3-1 on the season. The Monarchs fell to 1-3.
Isgro tossed scoring passes of four, 20, four and 34 yards. He finished the day 12-for-15 for 139 yards and also rushed for 57 yards on 13 carries. In the process, Isgro, who has started all 25 games of his collegiate career, moved into second place on the Delaware Valley all-time list with 5,176 yards of total offense (rushing and passing).
After a short punt gave the Aggies the ball at the King's 39, they used eight plays to find the end zone. All but four of the yards came on the ground, but those were the final four of the drive as, on third-and-three, Mike Isgro found a wide open Joe Gionfriddo in the end zone for the touchdown. Shane Toohey added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter.
In the final seconds of the first quarter, a Matt Cook fumble was recovered by the Monarchs' Tom Tulaney at the Delaware Valley 38. They drove to the seven-yard line and when Olayinka Soda hit Doug Mucha for a touchdown pass. However, the extra-point sailed wide right and the Aggies kept the lead at 7-6 with 11:06 remaining in the first half.
Delaware Valley responded on the ensuing possession as Isaiah Hall had a 32-yard kickoff return to his own 44. Two plays later, fullback Butch Whiteside found a big opening for a 35-yard run to the King's 13. The Aggies then faced a 3rd-and-17 from the 20, but Isgro hit an open Chad Peterman on a post pattern for the touchdown. Toohey's kick upped the advantage to 14-6 with 7:26 to go before the intermission.
It remained a 14-6 ballgame for the first half and Delaware Valley turned the ball over at midfield on an Isgro fumble on the first possession of second stanza. King's drove inside the Aggie 10 and had a first-and-goal from the one. Delaware Valley stopped the Monarchs' first attempt, but Phillip Shaw plunged in on second down for the score. Andrew DeRito's point-after pulled King's to within one at 14-13 with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter.
However, it was all Delaware Valley the rest of the way as it scored 20 straight points after Shaw's touchdown. The Aggies took over on their own 29-yard line on the ensuing possession and used 12 plays to reach the end zone. They faced a fourth-and-one from the King's 39 and converted it with a two-yard run by Whiteside. On first down, Isgro scrambled from a mess and picked up 11 yards with another 13 tacked on due a face mask to put the ball at the Monarch 13. After a one-yard rush by Cook, Isgro picked up eight more on a designed run. Facing a third-and one, Isgro tossed his third touchdown pass of the day, a four-yarder to tight end Brad Emmons. Toohey's extra-point made it a 21-13 ballgame with 44 seconds left in the third.
Delaware Valley held on defense and took over on its own 18. The Aggies advanced to their 49 on a 16-yard scramble by Isgro. Cook then broke a few tackles and raced 50 yards before being ruled down at the King's one-yard line. Cook got the call again and plunged into the end zone. Toohey had his extra-point blocked to leave the score at 27-13 with 9:36 to go in the contest.
Delaware Valley then put the contest away as Anthony Byers intercepted a Soda pass at the Aggie 42. Five plays later, Isgro hit Peterman for a short pass and the junior wideout broke a tackle and raced 34 yards for a score. Toohey added the kick for a 34-13 advantage with 4:19 left.
King's ended the scoring with 1:16 to go as, after three tries from the one-yard line, Shaw got into the end zone for a 34-19 final.
Delaware Valley finished the afternoon with 359 yards of total offense and was 8-for-12 on third down conversions. Cook went over the 100-yard mark for the second week in a row as the sophomore tailback netted 117 yards and one score on 23 carries. Dan Heiland caught four passes of 48 yards while Peterman finished the day with three receptions for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
Kyle Gesswein and Zach McCann paced the Aggie defense with 10 tackles apiece. Gesswein also added five tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Soda completed 18-of-24 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown for King's. The Monarchs were held to just 47 rushing yards on 36 carries, led by Soda with 26 yards on 16 carries. Matt Rhoades had a game-high 13 tackles and also forced a fumble.
