At least nine apply for committee to seek next Luzerne County manager

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Luzerne County to pursue voluntary payments from tax-exempts

<p>Two years ago, the King&#8217;s football team enjoyed its best season in the Jeff Knarr coaching era.</p><p>When the 2013 campaign concluded with a 6-4 record, hopes were sky-high for the following season and work started for the next season at spring practice.</p><p>After the last workout, a pickup game of basketball was being played. During the last of the hoops contest among teammates, a freak accident occurred when starting linebacker Chad Curtice fell on a teammate&#8217;s leg and broke his ankle. Bad thoughts were running through his mind when it happened.</p><p>&#8220;My first thought was &#8216;man, I&#8217;m not gonna be able to play my senior season&#8217; because it was sideways,&#8221; Curtice said.</p><p>Then he got bad news from the doctor.</p><p>&#8220;The doctor said I had a possibility of not being able to run again. It was tough getting through it, but I worked through it all summer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Came here, worked with our physical training staff. They were great about it and brought me back to where I could play again.&#8221;</p><p>Curtice did miss his entire senior season, but thanks to graduate courses, he was able to rejoin the team and is enjoying another solid campaign in the middle of the Monarchs&#8217; defense. He&#8217;s third on the team with 46 tackles, has picked off two passes, recovered a fumble, forced two fumbles, and is credited with blocking a kick. It&#8217;s more than individual stats though, his presence has been felt for the whole unit.</p><p>&#8220;We were watching film last season and why weren&#8217;t getting to the quarterback as well as we did in &#8216;13&#8230;Chad was always there and created problems,&#8221; King&#8217;s coach Jeff Knarr said.</p><p>It was a long road back. Curtice spent two months on crutches and couldn&#8217;t walk again for another two weeks after that. Up until three weeks before the season he was finally running at full speed and cutting. And Curtice still has problems going vertical, which means no basketball games in the near future.</p><p>The hard work and the angst of sitting out a whole season could have made him quit the sport, but Curtice had a taste for winning, and after playing football most of his life, he needed closure.</p><p>&#8220;I knew I could help the team. But for me it was to get that last season in,&#8221; Curtice said.</p><p>That task comes to an end on Saturday when the Monarchs host Wilkes in the 20th annual Mayor&#8217;s Cup game with King&#8217;s looking for its third straight win in the series for just the second time in the history of the rivalry. The only other time the Monarchs won three in a row was in 2000, 2001 and 2002.</p><p>&#8220;Without a winning season that&#8217;s the best way to go out,&#8221; Curtice said.</p><p>Curtice, his linebackermate Bobby Russell and the rest of the Monarchs defense will have to deal with the up-tempo, pass-heavy Colonels offense, which at times this season has looked phenomenal. Junior quarterback Ryan Dailey is on the verge of moving into fourth place on Wilkes&#8217; all-time passing list needing just 51 yards to do so. His 366 passing yards in last week&#8217;s loss to Misericordia was just 20 yards shy of tying the school record for most in a game, and he&#8217;s just 95 yards shy of tying the team record for passing yards in a season of 2,469.</p><p>&#8220;We just gotta get to the quarterback, myself and others,&#8221; Curtice said. &#8220;The secondary is going to cover. That&#8217;s what they&#8217;ve been doing all year long. So if we get to the quarterback we&#8217;ll be successful.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">King&#8217;s College linebacker Chad Curtice (5) runs over to congratulate his teammate Bobby Russell after an interception during a game earlier this season. Curtice missed all of last season with an ankle injury, and has returned to the middle of the King&#8217;s defense. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_ttl090515kings-spt-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>King&#8217;s College linebacker Chad Curtice (5) runs over to congratulate his teammate Bobby Russell after an interception during a game earlier this season. Curtice missed all of last season with an ankle injury, and has returned to the middle of the King&#8217;s defense. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna file photo |For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>drosengrant@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Past Mayor&#8217;s Cup Results</strong></p><p>1996: Wilkes 13-0</p><p>1997: Wilkes 23-0</p><p>1998: Wilkes 31-21</p><p>1999: Wilkes 30-6</p><p>2000: King&#8217;s 20-0</p><p>2001: King&#8217;s 28-12</p><p>2002: King&#8217;s 34-7</p><p>2003: Wilkes 37-0</p><p>2004: Wilkes 12-6</p><p>2005: Wilkes 36-13</p><p>2006: Wilkes 28-7</p><p>2007: Wilkes 35-0</p><p>2008: Wilkes 21-3</p><p>2009: King&#8217;s 33-16</p><p>2010: Wilkes 21-17</p><p>2011: Wilkes 13-6</p><p>2012: Wilkes 44-32</p><p>2013: King&#8217;s 35-28</p><p>2014: King&#8217;s 27-21</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dave Rosengrant at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @tldrosengrant</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Curtice returns with a vengeance