October 1, 2005
Hill, Roncketti propel Monarchs to 55-21 rout over Emory & Henry

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – There was no shortage of offense on Saturday for the Methodist Monarchs as they made it three straight victories with a convincing 55-21 rout over visiting Emory & Henry at Monarch Stadium.

The 55 points were the second-most in a game in the history of football at Methodist, and it was also the first time in this series between Methodist and Emory & Henry that the home team has won a game. The Monarchs improve to 3-1 overall, while Emory & Henry drops to 0-4 overall.

Sophomore tailback Mike Hill and senior quarterback Chris Roncketti did a majority of the offensive damage for the Monarchs. Hill gained 150 yards rushing on 28 carries and two touchdowns, while Roncketti completed 8-for-11 passes for 123 yards and gained 62 yards on five carries. Overall, Methodist pounded out 406 yards of total offense against the Wasps.

While the offense had the spotlight, it was the defense that gave the Monarchs their early momentum. Methodist recorded a safety on the first series of the game off a botched Emory & Henry punt. The free kick set up Roncketti’s 59-yard keeper for a touchdown, increasing the Methodist lead to 9-0.

After forcing the Wasps to punt on their next possession, Methodist took over on the Emory & Henry 23-yard line following a 32-yard punt return by Nevin Rayford. Six straight rushes by Hill set up Roncketti’s 3-yard scoring sneak, increasing the Monarch lead to 16-0.

Hill increased the Methodist lead to 27-0 on the second play of the second quarter with a 47-yard touchdown run. However, Emory & Henry came back with consecutive touchdown passes by quarterback Todd Woods. He connected on a 28-yard scoring strike to Brennan Stewart, followed by a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jerad Jackson. That cut the Methodist lead to 27-14 with 5:38 remaining.

But on Methodist’s final play of the first half, Roncketti’s 44-yard pass to Jonathan Mularski set a 42-yard field goal by Patrick Larkin on the final play of the half to give the Monarchs a 30-14 lead at halftime.

Methodist didn’t let up in the second half. Jeremy McSwain returned the opening second half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and the rout was on. Hill added another touchdown in the third quarter, and then McSwain scored twice on touchdown runs in the fourth quarter.

In addition to Hill and Roncketti, McSwain finished with 71 yards on 11 carries off the bench, while Mularski had five receptions for 95 yards. Woods completed 17-for-35 passes for 175 yards for Emory & Henry. Defensively, Methodist limited the Wasps to 233 yards of total offense, including only 14 yards rushing.

Methodist returns to USA South Athletic Conference action next Saturday (Oct. 8) with a 1 p.m. showdown at Averett.