NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 2, 2019 – In a game surrounded by special events at Joseph F. Fosina Field, the No. 18-ranked Monroe College football team dominated in all three facets of the game, rolling to a 68-6 victory over Erie Community College on Saturday in the Mustangs' final home game of the season. Monroe improves to 7-2 on the year with the win, while the Kats fall to 1-7.
 
The Mustangs celebrated Sophomore Day prior to kickoff on Saturday, honoring 25 graduating sophomores for their contributions and dedication to the Monroe College football program.

Part of the day's festivities also included First Responder Appreciation Day, recognizing members of the local fire, police and emergency medical service units. Monroe College presented plaques to representatives from each department to commemorate the day. The New Rochelle fire and police honor guards stood tall on the goal line and presented our nation's colors for the National Anthem moments before kickoff.

Quarterback Dominique Shoffner registered his fifth game this season with four or more touchdowns, matching a season-high with three rushing scores while adding one more through the air. Shoffner now has 21 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing scores this season for the Mustangs. He completed 9-of-17 passes for 164 yards in the win, while adding 38 yards on the ground on six carries.
 
Shoffner accounted for three of the Mustangs' seven rushing touchdowns on the afternoon. Troy Booker got the start and rushed for 99 yards on 11 carries, scoring twice on the afternoon, while also adding two receptions for another 24 yards. Clayton Scott returned from a two-game absence and carried the ball nine times for 72 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
 
Monroe's receivers were not asked to do much on the afternoon, but came through when needed. Jevin Frett made three receptions for 53 yards, while Lucas Nunez's only reception was a 38-yard touchdown. Frett boosted his day on special teams, returning a second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Nunez nearly returned a punt for a touchdown in the game as well, but the play was called back due to a penalty.
 
The Mustangs scored nine touchdowns on the day, and kicker Idrissa Nikiema was a perfect 9-for-9 on his extra-point attempts. Nikiema also opened the game's scoring with a 36-yard field goal, and averaged 57.7 yards per kickoff on 11 attempts, including a pair of touchbacks into the end zone. Taevion Cummings came up with a big play in the second half, blocking the extra-point attempt on Erie's only score of the day, which was returned by Ajani Jones all the way for a defensive PAT to add two points for Monroe.
 
The defense was led by Charles Amankwaa, who had a pair of interceptions, nearly taking one to the house before being taken out of bounds at the six-yard line. Amankwaa also had a tackle for loss on the day. Malik Gibson and Jamelle Ryals each had a strip sack in the game, while Gibson also recovered the fumble he caused. Gibson finished with two tackles for loss on the day. Devin Love led the team with six tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a half sack with Nick Evans. Christopher Pettway also sacked the quarterback in the win. Each of Tyrik Carter, Diquill Neal, Sverri Finsson and Alvin Lopes had a pass breakup on the day.
 
Coming off just their second loss of the season, the Mustangs made a point to assert their dominance early in Saturday's contest. Monroe's first drive resulted in Nikiema's 36-yard field goal, but things really got cooking for Monroe after forcing Erie to punt on its second straight three-and-out.
 
Shoffner capped off a four-play, 43-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to make it a 10-point game. Amankwaa took the ball back for Monroe on the next Erie drive, and then Shoffner capitalized with a 13-yard rushing score to push the lead to 17. After Monroe forced the Kats to turn it over on after a botched punt attempted, Booker made them pay by punching it in from two yards out to cap off a 24-0 first quarter in favor of the Mustangs.
 
Erie's final drive of the opening frame was stymied by Gibson's strip sack of quarterback Connor Jones. The Mustangs then went 53 yards on seven plays, finishing off the drive with Shoffner's third rushing touchdown of the afternoon, another 13-yard run, pushing the lead to 31-0. The Mustangs' next drive saw them get pinned back deeper than they had been all game, but that was no problem for the Mustangs, who went 82 yards on six plays, including a 38-yard touchdown pass from Shoffner to Nunez on fourth down, giving the Mustangs a 38-0 advantage, which they eventually took into halftime.
 
Things started quickly again for the Mustangs in the third quarter. On 2nd-and-4, Booker broke a number of tackles and rumbled for a 51-yard run to get the Mustangs down to the 13-yard line. Scott then finished off the drive on the next play, bursting through the defense for a 13-yard score to put the Mustangs up, 45-0. Erie's next drive ended in two plays, as Amankwaa intercepted Jones for the second time to leave the Mustangs just six yards away from the goal line. It took two runs for Booker to get into the end zone again, pushing the score to 52-0.
 
After forcing Erie to punt, the Mustangs took over on Erie's 40-yard line. Shoffner hit Frett for 32 yards to put the Mustangs on the six-yard line. Two plays later, Scott punched it in again from two yards out to make it 59-0. The two teams then traded punts before Erie put together its only scoring drive of the day. On 3rd-and-10, Jones found London Smith completed uncovered down the near sideline, where he then took it all the way to the end zone for a 60-yard score to make it 59-6. Lopes then blocked the point-after attempt, and Jones brought it all the way back to the house to increase Monroe's lead to 61-6. Special teams continued to play in the favor of Monroe, as Frett returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to help the Mustangs reach the eventual final score of 68-6.
 
The Mustangs totaled 388 yards of offense on the day, while holding the Kats to just 25 yards from scrimmage. The ground game went backwards for the Kats on Saturday, as the Mustang defense held them to -38 yards rushing, the fourth time this season Monroe has held an opponent to negative yards on the ground. The defense forced four turnovers with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a turnover on downs. The Mustangs also converted 23 first downs on the afternoon, while holding the Kats to just four.
 
The Mustangs will hit the road for their final game of the 2019 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 9. Monroe will visit Nelsonville, Ohio, to take on Hocking College. Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).