Monroe High School makes Rochester (NY) HS football history in NYSPHSAA Class B state semifinal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Monroe High School will make the trip to JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse next weekend with the hopes of an entire city on their backs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNever before has a high school football team from the Rochester City School District advanced to a New York state championship game. Until now.
The Red Jackets left no doubt in Saturday's NYSPHSAA Class B state semifinal, routing Owego Free Academy, 48-7, in a game played at Cicero-North Syracuse.
It's been a historic journey to this point. But Monroe won't be satisfied. They'll want that final trophy.
On Saturday, they seized control early and never looked back.
Monroe went for it on fourth down from the 31 in a scoreless game, and Pooty Cunningham found Brien Walker for a touchdown. Monroe never trailed.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe QB Cunningham, the son of head coach Terrell Cunningham Sr., threw for four touchdowns and ran for one.
Oregon commit Messiah Hampton caught a touchdown and ran for another while also completing a pass.
Jermaine Montgomery caught a pair of TDs and had 13 tackles.
Monroe will have a chance to make all of Rochester proud.
“This is bigger than us,” Hampton told Paul Gotham of local sports website Pickin' Splinters. “This is for the future and past generations. It’s not just for Monroe. It’s for the whole city of Rochester, the whole 585.”
MORE: How Sleepy Hollow advanced to state final to play Monroe
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