BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer
JEFFGRANIT staff Monroe’s David Gregor (l) has shown a knack for making big plays in the past, and is one of the key players the Falcons are relying on to lead the offense once again this year. Looking to better last year’s fine 7-3 record, the Monroe football team got off to an excellent start for the new campaign, defeating South Brunswick, one of the county’s top-ranked teams, 28-20.
“It was a good win for us,” said Coach Pat Dowling. “We have some new kids in different positions, and they played well.”
So did three-year veteran quarterback Ryan Cushman, the 6-0, 175-pound senior captain, who threw a pair of touchdown passes, ran for another score and added a late-game interception on defense.
Overall he completed six of eight passes for 64 yards and gained another 36 yards on eight rushes. The big ground-gainer was junior Ryan Meseroll, who picked up 120 yards on 20 rushing attempts, one culminating in a TD.
The game, which was played at South Brunswick, was a see-saw affair. Monroe took a 20-14 lead into the fourth quarter, but saw it disappear when, early on, Viking quarterback Mohamed Sanu nailed a 17-yard touchdown pass. But then the Falcons came storming back. Cushman passed for a crucial first down to put Monroe at the 13 yardline, then fired a TD toss to Christian Hanley, followed up by a two-point pass conversion, which put the Falcons up by eight points with just over three minutes to play.
It was a very promising sign for a Falcon offense that lost record-smashing running back Jarred Jiminez (now at Rutgers on a baseball scholarship) to graduation. Other key players on the attack include T.J. Denehy, another senior captain, who stands 5-8 and weighs 165 pounds.
“He’s an emotional leader who starts on both sides of the ball, a real big play guy,” Dowling said.
Senior lineman Matt Troncone (6-1, 250), is also a captain, anchoring the offensive line at center and playing guard on defense. He’s another three-year varsity starter. Joining him as a two-way lineman is Gabe Lawrence, a 6-3, 275-pound senior who is the team’s largest player and one of its most adept.
‘He’s a Division I prospect and he needs a breakout year, where he carries us on his back,” said Dowling.
Senior receiver and defensive back David Gregor, a 180-pound six-footer, led the team in pass-catching yards last year as a junior, and Dowling says he has high hopes he’ll build on that record as a senior.
Another wide receiver, Hanley (5-11, 150) started last year at safety and set the Monroe school record in interceptions.
“I hope we’ll see the same kind of contribution from him on offense,” Dowling said.
Meseroll, a 6-0, 200-pounder also plays linebacker, and aside from his solid play is expected to be a team leader.
The same can be said for junior Kyle Gigliello, a linebacker and tight end who stands an inch under six feet and weighs in at 190 pounds.
“He’s another emotional leader, and the kind of kid who leads by example,” said his coach.
Dowling’s Falcons face Colonia on Saturday.
The Patriots come in off a disappointing 35-7 loss to crosstown rival J.F. Kennedy on opening day. In that game, Colonia only got 25 yards rushing from their standout tailback Eric LeGrand, as the Mustang defense concentrated on shutting down the ground game, forcing Colonia to air the ball out.
If Monroe hopes to get to 2-0, they’ll likely put together a similar game plan against Colonia on Saturday.
While Saturday’s game is not a divisional affair, a win would go a long way towards building the Falcons’ momentum as they take on what promises to be a challenging schedule this fall. The GMC’s Blue Division is looking particularly strong this season, with teams like JFK, Bishop Ahr, Monroe and South River flexing their muscles early on.
While Bishop Ahr, ranked eight in the GMC entering the weekend, dropped a tough 20-14 contest to a tough Pennington team (led by University of Maryland recruit, QB Dominique Herald), all four of the remaining Blue Division teams posted wins over the weekend, including two – Monroe and South River – knocking off ranked teams.
South River got a monster performance from junior tailback Jarvis Crandell (24 carries for 209 yards), while the defense held on late to beat fifth-ranked Carteret, 34-27.
The first weekend proved one thing for certain – the Blue Division teams have bridged the gap between themselves and the top teams in the conference this year. And the Falcons hope to continue to turn heads the rest of the way with similar efforts.
“We want to improve this year, of course,” Dowling, who is assisted by Justin Cella, Marc DeBellis, Dave Hallion, Chris Beagan, Ken Chanley, Mike Gigliello and Robert Molarz said. “To the point where we might win a championship and do very well in the state playoffs.”
So far, so good.