NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., October 1, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs football team hosted the annual Homecoming Football Game on Saturday at Joseph F. Fosina Field in on-and-off rainy and windy conditions. The Mustangs fell to Sussex County Community College by a score of 22-13 in the game. Monroe drops to 2-3 overall with the loss, while Sussex County improves to 1-3.
 
The game got off to a rough start for the Mustangs after going three-and-out on the opening drive. Just two plays into the Skylanders' first possession, quarterback James Laubstein hit Jael Cabrera behind the safeties, allowing him to sprint 71 yards to the end zone for the score, putting the Skylanders up, 7-0, just minutes into the game.
 
The Mustangs responded well on the ensuing drive. A short kickoff to Monroe's 24-yard line saw Bishop Riley scoop it up and return it to the 45-yard line, while a penalty on Sussex County put Monroe at midfield to start the possession. A 10-yard completion from Mason Boothe to Sean Bell Jr. moved the chains on 3rd-and-5, and then Ernest Blackshear took care of the rest with a 35-yard run for the score, tying the game at up 7-7.
 
The defense took care of business when the Skylanders got the ball back, preventing them from getting a first down and forcing a punt. On second down from Sussex County's 35-yard line, Boothe saw Jamarii Robinson get behind the defense and hit him just in front of the goal line, where he managed to take it over the line for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but the Mustangs still took a 13-7 advantage over the Skylanders.
 
Neither team had much going until later in the second quarter. The Skylanders got down to Monroe's seven-yard line after a 35-yard catch by Cabrera with a penalty tacked on to the end of the play. However, the defense pushed the Skylanders backwards from there, eventually forcing them to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Aswin DeGroot, cutting Monroe's lead to 13-10 with 5:48 left in the half.
 
Monroe ran into trouble on their next drive. After being forced to kick it away, Robert Jimenez's punt was blocked, giving the Skylanders the ball on Monroe's four-yard line. The defense once again came up big, while a pair of penalties backed Sussex County up to Monroe's 17-yard line. DeGroot eventually attempted a 34-yard field goal, but the kick came up short, keeping the Mustangs ahead by three with time running thin in the half. Each team had one more possession, but neither managed to do much with it, sending the game to halftime with Monroe ahead, 13-10.
 
The beginning of the second half was a game of field position. A long kickoff return for the Skylanders had them near midfield to open the third quarter, but the Mustangs had them going backwards, including a third-down sack by Sekou Kromah, but the Mustangs took over on their own six-yard line after a punt. Monroe was unable to escape the depths of its side of the field and had to punt it back to Sussex County, putting the Skylanders on Monroe's 38-yard line for its next drive. On the first play, Kromah got in the backfield again, blowing up a run and jarring the ball loose before falling on it himself to get the ball right back for Monroe, though the Mustangs once again were unable to get things moving and had to punt the ball away once again shortly after.
 
Sussex County put together the longest drive of the day after getting the ball back. Aided by a number of penalties, the Skylanders went on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Laubstein to Jaden Ortiz to put the visitors ahead. The point-after-attempt went wide, leaving the Skylanders up, 16-13, with 1:50 to go in the third.
 
The Skylanders turned in one more scoring drive early in the fourth quarter. A pair of big runs did most of the damage for Sussex County. A 19-yard rush by Michael Gould with a 15-yard penalty added to the end of the run had the Skylanders near the red zone, but Corey Dempster finished the drive on the next play with a 24-yard touchdown run. Kromah continued a strong day by getting a hand up and blocking the extra point, but not before Mustangs went down by nine at 22-13 with 10:15 to go.
 
After a Skylanders interception had the game looking like it was done, Nareece Wright did his best to give the Mustangs new life. Laubstein tried to run up the middle on third down from Sussex's 32-yard line, but Wright came in and snatched the ball away from him, giving Monroe great field position with time to make a comeback. However, the Skylanders intercepted another pass on fourth down to end the threat.
 
Blackshear had his best game of the season on the ground for the Mustangs with 17 rushes for 91 yards and a score. Robinson caught three passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.
 
Wright had a strong day defensively for Monroe, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pair of pass breakups. Kromah made three tackles for loss, including a sack that cost the Skylanders 13 yards. Kromah forced and recovered a fumble and also blocked an extra point. Xavier Marquez totaled five tackles, with 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
The Mustangs have next weekend off before getting back to work on Friday, Oct. 14, with a road game at Wagner College JV in Staten Island. Kickoff on that Friday afternoon is set for 1 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 11 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs). Read Full Article