Starting his 11th season with the Southwestern College football team, head coach Ed Carberry has enjoyed more than his share of success. During that span, the Jaguars have appeared in five bowl games, winning three, have won three league championship as well as two overall conference titles.
However, Carberry said the program’s most important function is having 175 athletes move on to play at the four-year university level.
Carberry and his staff will be looking to develop more players for the next level this season while also aspiring to find success once again on the gridiron.
The Jags must rebuild some positions almost completely but, in other areas, the team looks ready to continue the momentum from last season’s 9-2 campaign and a runner-up finish in the American Division Championship Bowl.
SWC kicks off regular season play with a Sept. 2 non-conference home game against Palomar College. Kick-off is 6 p.m.
“We’re improving daily,” Carberry said amid training camp. “We are excited to get started and see what we have with pads on.”
The top returners for the Jaguars include offensive tackle Franco Aquilar, offensive guards Josh Partida and Robin Luna, center Pancho Dominguez, running back Isaiah Strayhorn, wide receivers Ryan Stokes Patrick Jean-Charles, linebacker Sergio Ayon, defensive linemen Anthony Clayton, Andrew Raffe and Janken Autele and defensive back Ricky Barfield.
Most of the aforementioned players have strong local roots.
Aguilar (fist team all-state) and Strayhorn are both Eastlake High School alums while Ayon and Autele are from Otay Ranch High School. Jean-Charles (Olympian), Dominguez (Castle Park), and Raffe (Chula Vista) are other recent grads from Metro Conference schools.
Strayhorn rushed for 588 yards and scored three touchdowns in 2016 in nine games. He earned recognition as the American Bowl player of the game after rushing for 129 yards (7.6 yards per carry) and scoring one touchdown.
Partida (Madison) is a returning starter and the team’s lifer of the summer.
Stokes (McCluer North High School) is another returning starter. He had 18 touchdown catches last season.
Clayton is from Eastbay High School in Florida while Barfield joins Stokes from Missouri.
The team’s impact newcomers, include linebacker Telly Lockardt (Florida), defensive linemen Dylan Garcia (Morse), Andrew Schasa (Lincoln) and Daelyn Dunn (Lincoln), defensive back Thomas Lopez (Eastlake), offensive tackles Alberto Olmos (Castle Park), San Tapia (Bonita Vista) and Jason Miller (Olympian), offensive guard Miguel Perez (Valhalla), running backs Micah Edwards (Lincoln), Adrian Petty (Christian) and quarterback Jonathan Lindstrom (Poinsettia High School).
Petty, an all San Diego Section standout, is the obvious prime prep recruit on offense. He rushed for 3,299 yards in two varsity seasons with the Patriots (2014-15), scored 42 touchdowns, made 30 catches for 384 yards with two receiving scores. In 25 games spanning his junior and senior seasons, he accumulated 4,517 all-purpose yards, made 25 tackles on defense with one interception and one fumble recovery.
He scored 48 total touchdowns, including two on kickoff returns and another on a punt return.
He helped the Pats win the 2014 San Diego Section Division III championship at SWC.
The Jags are very deep at all offensive positions, according to Carberry.
“We return two key offensive weapons with Isaiah Strayhorn from Eastlake High School as the starting running back,” he said. “On the perimeter, the top wide receiver in the state, Ryan Stokes, returns from injury in 2016 after catching 18 touchdowns.”
The QB position is one position that is still up for grabs. The team has six QBs in training camp, of whom three are currently active.
Joshua Cartwright, who previously attended Florida Atlantic University, is another challenger for the signal-caller position as are Valhalla grad Phillip Naseh and Armani Jones-Sailor from Silverado Las Vegas.
“We’ll see how practice goes,” the SWC head coach noted.
Carberry said the SWC defense must replace four scholarship defensive backs.
“We also must replace a dominant defensive line,” he said. “Overall, what we lack in experience we will make up with great team speed.”
Southwestern College
2017 Football Schedule
September
2: Palomar College at Southwestern College, 6 p.m.
9: Southwestern College at Glendale College, 6 p.m.
16: L.A. Pierce College at Southwestern College, 6 p.m.
23: Southwestern College at Pasadena City College, 6 p.m.
30: Citrus College at Southwestern College, 6 p.m.
October
7: Bye
14: Southwestern College at Victor Valley College, 6 p.m.
21: Southwestern College at Mt. San Jacinto College, 1 p.m.
28: San Bernardino Valley College at Southwestern College, 6 p.m.
November
4: College of the Desert at Southwestern College, 6 p.m.
11: Southwestern College at San Diego Mesa College, 6 p.m.
Eastlake Titans Alumni
Playing College Football
Arturo Hurtado (Fort Lewis College)
Travis Gardner (Fort Lewis College)
Ty Stevens (Dixie State University)
Isiah Olave (UC Davis)
Jake Suggett (Central College)
Dylan Teller (Dakota State University)
Jae Vitin (College of Idaho)
Aeden Johnson (North Carolina Central University)
Justin Scott (Capital University)
Isaiah Strayhorn (Southwestern College)
Francisco Aguilar (Southwestern College)
Tommy Lopez (Southwestern College)
Micah Mendillo (Southwestern College)
Michael Holt (Southwestern College)
Dean Smith (Southwestern College)
Eastlake Titans Alumni
Playing in the NFL
Tony Jefferson (Baltimore Ravens)
— List compiled by Mark Mendillo
