Monroe football headlines typically focus on its offense.
It’s easy to see why. The defending Class B state champions boast numerous standout playmakers, and their quarterback has broken multiple Section V records.
Monroe, though, is more than just a talented offense. Its defense – one which surrendered 32 points in 12 games last season – torments opponents equally.
It starts at the line of scrimmage, where seniors Alijah Jones and Tre Newton-Acevedo front the unit. Next lies a linebacking core their coach calls the “bat cave.”
If that’s not enough, an experienced and opportunistic secondary sits waiting to pounce.
“We take a really aggressive defensive approach,” Monroe head coach Terrell Cunningham said after his team’s Week 5 win versus Gates
Chili. “At the end of the day, it’s about execution. If the guys on the field do that, we’ll be successful.”
Defense wins championships
Defense, it’s often said, wins championships. This adage has been used to describe football for decades.
Defense quite literally helped Monroe win a state championship in 2025. The Red Jackets shut out seven of their 12 opponents, including their Section V title game and Class B state final.
Many of Monroe’s defensive stars play both sides of the ball, such as Terrence Barner, a senior who doubles as a bruising running back and linebacker. Barner, junior Yahmir Hightower and junior Jahmiere Westbrook form Cunningham’s “bat cave,” a group with which the head coach works closely each week.
“The true key to defense is knowing our alignment and assignments and listening to coaches,” Barner said. “Everyone knowing the play ... and doing our job.”
Behind the bat cave sits a well-oiled secondary, one which has played together since youth football. Not much gets past James Brumfield, Gregory Grant, Dmarkos Trammell and Desean Thomas, a group which Cunningham called “world class.”
“They’ve been a collective in the secondary (since youth),” Cunningham said. “They have a great ability to communicate with each other without really talking. I think that allows them to play so well together.”
This defense allowed less than eight points per game across its first five contests of 2026.
“Our defensive ends force everything inside and that allows us to make plays,” Hightower said. “We just need to execute.”
Passing the test
Though not a shutout, defense keyed Monroe in its 12-7 victory over East/World of Inquiry on Sept. 18. Thomas made 11 tackles in that game while Westbrook recorded 10.
Barner and Westbrook were tied through five games with a team-high 44 tackles each. Trammell already owns three interceptions, and Newton-Acevedo has already made five sacks.
Most of Cunningham’s coaching staff specializes in defense. It’s not their fault that an offense scoring nearly 50 points per game steals most of the attention.
Many expect Monroe and East/WOIS to likely meet again in the Section V Class B final. Monroe defeated HF-L, 58-0, in a rematch of last year’s title game on Sept. 25.
Whoever Monroe encounters come playoff time, expect its defense to be ready.
“Everyone thinks we ain’t going to be able to do it because we don’t have the guys from last year,” Westbrook said. “We just need to show everyone we’re different, and that we can go back-to-back for this state championship.”
Jeff Uveino joined the USA Today Network in 2023 and began covering Rochester-area high school sports in 2026. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli School of Communication and native of Perry. Contact him at juveino@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino and on Instagram @jeffusports.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Everyone talks about Monroe's offense. The defense is nasty, too.
