James Monroe Blows by Caroline, 55-0

Dominance. Complete and utter dominance. The 2011 version of James Monroe football has delivered a terrific on-the-field product, week in and week out. Friday, the Yellow Jackets travelled the 20-plus miles down to Caroline County High School and promptly handed the Cavaliers a 55-0 defeat, good for JM's first shutout of the season.

After the game, JM head coach Rich Serbay hinted that the tidy effort was the result of a rare window of uninterrupted preparation.

"This was our first week of full practice," said Serbay. "We've played three Monday night games. That was our first normal week of practice and we showed that tonight."

This week, there would be no gaffes in the early going. After the Jacket defense forced Caroline to go three-and-out on its opening possession, junior defensive back Julian Bumbrey rumbled for 51 yards on the ensuing punt return.

Setting up shop all the way down on the Cavaliers’ seven-yard line, it would take JM just one play to score. On the first play from scrimmage, running back Ethan Preston took an inside give and strolled into the endzone untouched to put the Jackets up 7-0.

JM ratcheted up the red-zone passing offense early. Starting quarterback Demontaz Brown didn’t appear to be suffering any after-effects of last week’s mild concussion. Brown threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes to A’Darius Brown. After failing to complete a pass last Friday at King George, Brown admitted it felt great to bounce back.

Said Brown, "I came in ready to prove that I can pass the ball. The red-zone opportunities and short passes get me warmed up, and they're something to build off of."

Coach Serbay also noted that the passing game was a major focus leading up to Friday. "We worked on the things we didn't do right last week," said Serbay after the game. "We ran better patterns, the quarterback threw the ball better, and we executed the pass blocking."

Ethan Preston scored twice, on first half runs of seven and 44-yards, as did wide receiver Kasine Conway, who found the endzone from 26 and 25 yards out.

The Jackets creamed Caroline’s offensive line at the point of attack, not yielding a Cavalier first down until the 7:41 mark in the second quarter.

With the running clock in effect, Demontaz Brown and the first-team offense started the second half, but played only two series. Midway through the third, Julian Bumbrey relieved Brown under center and threw a nine-yard toss to junior wideout She'mar Ellis, who beat his defender on a flag pattern near the front left pylon.

The Jackets (6-0, 3-0 Battlefield) will travel to face Culpeper County High School next Friday, Oct. 14.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

JM- Ethan Preston 7 Run 9:51 (Dit Kick)

JM- A. Brown 9-yard pass from D. Brown 7:54 (Dit Kick)

JM- A. Brown 8-yard pass from D. Brown 3:31 (Kick Failed)

 Second Quarter

JM- Ethan Preston 44 Run 11:48 (Dit Kick)

JM- Kasine Conway 26 Run 8:34 (Dit Kick)

JM- Kasine Conway 25 Run (Dit Kick) 

Third Quarter

N/A 

Fourth Quarter

Darryl Dyson 20-yard pass from D. Brown 11:41 (Dit Kick)

Ellis 9-yard pass from Ju. Bumbrey (Ja. Bumbrey Kick)

Rushing Stats

Ethan Preston-121 yards