ROSTRAVER TWP - Monessen jumped to an early 14-0 lead in Saturday's WPIAL Class A quarterfinal contest against Duquesne at Jim Weir Stadium and appeared ready to produce a second consecutive upset.
Then Duquesne running back Windell Brown introduced himself to the Greyhounds, and the Dukes rolled to a 37-14 win.
Brown, a star running back being recruited by many Division 1 colleges, ran for 252 yards and three touchdowns.
Monessen (7-4) could not have asked for a better start. On the game's third play, sophomore running back Quinton Martin raced 63 yards down the right sideline, giving the Grey-hounds an early 7-0 lead.
Duquesne then marched deep into Monessen territory, and faced a fourth-and goal from the Greyhounds' three. Brown took a pitch and ran right, but was stuffed by Robert Youngblood at the five.
Monessen was forced to punt late in the first quarter, but Layton Dunn fumbled at the Monessen 44, giving the Greyhounds good field position.
Early in the second quarter, Monessen capitalized on the turnover when quarterback Delroy Ross hit Martin on a screen pass that went for a 44-yard touchdown.
The Dukes (10-1), seeded third in the playoff bracket, came to life late in the second quarter when quarterback Shawntez Bryant hit Ty Barlow from 21 yards on a play action pass, making the score 14-6 at halftime.
Then Brown took control. On the second play of the second half, Brown broke two tackles on his way to a 68-yard score. The Dukes tried to tie the game with a two-point conversion, but Bryant's pass fell incomplete.
After a Monessen punt, the Dukes took the lead on Bryant's one-yard yard plunge. Duquesne again failed to convert a two-point conversion, keeping the score at 18-14.
Monessen drove right back into Duquesne territory on its next series. Fullback Ernest Williams took a screen pass 65 yards to the Dukes' 5, and it appeared Monessen was primed to take back the lead. But on the next play, Monessen ran an option that turned into a disaster. Ross pitched left to Martin, who had nowhere to run. Instead of taking a small loss, the 1,000-yard rusher reversed field to the right. Duquesne stuffed the play, pushing Martin back 14 yards to the Dukes' 19.
Monessen got back to the nine, but was then hit with a delay penalty. On fourth and goal from the 14, Ross completed a pass to Tony Vaccaro, but the senior tight end was stopped at the five.
The Greyhounds' inability to score proved costly, as Brown went on to score on runs of 35 and 44 yards in the next five minutes.
Brown, who is also an excellent cornerback, put the game out of reach later in the fourth quarter when he leveled Ross, forcing a fumble. Barlow picked up the loose ball and took it 35 yards for the game's final score.
Martin had 83 yards rushing in the first quarter, but ended up with only 74 after a second half that saw him run five times for minus-nine yards.
Monessen coach Joe Fischer refused to comment after the game.
