Jalen Brown Named NEFC Offensive Player of the Year, 17 Mustangs Picked to NEFC All-Conference Team

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 21, 2018 – Quarterback Jalen Brownof the No. 12 ranked Monroe College football team was named the 2018 Northeast Football Conference (NEFC) Offensive Player of the Year, and leads a group of 17 Mustang student-athletes named to the 2018 All-Northeast Football Conference Team, as announced by the NEFC on Tuesday. Brown is joined on the First-Team Offense by wide receiver Tyler Hodge, tight end Shawn McFarland and offensive lineman Byshire Murrain. Defensive tackle Jordan Valerius-Twyman, defensive end Gene Brown, linebacker Jason Simon and defensive back Joshua Boyd were all selected to the First-Team Defense, while kicker Diogo Alves was named to the First-Team Special Teams unit. Running backs Jarious Jones and Zaire Jones take up both half back spots on the All-NEFC Second-Team Offense. Tight end Victor Mintz and offensive lineman Nicholas Ramirez joined them both on the Second-Team Offense. Defensive tackle Alton Nobles, defensive end Niadre Zouzoua, linebacker Rashon McNeil and defensive back Qudair Sims all earned spots on the Second-Team Defense. Brown has enjoyed a fantastic season as the Mustangs' mobile signal-caller. He has completed 80 passes for 890 yards and seven touchdowns this season. As a rusher, Brown has accumulated 446 yards with eight scores. His 1,336 total yards in 2018 are the most in program history, while his eight rushing touchdowns are one shy of the program record of nine, set by Ryan Fulse in 2016. Brown's 890 passing yards are also the second most in a single season for the Mustangs. Brown also owns the career rushing touchdown record with 12 in two seasons, and has more points scored (72) than anyone else in the football team's seven year history. Hodge is the Mustangs' leading receiver this season with 310 yards, 26 receptions and four touchdowns. McFarland has made nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Murrain, along with Ramirez, have helped the Mustangs become the eighth-best rushing team in the nation with 221.8 yards per game on the ground, while also keeping Mustang quarterbacks upright with just eight sacks allowed this season. Valerius-Twyman has been a prolific run stopper and pass rusher this year with 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also has 20 tackles and a blocked kick. Gene Brown has made 13 total tackles on the season, five of which have come behind the line of scrimmage for a total of 17 yards. He also has two sacks. Simon is third on the team with 48 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. Boyd is tied for 18th in the NJCAA with 10 pass breakups. He has also blocked a kick and made 26 tackles on the season. In his first year as a kicker and punter for the Mustangs, Alves has shined in his roles. He has accumulated 1,299 yards on 35 punts with 10 landing inside the 20-yard line and four punts of over 50 yards. He made a pair of field goals, including a game-winning 42-yarder at Nassau Community College in Week 2. He averaged 56.4 yards per kickoff with three touchbacks. Jarious and Zaire Jones are the Mustangs' two leading rushers this season. Jarious Jones is averaging 14.5 yards per carry, as the explosive tailback has rushed for 451 yards on just 31 attempts this season, totaling five touchdowns. Zaire Jones has four touchdowns and a team-high 525 yards, averaging 7.8 yards per rush. Both running backs have had rushes of 90-or-more yards this season. Mintz has helped those two with strong run blocking, also adding eight receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Nobles has 18 tackles this season, including six for a loss of yards and 1.5 sacks. He also adds a broken-up pass. Zouzoua has been a problem for opposing offensive lines, registering six tackles for loss, five sacks and a forced fumble. McNeil is second on the team with 50 tackles, adding 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and one pass breakup. Sims is second on the team with seven breakups, adding an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The 12th-ranked Mustangs are set to play in their first-ever bowl game, The Graphic Edge Bowl in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Sunday, Dec. 2. Monroe will take on No. 16 Iowa Central Community College at the UNI Dome in the day's opening game at 12 p.m. EST. ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE Th