When William Monroe took the field Friday night in Stanardsville against 1-7 George Mason, one couldn’t blame the Greene Dragon faithful for expecting a cakewalk.
However, for three quarters, the Mustangs battled the Dragons punch for punch before succumbing late in a 35-14 Monroe victory. The scoreline didn’t indicate how close the game was, as Mason erased a touchdown deficit with 4:05 left in the third on a 16-yard run by D’Montae Noble. Noble rushed for 130 yards on 32 carries, providing the Mustangs with the bulk of their offensive production. Hunter Salc scored the other Mason touchdown in the second quarter on a one-yard dive.
“I told my team, ‘they’re coming to take your stuff,'” Monroe head coach Jon Rocha said. “We’re on a winning streak, we’re moving up in the playoffs, and I said ‘They’re coming to take that from you, what are you gonna do about that?'”
The Dragons countered with a bulldozing rushing attack of their own. All five of the Dragons touchdowns came on the ground, with Cody Perkins finding paydirt three times. The senior carried the ball 21 times for 169 yards and was aided by quarterback Dustin Knight, who scored on a quarterback sneak three-and-a-half minutes before halftime to give the Dragons a 14-7 lead going into the locker room.
“We just tried to keep the ball moving, which was the game plan,” Perkins said. “Especially at the end of the game.”
Following Noble’s score, the Dragons countered with a four-minute, 60-yard drive culminating in Tylik Burley’s five-yard touchdown at the third-quarter gun. On the ensuing Mason drive, the Dragon defense came up big, as Satchell Knight batted down a Samuel Selby pass near midfield on third down to force a punt. From there, the Dragons’ ground game took over and helped clinch the game.
“It’s important to eat up the clock and keep the other offense off the field,” Rocha said. “They’re a young team, we have some big guys, I knew it would wear on them.”
Monroe took the ball with 8:30 remaining and bled more than five minutes off the clock with an 11-play, 92-yard drive consisting entirely of running plays. Perkins scored his second touchdown on a one-yard run to make it 28-14 with 3:23 left. The Mustangs then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, setting Monroe up on the 35-yard line and Perkins sealed the deal with a 22-yard scamper on second down for the final margin.
Perkins also opened the scoring on Monroe’s first drive with a 12-yard run with 7:19 to go in the first quarter.
The Dragons, who guaranteed themselves at least a .500 record with the win, travel to Manassas Park next Friday.
