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Plenty of questions for Penn State, Wisconsin to answer Saturday

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Our View: Diamonds to Geisinger and rescuers, but coal for campaign signs

<p>To say that Saturday is the biggest day in the history of college football in Luzerne County would be accurate.</p><p>It&#8217;s the first time that all three schools are in the biggest game of their seasons, with implications on the line. At the end of the day, the trio could all be in the postseason, marking the first time that has ever occurred.</p><p>The Mayor&#8217;s Cup features the annual Wilkes-Barre City rivalry between King&#8217;s and Wilkes with postseason berths on the line. Just about nine miles north of Wilkes&#8217; Schmidt Stadium, Misericordia is playing for the MAC championship and an NCAA Tournament berth against Lycoming as the games in Cougars history keep getting bigger.</p><p>&#8220;This isn&#8217;t a time to do anything different,&#8221; said Misericordia coach Mark Ross, whose team is riding an eight-game winning streak. &#8220;We&#8217;ve done everything the same the last nine weeks. Obviously the last eight have been good.&#8221;</p><p>Misericordia (7-0 MAC, 8-1 overall) can win the conference outright and claim the conference&#8217;s berth for the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Warriors (3-4, 4-5) and a Delaware Valley (7-0, 8-1) loss to rival Widener (4-3, 4-5). The Cougars have already clinched a postseason game for the first time ever. If both teams win, the automatic bid for the national tournament goes down to tiebreakers with one team hoping for an at-large bid.</p><p>Wilkes will secure a postseason berth for the first time since 2010 with a win. Even with a loss, the Colonels (4-3, 5-4) could get a bid into the ECAC Tournament; a victory gets them into the MAC-Centennial Bowl Series.</p><p>King&#8217;s, which has lost two in a row after winning three of four games, is in contention for a bowl game as the team looks to end a postseason drought that last saw the team play an 11th game in 2006. The Monarchs (3-4, 4-5) have to beat Wilkes for the fifth time in six years to do so. Then they need help from DelVal and Misericordia, and for Stevenson (6-1, 7-2) to beat FDU-Florham (4-3, 6-3) to grab one of three bowl game bids.</p><p>That the Colonels are in this position is an accomplishment. They were 0-10 last year and had lost 12 straight games, and three of four to start the season before reeling off four victories in their last five games to remain in postseason contention. But it was not a surprise, said first-year coach Jonathan Drach.</p><p>&#8220;I think it was the expectation to be honest with you,&#8221; Drach said. &#8220;When we first came in &#8230; I figured we&#8217;d be in a pretty good position to be where we are right now.</p><p>&#8220;Our guys have been playing like that (for a playoff spot) for the last three weeks and they&#8217;ve prepared like it and I think it&#8217;s given them a little bit of an edge in that when you know that you&#8217;re playing for your life every down, it makes you play a little harder.&#8221;</p><p><strong>RIVALRY RENEWED</strong></p><p>The Mayor&#8217;s Cup is the only college football rivalry in the country in Division I, II or III where the teams are separated by just a matter of blocks, and where the campuses of both schools reside on the same street.</p><p>The 23rd edition of the game features both teams fairly equal in offensive and defensive stats. The two are just one point apart in scoring offense and 2 yards apart in total offense. On defense, just 17 yards separates the two in total yards allowed, while the Colonels have allowed five less points per game.</p><p>Wilkes has a 14-8 advantage in the Mayor&#8217;s Cup, but King&#8217;s has owned the trophy four of the last five years.</p><p><strong>COMING TOGETHER FOR A CAUSE</strong></p><p>All week, players from Wilkes and King&#8217;s wore beads in the Blitzing for Beads campaign in honor of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses benefiting Palermo Heart to Heart, sponsor of the Beads of Courage program in Pennsylvania.</p><p>For the coin toss before the game, a 3-year-old patient will be initiating the coin toss.</p><p>On Monday, the teams will be heading to Janet Weis Children&#8217;s Hospital to meet patients, play games and show off equipment.</p><p><strong>BRADY OR BARRY</strong></p><p>Misericordia starting quarterback Brady Williams has earned three MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season and has been a playmaker for the Cougars. The junior is leading the league in rushing touchdowns (13) and is top-three in the conference in several passing categories leading the Cougars to a MAC-high 36.8 points per game. Last week, he suffered an injury in the win over Albright and missed three quarters.</p><p>Ross said that his signal-caller has been improving daily and whether or not he starts against the Warriors will be a game-time decision.</p><p>In his absence last week with Aaron Barry replacing Williams, the Cougars didn&#8217;t miss a beat. Barry tallied 11 completions for 128 yards and two touchdown passes and a rushing TD in the win.</p><p>&#8220;I thought Aaron came in last week and did a good job of moving the ball for us,&#8221; Ross said. &#8220;He was ready for the opportunity and took advantage of it.&#8221;</p><p><strong>A WILD FINISH</strong></p><p>There are dozens of different postseason scenarios with most of the teams in the MAC. The only things that are known for sure heading into Saturday is that Delaware Valley, Misericordia and Stevenson are guaranteed at least one more game, and that Lebanon Valley, Albright and Alvernia will not be playing one more game after this week.</p><p>Lycoming will reach a bowl game of it can beat the Cougars, while Widener, FDU-Florham and Wilkes all lose.</p><p>Stevenson is still in contention for a share of the MAC title and the NCAA Tournament bid. There&#8217;s a scenario where the Mustangs will own the tiebreaker if there&#8217;s a three-way tie for the MAC title.</p><p>One of the reasons for the frenzy to the finish is because the MAC-Centennial Bowl Series was extended to the top-three teams that don&#8217;t qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year. In the previous three years of the series, only the top-two finishers not in the national tournament were involved.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes and Jeff Steeber host rival King&#8217;s in the annual Mayor&#8217;s Cup game while Misericordia goes for at least a share of the MAC title against Lycoming on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_w_h2_faa_CMYK.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes and Jeff Steeber host rival King&#8217;s in the annual Mayor&#8217;s Cup game while Misericordia goes for at least a share of the MAC title against Lycoming on Saturday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Misericordia, King&#8217;s, Wilkes vying for postseason</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader Sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLSports</p></shirttailMeta></div>

College Football: Misericordia, King’s, Wilkes vying for postseason