September 10, 2005
Hill, Roncketti shine as Monarchs rout Guilford 42-25

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tailback Mike Hill and quarterback Chris Roncketti were tabbed as the focal points for the Methodist Monarch offense for the 2005 season, and on Saturday, they both showed why that’s accurate.

Hill and Roncketti provided for a combination of 382 yards of total offense as Methodist rolled to an impressive 42-25 victory at in-state rival Guilford. It’s the second straight victory for Methodist over the Quakers, and the Monarchs improve to 1-1 overall on the 2005 season.

Hill, a sophomore, gained 181 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns, while Roncketti, a senior, completed 7-for-12 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown pass and gained 79 yards on 11 carries and scored twice. For the game, Methodist had 313 yards rushing and 435 yards of total offense, while the Monarch defense limited Guilford to 297 yards of total offense and a measly 32 yards rushing.

After Travis Frazier gave the Quakers an early 3-0 with a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter, Methodist scored 20 unanswered points in the second quarter.

Roncketti connected with junior Chuck Howard on a 70-yard touchdown pass, and then scored on a 40-yard keeper to give the Monarchs a 13-3 lead with midway through the second quarter. On Guilford’s ensuing possession, Methodist’s Mitchell Collier scooped up a Demetrius Sneed fumble and rambled in 22 yards for the touchdown to make the Monarch lead 20-3 with 3:52 remaining in the first half.

Methodist took advantage of another Guilford turnover for its first score of the second half. Following an Antwin Shuford interception, Roncketti scored on a 5-yard keeper with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter. The Monarchs increased the lead to 33-10 on Hill’s 40-yard jaunt later in third quarter.

After Guilford trimmed the Monarch lead to 36-25 in the fourth quarter, Hill put the game out of reach with a 59-yard scoring run with 5:46 remaining in the game.

In addition to his first collegiate interception, Shuford also recorded a sack and a fumble recovery defensively for Methodist. Daryl Lawrence recorded six tackles and forced a fumble as well. For Guilford (0-2), quarterback Josh Vogelbach completed 21-for-42 passes for 265 yards and three touchdown passes.

Methodist is off next week, and then returns to action on Sept. 24, playing host to North Carolina Wesleyan in both its home opener and USA South Athletic Conference opener.