No. 8 Monroe Football Remains Unbeaten with Homecoming Win Over Valley Forge

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., October 6, 2019 – In front of an energetic Homecoming crowd at Joseph F. Fosina Field, the No. 8-ranked Monroe College football team picked up a big 53-6 victory over Valley Forge Military College on Saturday. The Mustangs improve to 5-0 on the season with the win, while the Trojans drop to 3-2. The Mustangs offense continued to click on all cylinders, stacking up 508 total yards of offense in the contest. Monroe's defense had another stellar outing, holding Valley Forge to 145 total yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Dominique Shoffner completed 19-of-30 passes in the win for 221 yards and a touchdown. Shoffner had his biggest rushing game of the season in the win, taking six carries for 101 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Clayton Scott continued his strong season on the ground, rushing 14 times for 94 yards and three more touchdowns. The freshman now has nine rushing scores on the season. Marquise Cooper added to the Mustangs' strong rushing day, carrying the ball six times for 72 yards and a touchdown. Jevin Frett was another Mustangs to continue his hot streak on Saturday, catching five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. He now has at least one touchdown in each of the Mustangs' five games this season, totaling seven on the year so far. He also has had 91-or-more yards in three straight games. Emmanuel Appiah-Takyi picked up an interception in the win, his fifth of the season. He also had a half sack and two total tackles in a solid game for the sophomore cornerback. The pass defense as a whole had a big day, with each of Taevion Cummings, Guirvenson Guillaume, Nick Evans, Malik Gibson and Charles Amankwaa breaking up a pass in the win. Samuel Ntui-Ebob had a sack in the win, while each of Christopher Pettway, Cummings, Devin Love and Appiah-Takyi had a half sack. Jahron Gayle was dominant as a run stopper in the game, making three tackles for loss with four total tackles. Gibson and Amankwaa also caught a player behind the line of scrimmage. Love, Guillaume, Zharell Walker and David Drouet all matched for a team-high five tackles. Isaiah McNeil blocked an extra point in the win. On special teams, Jonathan Cardoza-Chicas averaged 44.7 yards on three punts, including a long of 53 yards. He also averaged 52.4 yards on nine kickoffs. The Mustangs got off to a fast start in the win, scoring on their first drive on a one-yard run by Scott after a nine-play, 61-yard drive, making it 7-0 in favor of the Mustangs with seven minutes left in the first quarter. On the team's third possession of the day, Shoffner capped off a 50-yard drive with a 28-yard rushing touchdown. A failed two-point attempt left the Mustangs up, 13-0, with just 13 seconds left in the opening frame. After forcing a quick three-and-out on the next drive, the Mustangs took over at midfield. It took just two plays for the Mustangs to reach the end zone, as Scott took the first down carry 47 yards down to the three-yard line, and then punched it in from three yards out to make it a 20-0 game. The defense got another stop for the Mustangs on the next drive, resulting in a punt by the Trojans that was downed at Monroe's 16-yard line. That proved to be no problem for Monroe, which drove all 84 yards on nine plays to score on another one-yard plunge by Scott, making it a 27-0 game. The Trojans were driving on their next possession, but faced 4th-and-2 on the Mustangs' 33-yard line. Love and Appiah-Takyi then broke into the backfield on the blitz, sacking quarterback Larry Williams to turn the ball over on downs. The Mustangs then quickly marched up the field, scoring on a 23-yard run by Shoffner to push the lead to 33-0, which the Mustangs took into the halftime break. The third quarter was quiet until the Mustangs took over with fantastic field position on the Valley Forge 35-yard line. The short drive was capped off with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Shoffner to Frett, putting the Mustangs ahead, 40-0. The Trojans got on the board early in the fourth quarter. They finished off a seven-play, 64-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Tyreek Henderson to make it a 40-6 game. McNeil then blocked the extra point to keep the Mustangs up by 34. The Mustangs' lead grew on the ensuing drive, on which they drop 66 yards on five plays. Cooper helped the Mustangs gallop get down the field with a 41-yard run, and later capped off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run to make it a 46-6 game. Later in the fourth, the Mustangs took over for what proved to be their final true possession of the game with 9:46 on the clock. After reaching Valley Forge's 43-yard line, Shoffner scrambled for a 43-yard rushing touchdown on 3rd-and-6, helping the Mustangs reach the final score of 53-6. The Mustangs are now set for the biggest game of the season to date next Saturday, Oct. 12, when they host Northeast Football Conference rival, and No. 5-ranked Lackawanna College at Joseph F. Fosina Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Mustangs return to action next weekend, as they host No. 5 ranked Lackawanna College on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.