SCRANTON, Pa., October 7, 2023 – The Monroe College football team dropped a difficult matchup to No. 15 Lackawanna College by a score of 41-18 Saturday evening at PENFED Field at Scranton Memorial Stadium. The loss drops Monroe to 3-2 on the season, while the Falcons improve to 5-1 overall.
 
The Mustangs opened Saturday's matchup with a lengthy, time-consuming drive to put the first points of the game on the board. Facing a 3rd-and-14 on their own 31, Mason Boothe found Rafael McCoy for a long 44-yard catch-and-run, getting the Mustangs into Lackawanna territory for the first time in the game. A holding penalty pushed the Mustangs back once again, but on 3rd-and-17, Boothe came through again with a 20-yard completion to Trevion Thomas to set the Mustangs up on the 12-yard line. Monroe's drive eventually ended up Lackawanna's nine-yard line, but Patrick Fisher-Butler was able to hit a 24-yard field goal to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead after a 10-play, 56-yard drive that took 5:27 off the clock.
 
Lackawanna responded with a quick drive to jump into the lead. Terrez Worthy opened the drive with a 20-yard run, and followed that up with a long 49-yard scamper down to Monroe's 16. Two plays later, Worthy hit a hole and sprinted into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown, putting the Falcons ahead, 7-3.
 
Monroe was able to once again get things going on the ensuing drive after a penalty after the touchdown forced Lackawanna to kick off from their own 20-yard line. Monroe took over on their own 37, and quickly got a pair of first downs on a nine-yard catch by Jamel Stubbs, and two plays later on an offsides penalty by the Falcons. The drive stalled on Lackawanna's 30, but Fisher-Butler came through again, setting a new season-long with a 47-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and went through, cutting the deficit to 7-6.
 
The Mustangs' immediately made a play on first down on Lackawanna's next possession. Hamas Duren dropped back and tried to complete a pass over the middle, but Logic Hudgens cut it off for an interception, immediately putting the Mustangs in plus territory on the Falcons' 35. Boothe completed an 18-yard pass to Diego Lamonica to get into the red zone, and then a personal foul on the Falcons moved the Mustangs up to the eight-yard line. Boothe wasted no time after that, hitting McCoy over the middle just across the goal line for an eight-yard touchdown to put the Mustangs in the lead. The point-after attempt was no good, leaving the Mustangs on top, 12-7.
 
Lackawanna came back with a long drive, but one that did not prove fruitful for the home team. After a 13-play, 67-yard drive, the Mustangs stopped the Falcons on the 14-yard line. Benjamin Paserk attempted a 31-yard field goal, but Tony Carter broke through the line and blocked the kick, keeping the Falcons off the board.
 
Monroe was unable to get things going on the next possession, eventually punting it back to the Falcons. The ground game was working for the Falcons, who only attempted a single pass on what became a 10-play drive. After working their way down to the five, Duren took it himself for a five-yard rushing score, putting the Falcons ahead, 14-12.
 
The Falcons then caught a break on the following kickoff despite taking a pair of penalties that forced them to kick it off from their own 10-yard line, as the Mustangs muffed the kick, allowing the Falcons to jump on it and take over on Monroe's 43-yard line. The Falcons kept it on the ground again, with a 21-yard run by Worthy pushing the Falcons to the 26-yard line. Duren then came through on a fourth-down pass, completing it for Avohn Cross for a 24-yard touchdown to push Lackawanna's lead to 21-12.
 
The Falcons had the ball one more time in the second quarter, taking over with 1:32 left before halftime. Duren was chased out of bounds on first down by Sekou Kromah for a four-yard loss. He then managed to complete a 16-yard pass to Maxwell James for 16 yards and a first down. A couple more first downs moved them up to the Monroe 21, but the Mustangs managed to keep them from converting after that, forcing the Falcons to settle for a 31-yard field goal to close out the half with a 24-12 advantage.
 
Lackawanna received the opening kickoff of the second half. The Mustangs bent, but ultimately did not break on the drive. The Mustangs eventually held the Falcons on the nine-yard line, forcing them to settle for a 26-yard field goal that put the home team up, 27-12.
 
The Mustangs responded strongly on the ensuing possession. The Mustangs were facing a 4th-and-1 on their own 36-yard line, but made the gutsy decision to go for it. Boothe was able to plunge forward and cross the line-to-gain. Charles Alia then ran for eight yards, but was unable to get the first down on the next play. On 3rd-and-1, the Mustangs elected to pass, and it proved to be a good decision. Boothe found tight end Kristen McAdams down the right sideline with a head of speed, allowing him to sprint past every defender and break the last tackle into the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown. The extra point was once again no good, but the Mustangs were back within nine at 27-18 midway through the third quarter.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, Lackawanna had a drive going, but it appeared to stall at Monroe's 35-yard line. However, what should have been a 4th-and-11 became an automatic first down when the refs called an unsportsmanlike conduct on the Mustangs. The Falcons took advantage by throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to James on the next play, giving Lackawanna a 34-18 advantage late in the game.
 
The Falcons got one more big break for the night after pinning the Mustangs on their own six-yard line. On first down, Boothe's short pass over the middle went off the fingers of a receiver, up into the air and into the hands of Lackawanna's Terence Folkes, who returned it 10 yards into the end zone for the score, making it a 41-18 game with 7:18 left in the fourth, which ultimately proved to be the final score of the game.
 
Boothe completed 17-of-32 passes for a season-high 272 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday's matchup. Alia rushed 14 times for 50 yards in the game. McCoy had his best game of the season, catching seven passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. McAdams had a 55-yard touchdown reception, while Rashawn Reid caught two passes for 49 yards. Lamonica totaled 31 yards on a pair of receptions.
 
Nareece Wright and Deitron Parker had matching five-tackle, one-tackle for loss games on defense for the Mustangs. Hudgens had an interception for Monroe, as well as a pair of pass breakups and three tackles. Tony Carter knocked down a pass and made four tackles. Jeffrey Wilson came up with a big block on a field-goal attempt.
 
On special teams, Fisher-Butler set a new season-long with a 47-yard field goal on the day, going 2-for-2 after also making one from 24 yards. He also averaged 64.8 yards on his five kickoffs, including a pair of touchbacks.
 
The Mustangs will look to get back into the win column next Saturday, Oct. 14, when they visit NJCAA Div. III No. 5 Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C. Saturday's kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven 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).
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