Jaguars face true road test at MSJC

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

No. 12 Southwestern opens National Southern League play against No. 25 Eagles

NO. 12 SOUTHWESTERN (3-0) at NO. 25 MT. SAN JACINTO (2-1)
HCN Bank Stadium | Menifee
Saturday, Sept. 19 | 6 p.m.

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

MENIFEE — Southwestern spent three weeks demonstrating how many different ways it can control a football game.

Now the Jaguars must prove those methods travel against a ranked opponent capable of matching their physical strength.

No. 12 Southwestern opens National Southern League play Saturday night at No. 25 Mt. San Jacinto in the first game of the season that appears capable of pushing the Jaguars through four quarters.

Southwestern enters 3-0 after defeating College of the Canyons, Grossmont and Long Beach City by a combined score of 113-24. The Jaguars have won with a punishing running game, explosive passing, defensive pressure and special-teams plays that can abruptly change a game.

Mt. San Jacinto arrives from the opposite direction.

The Eagles opened the season with a loss, recovered by defeating Long Beach and then produced a historic first half during a 71-0 victory over Los Angeles Southwest. MSJC scored a program-record 64 points before halftime and rushed for 396 yards.

That eruption pushed the Eagles into the state poll at No. 25.

Southwestern climbed six positions to No. 12 and moved to No. 17 in the JCGridiron Dirty 30 following its 34-14 victory over Long Beach.

The rankings favor Southwestern. The computer does not.

The independent computer rankings place Southwestern at No. 19 and Mt. San Jacinto at No. 24 among California community colleges. The numbers describe exactly what Saturday appears to be: Southwestern’s first genuine toss-up of the season.

COMMON OPPONENT OFFERS LITTLE SEPARATION

Both teams defeated Long Beach during the past two weeks, providing the clearest direct comparison available.

Mt. San Jacinto defeated the Vikings, 29-12, at HCN Bank Stadium. Southwestern followed with a 34-14 victory at DeVore Stadium.

The Eagles produced 362 yards against Long Beach and held the Vikings to 241. Southwestern generated only 264 yards but scored on offense, defense and special teams while building a 34-6 lead before allowing a late touchdown against its reserves.

MSJC intercepted three Long Beach passes, returning one for a touchdown. Southwestern blocked a punt for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 93 yards and received a pick-six from former El Capitan standout Marlon Ames.

Neither victory depended entirely upon conventional offense.

That makes Saturday less about what the teams did to Long Beach and more about which one can force the other to play outside its preferred style.

EAGLES BRING DEEP GROUND ATTACK

Mt. San Jacinto’s 71-point performance requires some perspective. Los Angeles Southwest was overwhelmed from the opening minutes and could not provide the resistance Southwestern will bring.

The Eagles’ rushing production still commands attention.

MSJC ran for 396 yards and produced six rushing touchdowns against Southwest. Revius Green surpassed 100 yards and scored twice, while Dominic Mays also reached the century mark and added a touchdown.

Jeremiah Walthour scored twice, and Seth Bolender completed the rout with a fourth-quarter touchdown run.

The Eagles do not need to depend on one back. They can rotate runners, remain fresh and continue attacking a defense with different body types and running styles.

That depth creates one of the game’s most important confrontations.

Southwestern has allowed only 24 points through three games and has been particularly difficult to run against. Long Beach managed 70 rushing yards on 30 attempts, an average of 2.3 per carry. Grossmont’s offense also struggled to create consistent production on the ground.

Former Christian High defender Brady Eads, Niko Ta’a, Dax Monestime, RJ Perryman and Ames give Southwestern enough depth to rotate defenders without surrendering much physical strength.

The Jaguars must prevent MSJC from controlling the game with the methodical rushing attack that destroyed Southwest.

If Green and Mays consistently reach the second level, the Eagles can shorten the game, protect their quarterbacks and keep Southwestern’s explosive offense watching from the sideline.

SILVA GIVES MSJC COUNTERPUNCH

The Eagles are not limited to their running game.

Quarterback Julian Silva passed for 169 yards and three touchdowns against Southwest. He opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Lang, connected with Omari Wilcox for another score and found James Trevino in the end zone during MSJC’s record-setting first half.

Silva also threw two touchdown passes against Long Beach.

MSJC has used Cole Vasquez as part of its quarterback rotation. Vasquez completed 10 of 14 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings, while Silva added 145 yards and two scores.

Receiver Kee-Esoul Pitchford supplied the Eagles’ most explosive performance of the season before last week’s rout, catching six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns against Long Beach.

Southwestern’s defensive priority begins with stopping the run, but the Jaguars cannot become so aggressive near the line that Pitchford, Lang or Trevino finds open space behind them.

The Eagles possess enough balance to punish a defense that sells out in either direction.

DURAN HAS ZERO INTERCEPTIONS

Southwestern quarterback Dominic Duran has already shown two dramatically different versions of a winning performance.

Against Grossmont, Duran completed 19 of 24 passes for 434 yards and five touchdowns, repeatedly striking downfield during a 52-10 victory.

Long Beach prevented those fireworks. Duran completed 11 of 15 attempts for 112 yards without a touchdown as the Vikings generated pressure and limited Southwestern’s vertical passing game.

The Jaguars won anyway.

Duran has completed 46 of 61 passes for 754 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions through three games. His 75.4-percent completion rate reflects both his accuracy and Southwestern’s ability to create manageable situations.

Saturday may require more from him than the Long Beach game did.

MSJC allows only 229 total yards and 85 rushing yards per game. If the Eagles can contain Southwestern’s crowded backfield, Duran will have to loosen the defense with AJ Perry, Malachi White, Jordan Bean-Seay, Bobby Cameron and tight end Landon Pol.

The Jaguars do not necessarily need another 400-yard performance.

They do need enough downfield production to prevent the Eagles from compressing the field around their running game.

JAGUARS’ BACKFIELD MEETS MATCH

Southwestern can answer MSJC’s rushing depth with a deep backfield of its own.

Elias Johnson and Jamar Johnson each rushed nine times for 52 yards against Long Beach. Caleb Blocker scored on a 1-yard run, and Kavien Ford added 25 yards on five carries.

At times, Southwestern placed Blocker and both Johnsons on the field together, announcing its intention and challenging Long Beach to withstand the formation.

The Vikings could not.

MSJC should present a more substantial obstacle. The Eagles have allowed only 85 rushing yards per game and held Long Beach to 96 yards before completely erasing Southwest’s ground game.

Southwestern must determine whether it can impose its size and depth on a defense equipped to withstand it.

That battle could decide whether Duran operates from manageable downs or spends the night facing pressure in obvious passing situations.

SPECIAL TEAMS MAY AGAIN MATTER

Southwestern’s special teams did far more than support the victory over Long Beach.

They largely created it.

Haneef Bilal blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. Aaron Lee converted a fake punt with a 14-yard run. Kiram Dallas returned the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, and the Jaguars blocked an extra point.

Those plays either scored or directly created three touchdowns.

MSJC also produced a special-teams touchdown last week when Matthew Narcisse blocked a punt and Camren Williams returned it 25 yards.

In a matchup Massey projects to be decided by two points, one blocked kick, long return or field-position swing could carry far more significance than it did during either team’s blowout victory.

Southwestern cannot assume last week’s special-teams advantage will follow it automatically to Menifee.

The Eagles have demonstrated that they can make the same type of game-altering play.

FIRST REAL MEASURING STICK

Southwestern’s 3-0 start deserves recognition.

The Jaguars shut out Canyons, overwhelmed Grossmont with 603 yards and then defeated Long Beach on an afternoon when their offense never fully accelerated.

The remaining question concerns the strength of the opposition.

Mt. San Jacinto provides the first convincing answer.

The Eagles are ranked, playing at home and coming off the most productive first half in program history. They have multiple quarterbacks, a deep collection of running backs and a defense that has been difficult to move.

Southwestern has shown more complete balance over three games. The Jaguars have also faced fewer moments when the result remained uncertain deep into the second half.

Saturday should reveal how they respond when one special-teams strike or one explosive pass does not create permanent separation.

It also begins a demanding portion of the schedule. A victory would send Southwestern toward its looming county showdown with San Diego Mesa as an unbeaten team with something more substantial than early-season dominance behind it.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SOUTHWESTERN

• Dominic Duran: Has completed 75.4 percent of his passes for 754 yards without an interception.
• Marlon Ames: Produced two sacks and a pick-six during one Long Beach possession.
• Kiram Dallas: Returned the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown last week.
• Elias Johnson and Jamar Johnson: Each rushed for 52 yards against Long Beach.
• Brady Eads: Part of a Southwestern front charged with controlling MSJC’s deep running game.

MT. SAN JACINTO

• Julian Silva: Threw three touchdown passes during MSJC’s 71-point victory.
• Revius Green: Surpassed 100 rushing yards and scored twice against Southwest.
• Dominic Mays: Gives the Eagles another 100-yard threat in the backfield.
• Kee-Esoul Pitchford: Caught six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns against Long Beach.
• Matthew Narcisse: Blocked a punt that MSJC returned for a touchdown last week.

PREDICTION

Massey’s narrow preference for Mt. San Jacinto is understandable.

The Eagles are at home, possess a deep running game and appear capable of testing Southwestern more physically than any of its first three opponents.

The 71-0 victory should not determine the forecast. Los Angeles Southwest offered little resistance, and MSJC’s 29-12 victory over Long Beach was comparable to Southwestern’s 34-14 result against the same opponent.

The difference is the number of ways the Jaguars have demonstrated they can win.

Southwestern can attack vertically with Duran, rotate multiple running backs, pressure quarterbacks, create defensive scores and change games on special teams. The Jaguars also have protected the football better than most teams this early in the season.

MSJC should end Southwestern’s run of comfortable fourth quarters. The Eagles may even lead for meaningful stretches.

But the Jaguars’ defensive depth and ability to generate points outside the offense should produce the decisive play in a close road game.

ECS PREDICTION: SOUTHWESTERN 31, MT. SAN JACINTO 27

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