NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A strong effort from the Monroe College defense keyed a come-from-behind, 29-20, season-opening win over Valley Forge Military Academy on Saturday in New Rochelle. Tuzar Skipper, playing with a cast on his hand, led the team with 11 tackles and five sacks.
Offensively, the Mustangs had several standouts. Starting tailback, Ryan Fulse, plodded his way to 48 yards on the ground. He also scored a touchdown. In the air, Devanta Barnfield had 113 receiving yards and a score, while Kyle Levere hauled in 85 receiving yards to complement a touchdown.
After a first quarter where both sides struggled to move the ball on offense, the Trojans got the ball late in the quarter and put together a five-play, 82-yard touchdown drive. They made the two-point conversion and led 8-0 after a quarter.
The Mustangs responded quickly. After the ensuing kickoff, Jalen Jones found Kyle Levere in the flat. The wide receiver took the ball up the near sideline, breaking several tackles before galloping into the end zone to draw Monroe within 8-6. Later in the game, Jones connected with Devanta Barnfield on a second long catch-and-run and the Mustangs went ahead, 13-8.
From there, The Spartans regained the lead with a scoring drive of their own. They went up, 14-13. Monroe turned up the defensive pressure from there. In addition to the five sacks from Skipper, Sidney Gopre had a pair of interceptions.
The defensive pressure would help the Mustangs take a 15-14 lead when a punt from Curtis Pendleton pinned VFMA deep in their own end. On a pass play, Monroe blitzed and the quarterback was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety.
Monroe extended their lead on a Ryan Fulse touchdown in the third quarter. He scored to make it 22-14. The Trojans responded with a touchdown drive and pulled within two, 22-20. On the ensuing two point conversion, Tikere Ralands batted down the pass attempt, to keep Monroe ahead.
The Mustangs capped the scoring in the fourth quarter when Barnfield scored his second touchdown of the game.
The game also featured the debut of the Monroe Mighty Mustangs Marching Band, who played a pre-game, halftime and post-game show.
The Mustangs return to the gridiron on Saturday, September 12, when they face Nassau Community College on Long Island.