By: Kenneth Weingartner
If there was any question whether the Monroe High football team belonged in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs, it was answered with a resounding "yes" last weekend.
If there was any question whether winning a school-record seventh game meant anything to the Falcons, it, too, was answered emphatically in the affirmative.
Monroe, which was kept from the postseason on the basis of a power-points tiebreaker, capped the greatest campaign in the program’s history by blasting Princeton 61-36 Saturday in a state sectional consolation game at Hugh Walsh Field to finish 7-3.
"We talked about finishing the season the way we started it," said Falcons coach Pat Dowling, whose squad beat Cardinal McCarrick 55-6 in their opener. "Princeton is a team that just missed the playoffs as well. That was the most gratifying part, it was a team that in the state’s eyes was equally matched. Our win helped heal that wound of not making the playoffs and it showed that winning seven games meant something to the kids. They went out in style."
While Monroe was busy pounding Princeton, the West Windsor-Plainsboro South team the Falcons would have faced had they qualified for the playoffs was struggling to a 24-21 first-round win over Colts Neck, the squad that bumped MTHS from the postseason on the basis of schedule strength.
Princeton, which fell to 5-4, lost 27-0 to WW-P South two weeks ago.
"It was the best feeling of my life; it was like a natural high," said senior running back Jarred Jimenez, who finished with 331 yards and six touchdowns against the Tigers en route to setting single-season school records for rushing and scoring.
"We got the big win. Princeton was supposed to be one of the best teams in the Colonial Valley Conference. We just came in with the mindset that, as seniors, this was our last game. It was great to be able to do it at home. I looked at it as a blessing, in a way. It was great. I was really happy for my team."
Monroe scored on its first possession against Princeton and never looked back. Junior quarterback Ryan Cushman finished the day 10 of 12 passing for 159 yards and got the party started with a 14-yard touchdown run on a bootleg.
"Ryan, in my opinion, had his best game in the two years I’ve been coaching here," Dowling said. "He spread the ball around. He read his keys and ran the offense to a tee. I was very pleased with his performance."
David Gregor had three catches for 43 yards, T.J. Denehy had two catches for 51 and Jimenez added two receptions for 25 yards for Monroe, which rolled to a 48-8 halftime lead.
Senior Keith Douglas got the defense involved, intercepting two passes, one of which he returned 43 yards for a score. Matt Sussman made a key block on an onside kick following Monroe’s first touchdown, allowing Gregor to recover the ball and leading to another trip to the end zone.
Meanwhile, Jimenez shattered the school’s single-season rushingrecord of 1,410 yards set by Jeff Ball in 1976. Jimenez finished the year with 1,615 yards and 21 touchdowns, breaking another of Ball’s marks.
"That was the icing on the cake," Jimenez said. "I’ve never had a day like that. Jeff Ball was such a great player, it’s just an honor to have those records."
Dowling said Jimenez deserved the chance to get the records, even after the game was well in hand.
"We weren’t trying to stick it in anyone’s face, but the kid has been a workhorse for us and we had to let him do it, the way he carried the load for us this year," said Dowling, whose team was 1-9 last season. "That was kind of nice. And I felt good for the seniors. They were all disappointed about not going to states.
"From the emotion and the tears after Saturday’s game, you could tell they really cared about setting the school record for wins. They knew they had done something special in terms of a turnaround. That’s how these programs get built. I think the seniors see that. They’re proud of themselves, and they should be."

