The Southwestern College Jaguars hope to rebound from a disappointing 3-7 campaign last year that had its basis in injuries to key personnel. Foremost among the Jags’ walking wounded was All-American running back Aaron Harris, who broke school rushing records in 2009.
Without the highly-prized Harris in the back field last season, SWC head coach Ed Carberry’s team found itself without one of its prime rushing weapons.
Instead, the Jags found strength behind freshman quarterbacks Ryan Van Nostrand (Olympian) and Victor Perez (Chula Vista), primary rusher Arona Tuiafono (American Samoa) and bruising fullback Thomas Tutogi (Chula Vista).
Tuiafono rushed for 577 yards and scored four touchdowns as a freshman while Tutogi scored seven times in short yardage situations.
Perez passed for 1,487 yards and eight TDs and rushed for an additional 121 yards and one score. Van Nostrand passed for 515 yards and two TDs.
Tutogi, who had two interceptions as a defender, has since signed with the University of Washington (PAC-12) while Perez is a sophomore transfer this fall at Eastern Kentucky University.
A healthy Harris should pay dividends for the Jags this season in their quest to improve their showing in the Southern California Football Association’s Central East Conference standings.
Riverside won last year’s conference title with a 5-0 record, followed in the standings by Santa Ana (4-1), Golden West (3-2), College of the Desert (2-3), Orange Coast (1-4) and Southwestern (0-5).
Riverside went on to finish the season 10-1 overall while Santa Ana finished 9-2, also gaining a postseason state bowl berth.
Bonita Vista graduate Andrew Grimes led the Jags’ receivers last season with 43 catches for 537 yards and two touchdowns. Josh McCoy (Hawthorne) had 41 catches for 611 yards and scored four times while Rob Jones (Barstow) made 33 catches for 418 yards and two TDs. Miguel Hodges (Castle Park) had 32 catches for 254 yards and one TD while Ben Ijah had 26 catches for 212 yards and one score.
Grimes will don pads for the University of San Diego Toreros this season while Ijah is a sophomore transfer at Texas State.
Southwestern’s track record of player placement to four-year colleges is impressive. Besides the team’s high profile “graduates” on offense this past season, the Jaguars also managed to place Sweetwater alum Ramsey Iapala. Iapala, who led the team with three picks last season, is playing this fall for Tennessee’s Tusculum Pioneers (NCAA Division II).
Carberry, whose career coaching record stands at 139-108-1 in four stops, said this year’s team will “take the field with a renewed sense of optimism.”
Opening up holes for Harris will be a large and experienced offensive line that will see four out of five starters returning with previous playing experience. All-conference returners Marc Pouvave (Monte Vista), Marcus Clemments (Hillingsboro), and Frankie Cascinta (Steele Canyon) will provide strength and leadership, according to the SWC coach, while giant offensive lineman Jason Perez (Montgomery) will start for the Jaguars this fall and provide extra size to the O-line.
New QB Brett Nelson (St. Francis) will have several weapons to throw to this year, including all-conference receiver Marquise Deadwiler (Helix) and and playmaking receiver Casey White (San Diego).
Former Eastlake middle linebacker and UCLA transfer Patrick Jarin (Eastlake) will bolster a Jaguar defense seeking to replace several key players. Speedy Tyrone Richardson (Chula Vista) will continue to defend against deep threats.
Extra points
While the SCFA has undergone realignment based on a competitive three tiered system, SWC’s San Diego County rivalries remain intact. After hosting Palomar, the Jags will host San Diego Mesa on Sept. 10 and visit Grossmont on Sept. 17.
Palomar College won state and national titles in 1991, 1993 and 1998. In an intra-squad scrimmage on Aug. 20, quarterback David Fisher threw for 166 yards and two touchdown passes while Joel Yosevitch rushed for 190 yards on eight carries, scoring twice. Nigel Westbrooks had seven receptions for 33 yards and both TD throws by Fisher.
The Palomar defense collected eight sacks.
Grossmont, which captured the 2005 national championship title, has appeared in the last two Beach Bowl contests, last year matching up against Santa Ana.
Passing tournament
Southwestern College hosted its fifth annual South County passing tournament July 8-9, with 32 high school teams participating. Helix defeated Valhalla to win the championship title while Otay Ranch defeated Beaumont to capture the consolation title.
SWC’s Carberry thanked Jags players and the SWC grounds crew for their help in making the event a success. Teams utilized eight fields during the two-day event that Caberry termed a “community service.”
“It also works out for us in that it gives athletes an opportunity to be exposed to what we have here to offer at Southwestern College,” Carberry said.
Ed Carberry: coaches corner
The 2011 southwestern College Jaguars will return to the field with a renewed sense of of optimism for the upcoming season. Head coach Ed Carberry, entering
his fifth season as head coach at Southwestern College, will see the return of several players who have contributed in the past.
On Offense the Jaguars will see a wealth of experience returning for them. Leading the way for the Jaguars will be All-American running back Aaron Harris (Granite Hills), who will return to the Jaguars after sitting out the 2010 season from injury. In 2009, Harris had a prolific run for the SWC record books by breaking records for rushing yards in a season and total yards.
Opening up the holes for Harris will be a large and experienced offensive line that will see four out of five starters returning with previous playing experience. All-conference returners Marc Pouvave (Monte Vista), Marcus Clemments (Hillingsboro) and Frankie Cascinta (Steele Canyon) will provide strength & leadership. Giant offensive lineman Jason Perez (Montgomery) will start for the Jaguars this fall and provide extra size to the O-line.
Freshman Brett Nelson (St. Francis) will handle the quarterback duties for the Jaguars after winning the job over the summer. Last year, Nelson led La Cadena St. Francis H.S. to the CIF playoffs while garnering such honors as First Team All-Mission League, All-CIF and also was voted as the Athlete of the Year by the Glendale News Press. Nelson will have several weapons to throw to this year which will include all-conference wide receiver Marquise Deadwiler (Helix Charter) and playmaking receiver Cassy White (San Diego).
On defense in 2011, the Jaguars must replace several key contributors who were lost to graduation and scholarship opportunities. Filling the spot of one of these positions will be former Eastlake all-county player middle linebacker Patrick Jarin (Eastlake), who transferred from UCLA after the spring.
Joining Jarin in the linebacker corps will be Fabian Varela (Southwest). Varela will look to make an impact on the Jags defense this season using his speed and quickness to make big plays on opponents. On the defensive line, the Jags will have a bevy of talent among the group. Cameron McGee (Bishop Gorman) and Jamil Raymore (East Bay/Tampa, Fla.) will dominate the middle of the line stopping the run and applying interior pressure.
At defensive end, Jordan Saleaumua (Helix Charter) will have a big year rushing the quarterback. The defensive backfield for the Jags will be very talented this year with a wealth of experience and speed. Returning starter Nick Floyd (Grossmont) will lead the group of defensive backs with his superior speed and shut-down ability make him a difficult player to throw against. Troy Becket (Hillingsboro) is a great press man who can match up with any receiver and give them trouble. Tyrone Richarchson (Chula Vista) will use his superior speed to defend against the deep threat of pass-happy teams.
On special teams, former All-CIF Kicker of the Year Daniel Salazar (Mar Vista) has won the kicking job over the summer. Salazar has kicked a 58-yard field goal in practice and can kick from 52 yards with consistency. Cassy White will use his quickness and speed to return kicks for the Jags.
The Jaguars have a sense of optimism this year with several returners this year coming back to Southwestern. The Jaguars are also looking to continue their
success that they have found in the classroom the past couple years. Since coming to Southwestern, head coach Ed Carberry has overseen a renaissance
in the recruitment of student athletes. Now the Jaguars send more than 18 players with scholarships each year to the biggest and best universities.
Last year USC head coach Lane Kiffin and University of Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian made personal trips to Southwestern College to recruit
student athletes. The Jaguars will enter the season with experience and excitement for the 2011 team. The Jaguars open up this Saturday, Sept. 3 aagainst San Diego County rival Palomar College. Game time is 6pm on campus at Southwestern College.
Southwestern Jaguars 2011 Schedule
September
3: Palomar at SWC, 6 p.m.
10: San Diego Mesa at SWC, 6 p.m.
17: SWC at Grossmont, 1 p.m.
24: Bye
October
1: Mt. San Jacinto at Southwestern, 6 p.m.
8: SWC at San Bernardino Valley, 6 p.m.
15: SWC at College of the Desert, 6 p.m.
22: Orange Coast at SWC, 6 p.m.
29: SWC at Golden West, 1 p.m.
November
5: Santa Ana at SWC, 6 p.m.
12: SWC at Riverside, 6 p.m.
