STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., October 14, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs football team took a trip down to Staten Island and got the job done with a 42-0 shutout victory over Wagner College JV on Friday at Hameline Field at Wagner College Stadium. The Mustangs even their record at 3-3 overall with the win.
 
The Mustangs got off to a hot start after forcing a three-and-out on Wagner's first drive. The Mustangs steadily drove up the field with a balanced drive, capping off their first possession with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Mason Boothe to Sean Bell Jr. in the corner of the endzone, putting the Mustangs up, 7-0, fewer than four minutes into the game.
 
The Mustangs put together another scoring drive late in the first quarter. Justin McDuffie was getting it done on the ground, opening the drive with runs of seven and 24 yards. A 12-yard completion to Jamel Stubbs set Monroe up with first-and-goal from the four-yard line, and McDuffie finished it off with a one-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-0 score with just 18 seconds left in the first.
 
In the second quarter, after a turnover gave the Seahawks the ball on Monroe's 26, Tyee Martin Jr. intercepted a jump ball in the endzone on second down to take the ball back for Monroe. McDuffie got the chains moving with a 28-yard run, and then Boothe hit Ethan Hilliman over the middle for a 38-yard catch-and-run. Three plays later, McDuffie got into the endzone for the second time with a seven-yard run to push Monroe's lead to 21-0 midway through the second.
 
Later in the quarter, Walter Gibson picked off Wagner's quarterback deep in Seahawk territory, giving Monroe the ball on the 25-yard line. It took just one play to score again, as Boothe hit McDuffie coming out of the backfield, and then he juked past a defender and sprinted the rest of the way for a 25-yard touchdown reception, making it a 28-0 game heading into halftime.
 
Monroe got back on the board on its second drive in the third quarter. McDuffie got things going on first down with a 32-yard run, and then Jalan Early completed a 13-yard pass to Bell. McDuffie needed four rushes to take it the final 22 yards, punching it in from a yard out for his fourth touchdown of the day, making it a 35-0 game.
 
The Mustangs got the ball back on their own 32-yard line early in the fourth. Charles Alia opened the drive with runs of 21 and 15 yards, and then Early took off for a 25-yard scramble to make it first and goal on the seven. Alia took it the rest of the way for his first touchdown to push the score to 42-0, which proved to be the final score of the contest.
 
Monroe rode the ground game in this one, totaling 216 rushing yards and four scores on the ground in the win. McDuffie led the way with 148 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns, adding a 25-yard touchdown reception as well for a huge four-touchdown afternoon. Alia took advantage of the drive he led with three rushes for 43 yards and a score.
 
Boothe did what he needed to in a game dominated on the ground, completing 8-of-14 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Bell made two receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown. Hilliman's 38 receiving yards on one catch led the team on Friday. Tavon Granison made a 25-yard reception as well.  
 
Xavier Belton and Jessiah Gildersleeve each registered a sack in Friday's win, while Ian Brown and Prince Okituama combined for another sack. Monroe totaled 11 tackles for loss, with Trei Dansby leading the way with 2.5 of them. Dansby and Gildersleeve matched for a team-high five tackles, while Jadani McIver had four. Dansby, Gildersleeve and McIver each had a pass breakup in the win. Martin and Gibson each intercepted a pass in the game.
 
The Mustangs had 20 total first downs on Friday, while holding Wagner to just two of them. The Mustangs held the Seahawks to -13 rushing yards on the day, and outpassed their hosts, 139-37, while holding a 355-24 edge in yards from scrimmage.
 
The Mustangs have a bye next weekend before taking a trip out to Scranton, Pa., on Saturday, Oct. 29, to visit No. 15-ranked Lackawanna College, looking to avenge a loss from Sept. 10 against the Falcons. Kickoff for that game 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