By PAUL GOTHAM
Monroe High football proved itself on gridirons across New York State this past fall.
The Redjackets accomplishments are now being honored in the nation’s Capitol.
On Wednesday, Congressman Joe Morelle presented the accomplishments of Monroe football on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“I rise today to celebrate the Monroe Red Jackets high school football team led by coach Terrell Cunningham and NYS Gatorade Player of the Year Messiah Hampton who made history as the first ever Rochester City School District Class B state champions,” said Morelle who represents New York’s 25th Congressional District which includes Monroe County and part of Ontario County. “This team showed us what is possible when talent meets determination, when hard work rises above the challenges you face, and when young people refuse to be defined by the obstacles in front of them.“
Monroe capped off an unbeaten season with a 34-0 victory over Sleepy Hollow of Section I in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class B championship game.
With the win, Cunningham’s squad became the first team from the Rochester City School District to win a state championship in football since the tournament began in 1993.
“A group of young men, a group of coaches, the administration, principal, athletic director and all these wonderful parents, they have believed in this program going back to when many of them were in seventh and eighth grade,” Cunningham said after Monroe’s 34-0 victory over Sleepy Hollow at the JMA Wireless Dome on the Syracuse University campus. “At the end of the day, I’m glad and thankful that they believed in the program and me as a coach to take their sons and ultimately lead them today and to the state championship.”
Congressman Morelle’s remarks will appear in the Congressional Record and can be viewed in the entirety in the below video.
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