BOX SCORE

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

WAYNE, N.J. – Junior quarterback Ryan Gresik (Newton, N.J./Newton) found a streaking Howard Davis (Franklin Park, N.J./Franklin) along the left edge of the end zone with 7.4 seconds remaining, the go-ahead score for a 9-3 William Paterson (1-0) season-opening victory against King's (0-1) Sept. 1 at Wightman Stadium.

Tied at 3-3, the Pioneers got the ball back with time for one more scoring opportunity, opening their drive from midfield with 42.3 seconds left.  Following an incompletion and a six-yard Gresik pass to senior tailback Dawys German (North Arlington, N.J./North Arlington), WP burned its final timeout.  Facing third-and-four with 25.3 seconds on the clock, Gresik somehow avoided a sack, getting himself free and sprinting up the left sideline before stepping out of bounds with a 12-yard gain.  A quick out to senior Alex Price (Newton, N.J./Newton) picked up five yards, and on the subsequent play Davis tracked up the left sideline and did well to haul in the Gresik pass while also getting a foot down inbounds for the tie-breaking score. 

The PAT was unsuccessful, and William Paterson elected to squib the kickoff up the middle.  Steve Duncan returned to the ball 24 yards to near midfield, but when he was brought down the clock had already expired, ending the game and handing William Paterson its third straight victory in season-opening contests.

Gresik was 15-for-27 for 147 yards under center, while German carried 15 times for 79 yards.  Junior wide receiver Brian Winfield (Newton, N.J./Newton) caught three passes for a team-best 45 yards.

Sophomore linebacker John Garbowski (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) led all players with 13 tackles, and senior bandit German Decena (Union City, N.J./Emerson) had 12 stops.  Junior defensive tackle Webb Geer (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) made 1.5 stops for loss among his nine tackles, and forced and recovered a fumble.  Linebackers Wallace Cooper (East Windsor, N.J./Hightstown) and Jedd Blackowski (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) each contributed seven stops, and Cooper also hauled in an interception.

Neither team threatened to break the scoreless deadlock until the first play of the second quarter, but sophomore Robert Sinegra's (Wharton, N.J./Morris Knolls) 40-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar.  The Monarchs' Lance Williams was wide left from 24 yards away six minutes later, and he had a 37-yarder blocked by junior Stanley Howard (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) at the 1:47 mark of the second quarter.

WP started its final dive of the half at its own 20-yard line, and a roughing the passer penalty and an 11-yard Gresik-to-Joseph Cordato (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) completion helped to set up another field-goal try.  This time Sinegra's kick was true from 38 yards, handing the Pioneers a 3-0 halftime edge as time expired.

Geer forced and recovered a fumble to end the first King's possession of the second half, and the Monarchs responded by blocking a Cory Mundt (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) punt.  The two teams again traded possessions before a 10-play, 41-yard drive ended with a Williams 20-yard field goal, knotting the score at 3-3 with 5:19 remaining in the third quarter.

Sinegra's kick from 33 yards was wide right less than three minutes later, and Cooper's interception halted another King's possession early in the fourth quarter.

A fourth-down defensive stand and two punts led to King's starting a drive at its own 22 with 1:47 left.  Tyler Hartranft's two-yard quarterback scramble and a six-yard run by Kyle McGrath made it third-and-two at the Monarch-30.  Hartranft couldn't connect with Matt Henry, forcing a Dan Kempa punt that traveled just 29 yards.  Sophomore Mike Vannucci (Bethpage, N.Y./Plainedge) put together a 10-yard return to set up WP at the King's 49-yard line for the final scoring drive.

McGrath rushed 27 times for 108 yards.  Hartranft finished 7-for-16 for 96 yards, and sophomore Bryant Klein finished 5-for-8 for 43 yards.  Jordan Buford led the receivers with three receptions for 24 yards.

Senior linebacker Jake Ksiaziewicz led the Monarch defense with eight tackles (four solo, 2.0 sacks).  Sophomore defensive back Kris Matthews and senior linebacker Ryan Cordingly each tallied seven stops.

Following a bye, William Paterson will return to action Friday, Sept. 14, at Rowan at 7:00 p.m.