The Southwestern College football team improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating visiting Victor Valley College, 40-7, last Saturday.
But the number that might have mattered most is the 75th career win the team handed head coach Ed Carberry, who becomes the winningest football coach in school history.
“If you are around long enough, the numbers are going to stack up,” explained Carberry, who has been coaching for 42 years, including 28 as a head coach.
“I guess I’m a grinder. My old high school coach Marjion Ancich (St. Paul/Santa Fe Springs and Tustin, 1961-2011) retired with 360 wins. He was a grinder and I guess I got it from there.”
Carberry already has stacked up more than 100 wins at the high school level and it is believed he has passed the 90-win mark at the community college level.
“Football is a team game and I’ve had some great coach staffs, including our current staff. After all, you can’t do it alone, can you?”
Game on
Like their coach, Carberry’s teams continue to grind it out on the gridiron.
The Jaguars continued to play strong defensively and got some timely offensive support from a pair of quarterbacks who had not yet thrown a pass this season in overpowering the Rams to remain unbeaten on the season.
SWC built a comfortable 33-0 cushion early in the third quarter on a pair of field goals by Jaime Medina, a 20-yard scoring run by quarterback Marcus Hernandez, a nine-yard touchdown run by Deandre Daniels, a 10-yard scoring pass from Hernandez to Josh Mason and a one-yard scoring run by signal-caller Armani Jones-Sailor.
Evan Nelson broke up the Jaguars’ shutout bid on a five-yard touchdown pass to Somaj Brewer with 5:35 left in the third quarter.
A 100-yard interception return by Isaac Wright with a minute elapsed in the fourth quarter closed out scoring in the non-divisional contest.
Southwestern led 9-0 after the first quarter and was up 16-0 at halftime.
Medina, a Point Loma alumnus, finished the game with his best performance to date with 10 kicking points, including field goals of 35 and 48 yards, and four extra-point conversions. He had the leg on a 51-yard field goal attempt but the ball hit the left upright.
Medina averaged 35.8 yards on five punts, dropping two inside the 20-yard line. He averaged 64.5 yards on eight kick-offs, recording four touchbacks.
“He can kick the heck out of the ball,” Carberry said. “His punting played a big part for us in this game.”
The Jaguars were out-gained 295-162 in total offense despite posting the win. Victor Valley held a wide margin in passing — 222 to 81 yards — though Southwestern did manage to out-gain the Rams with 81 to 73 net rushing yards.
With quarterbacks Demonte Morris and Thomas Fishburne both sidelined by injuries, it was time for Hernandez and Jones-Sailor to step into the lineup.
Hernandez, an Otay Ranch High School alumnus, completed 13 of 28 passes for 80 yards with one touchdown and one interception; Jones-Sailor completed two of three passes for one net yard.
Daniels (St. Augustine) continued to impress in his SWC debut with 60 yards on 17 carries against Victor Valley. He has now scored eight touchdowns in three games while rushing for 460 yards. He is averaging 153.3 yards per game.
Terrell Johnson gained 26 yards on three carries in last week’s win.
Clay Barganier caught two passes for 24 yards while Elijah Thomas (Madison) had two catches for 18 yards. Paden Hazuga (Mar Vista) had one catch for 13 yards while Mason had two catches for 11 yards.
Angelo Trujillo (Castle Park), Wright (St. Augustine) and Jalen Portis all made interceptions in last Saturday’s game. Trujillo returned his pick 32 yards while Portis had a 29-yard return.
With Victor Valley driving just outside the goal line, Nelson came up short on a pass to a wide-out, with Wright snagging the underthrown pass and taking off down the open sideline for a length of the field TD return.
Trujillo has made one interception in each game so far.
Southwestern recorded three sacks, including 1.5 sacks by Alexis Quinones, while collecting seven tackles for a loss and making four fumble recoveries.
Duran Miller (Mt. Miguel) led the Jags with seven tackles.
“Our offense isn’t consistent right now but our defense has played very well,” Carberry said. “Our defense will have to continue to play well in our next game.”
Next up is a home field date against defending state champion Fullerton this Saturday. The Hornets, who also finished first in last year’s national rankings, are 3-0 on the season and currently boast the state’s longest active winning streak at 22 games.
Which team is second on that list? Southwestern with a 10-game win streak.
Fullerton defeated Santa Ana, 85-0, last Saturday and is averaging 49.7 points in three games so far this season.
The Hornets out-gained Santa Ana 527-155 in total yards, recording six rushing touchdowns, three passing touchdowns, three touchdowns on punt returns and one safety.
Sophomore quarterback Gresch Jensen is averaging 209 passing yards per game to go with a 160.1 passer-efficiency rating. Sophomore running back Infant Eckford has rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Markelle Raymond caught three touchdown passes against Santa Ana.
“If they kick our (tail end), so be it,” Carberry said. “We’ll tip our hat to them and retreat to our weight room and get stronger.”
Saturday’s game will be broadcast (audio only) on SportsNetUSA.net.
SWC water polo teams earn split in home debut at new campus aquatics center
While high school teams had already had a chance to use Southwestern College’s new aquatics complex for games, it wasn’t until Sept. 12 that the Jaguars made their home debut when they hosted Miramar College in a double-header.
Southwestern College picked up an 8-7 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference victory in the opener of the two-game set as sophomore Aleigha Binda (Eastlake) led the women’s team with four goals; the Jaguars closed out the twin-bill with a 14-12 loss to the Jets in the men’s finale.
The SWC women’s team rallied from a 4-1 deficit to post the home court win. The Jags reeled off four unanswered goals, including two by Binda and one each by Ebony Santoyo (Bonita Vista) and Nickie Torres (Hilltop) to take a 5-4 lead.
Santoyo scored her second goal of the game with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter to push Southwestern ahead 6-5.
The Jaguars opened the fourth quarter with a pair of goals by Binda to zip in front 8-5. Miramar scored the game’s final two goals but could not complete the rally.
Desiny Quinonez (Hilltop) opened scoring in the game for the Jags.
The win raised Southwestern’s early season record to 1-5 following a 14-3 PCAC loss at Palomar on Sept. 5 and an 0-4 showing at the Saddleback tournament Sept. 7-8.
The SWC men’s team fell to 0-2 in PCAC play with the loss to Miramar following a 21-8 loss at Palomar on Sept. 5.
The Jaguars host Grossmont College in another double-header on Sept. 26. The women’s game starts at 2 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 3:30 p.m.
