No. 7 Olympians host No. 21 Comets

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 17, 2026

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Taylor-led Olympians put unbeaten record and rapid national rise against Schuback, disruptive Comets defense

No. 21 PALOMAR (2-1) at No. 7 SAN DIEGO MESA (3-0)
Merrill Douglas Stadium | San Diego
Saturday, Sept. 19 | 6 p.m.

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Mesa has survived a one-point test, delivered a 40-point demolition and climbed into the national junior-college conversation during the first three weeks of the season.

Now the Olympians must defend their place in San Diego County.

No. 7 San Diego Mesa hosts No. 21 Palomar on Saturday night in the season’s first matchup between two ranked county community college programs this season.

The Olympians improved to 3-0 by scoring 10 touchdowns in a 68-28 victory at Citrus, their highest-scoring performance in recent program history. Palomar arrives at 2-1 after No. 19 Pasadena City ended the Comets’ unbeaten start with a 26-17 victory in San Marcos.

The difference between the teams extends beyond one result.

Mesa rose three positions in the JC Athletic Bureau/CCCFCA coaches poll and has climbed to No. 8 nationally in the JCGridiron Dirty 30, a remarkable 38-place improvement from the preseason rankings.

Palomar fell six places in the state poll after its loss and sits just outside the Dirty 30 at No. 32.

The rankings make Mesa the favorite. The matchup itself may be less comfortable.

Palomar possesses a quarterback who has not thrown an interception, a defense capable of producing sacks in waves and the kind of downfield passing game that can punish Mesa if the Olympians repeat the coverage lapses and penalties that accompanied their rout at Citrus.

Mesa, however, has demonstrated more ways to score than any county team outside Southwestern.

The Olympians have scored through the air, on the ground, on kickoff returns and on defense. They have won a close game against Mt. San Antonio and proved capable of burying an opponent before halftime.

Saturday provides their opportunity to show that the rise is real.

TAYLOR TAKES CONTROL

Mesa entered the season with several legitimate quarterback options.

Diesel Taylor has taken the job and accelerated away with it.

Taylor enters Saturday as the SCFA leader with 10 touchdown passes while averaging 223.7 passing yards per game. He has yet to throw an interception.

His performance against Citrus transformed an already promising start into one of the state’s most productive opening stretches.

Taylor completed 12 of 22 passes for 234 yards and six touchdowns. Half of his completions reached the end zone, with scoring throws covering 27, 42, 49, 50, 13 and 25 yards.

Those numbers were not created by repeatedly attacking the same matchup.

Taylor threw touchdowns to four receivers, and six Olympians caught scoring passes once Mesa’s other quarterbacks entered the game.

Colin McCann caught four passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns, while Jayden Chanel, Grady Woodward and Braxton Sherley also caught scoring throws from Taylor.

McCann enters the weekend ranked second in the SCFA at 95.3 receiving yards per game. He and Chanel are tied among the conference leaders with four touchdown receptions apiece.

Palomar cannot simply remove one receiver and expect Mesa’s passing game to disappear.

McCann is the leading threat, but Chanel, Woodward, Sherley and Joshua Newbern give Taylor enough options to attack different coverages and different parts of the field.

The Comets must make him deliver the football before those routes develop.

PALOMAR’S BEST ANSWER COMES UP FRONT

Palomar’s path to an upset begins with Jonathan Class, Nash Cooper and a defensive front that overwhelmed East Los Angeles two weeks ago.

The Comets produced six sacks and 14 tackles for loss in their 26-7 victory over the Huskies.

Class delivered one of the state’s most disruptive individual performances, recording nine tackles, 5½ tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and five quarterback hurries.

Class and Cooper enter Saturday tied for fourth in the SCFA with 2½ sacks apiece.

That version of Palomar’s front can change the matchup.

The version that appeared against Pasadena cannot.

Pasadena committed to its running game, protected quarterback Xavier Buckles and limited Palomar to one sack and five tackles for loss. Class did not record a statistic, and Buckles threw three touchdown passes on only 10 completions.

Mesa is considerably more explosive than Pasadena through the air.

If Taylor receives the same time, Palomar’s secondary will be asked to cover McCann and the Olympians’ other receivers for too long. Citrus learned how quickly one missed assignment can become six points.

The Comets do not necessarily need to sack Taylor repeatedly.

They must disrupt his timing, force him away from his first read and make Mesa assemble complete possessions instead of allowing another series of one- and two-play scoring strikes.

SCHUBACK GIVES PALOMAR CHANCE

Palomar’s clearest offensive advantage is the stability provided by Noah Schuback.

The Comets quarterback produced his best passing game of the season against Pasadena, completing 21 of 39 attempts for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

More importantly, Schuback has not thrown an interception through 75 attempts this season.

He spread his 21 completions among nine receivers against the Lancers. Dominic Hawk caught four passes for 81 yards, Princeton Anderson scored on a 44-yard reception, and Phoenix Johnson caught a 12-yard fourth-quarter touchdown.

Palomar generated five passing plays of at least 20 yards and outgained Pasadena, 336-322.

That production makes the Comets dangerous even if Mesa controls most of the game.

Palomar can attack downfield without asking Schuback to place the football in danger, and Mesa surrendered enough yardage and extended drives against Citrus to provide the Comets with opportunities.

The Olympians recorded four sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown at Citrus, but the Owls still possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes and ran 80 offensive plays.

Palomar’s passing game is capable of converting that possession into more than Citrus produced.

COMETS MUST FIND RUNNING GAME

Schuback cannot be asked to win the game by himself.

Pasadena reduced Palomar to 67 rushing yards on 19 attempts. The Comets’ running backs combined for only 41 yards, and no Palomar back produced a carry longer than eight yards.

Maurice Howard led the Comets with 34 yards on 10 attempts.

The imbalance allowed Pasadena to concentrate on coverage, force Palomar to settle for field-goal attempts and keep Schuback from receiving another possession after he pulled the Comets within six points early in the fourth quarter.

Palomar had rushed for 173 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt one week earlier against East Los Angeles.

Something closer to that production is required Saturday.

A functional running game would slow Mesa’s defensive pressure, create manageable third downs and reduce the number of possessions available to Taylor.

Another 39-pass, 19-run distribution would allow Mesa to attack Schuback without respecting the entire field.

The Olympians have too much speed on defense for Palomar to become predictable.

MESA’S OTHER TWO PHASES

Mesa’s advantage extends beyond Taylor and the passing game.

Isaiah Jackson returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown immediately after Citrus scored its first points last week. The answer required only 16 seconds and removed any momentum the Owls had created.

Jackson also returned three punts for 30 yards.

Later, Logan Factor returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown, completing a night in which Mesa scored on offense, defense and special teams.

Former Helix High and Michigan State quarterback Ryland Jessee adds another dimension. Jessee rushed for a 34-yard touchdown and threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Newbern against Citrus.

Taylor is the unquestioned centerpiece right now, but Jessee’s ability to run and throw gives Mesa a change of pace that Palomar must prepare to defend.

The Olympians can force an opponent to survive Taylor, McCann and the vertical passing game—and then introduce a quarterback with Power Five experience as a runner and secondary passer.

That is uncommon depth at the community college level.

PENALTIES ARE MESA’S WARNING

Mesa’s 68 points concealed a performance that was not entirely clean.

The Olympians committed 16 penalties for 151 yards, converted only 4 of 16 third downs and allowed Citrus to maintain possession for 37:05.

A 40-point margin makes those numbers easy to overlook.

Palomar can make them decisive.

The Comets avoided turnovers against Pasadena and have received careful quarterback play from Schuback all season. If Mesa repeatedly gives away yardage, Palomar can shorten the game, extend possessions and prevent Taylor from establishing the early rhythm that destroyed Citrus.

Palomar also committed nine penalties for 96 yards last week, missed a 23-yard field goal and had an extra point blocked.

Both teams left correction points on the film.

Mesa simply possessed enough explosiveness to make its mistakes irrelevant.

COUNTY POSITION AT STAKE

Saturday is not a conference game, but it will shape the county’s community college hierarchy.

Southwestern and Mesa are the county’s remaining unbeaten programs. The Jaguars rose to No. 12 in the state poll and No. 17 in the Dirty 30 after improving to 3-0.

Mesa visits Southwestern next week.

A victory over Palomar would send the Olympians into Chula Vista at 4-0 for the most anticipated county community college matchup of the regular season.

That game cannot matter yet.

Palomar has already defeated one ranked opponent on the road, opening the season with a 19-6 victory at Ventura. The Comets followed by holding East Los Angeles to seven points.

Their loss to Pasadena revealed weaknesses, but it did not erase the defense, quarterback play or resilience displayed during the first three weeks under head coach Thom Kaumeyer.

A Palomar victory would immediately return the Comets to the center of the county race and prevent the discussion from becoming exclusively Mesa versus Southwestern.

The Olympians have more at stake because they have climbed higher.

Palomar has less to lose—and enough ability to become dangerous if Mesa begins looking one week ahead.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SAN DIEGO MESA

Diesel Taylor: Leads the SCFA with 10 touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception.
Colin McCann: Second in the SCFA with 95.3 receiving yards per game after scoring three times at Citrus.
Jayden Chanel: A second vertical threat with four touchdown receptions.
Isaiah Jackson: Scored on an 89-yard kickoff return and adds field-changing value on punts.
Ryland Jessee: The Helix alumnus and Michigan State bounceback scored as a runner and passer last week.
Logan Factor: Returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown against Citrus.

PALOMAR

Noah Schuback: Has attempted 75 passes without an interception and threw for 269 yards last week.
Jonathan Class: Palomar’s most disruptive defender, with 2½ sacks and a five-hurry performance against East Los Angeles.
Nash Cooper: Also owns 2½ sacks and can pressure Taylor from another point in the front.
Dominic Hawk: Coming off four receptions for 81 yards against Pasadena.
Princeton Anderson: Produced Palomar’s longest scoring play last week on a 44-yard reception.
Andrew Livingston: Made 12 tackles against Pasadena and will be important if Mesa establishes its running game.

PREDICTION

The matchup is closer than Mesa’s 68-point performance and Palomar’s first loss might suggest.

Palomar can protect Schuback, attack downfield and generate enough pressure to prevent Taylor from treating the game like another track meet. The Comets should create scoring chances.

Mesa owns more ways to convert those chances.

Taylor has been more explosive, his receiving group is deeper, and the Olympians possess game-changing return threats. Palomar’s difficulty running against Pasadena also creates concern against a faster Mesa defense.

The Massey Ratings project a 33-20 Mesa victory and give the Olympians an 80-percent probability of remaining unbeaten.

Palomar’s defense should make Taylor work considerably harder than Citrus did, but Mesa’s speed eventually creates separation.

ECS PREDICTION: SAN DIEGO MESA 34, PALOMAR 21

EastCountySports.com

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