Mesa hosts Rustlers; Jaguars meet Mt. SAC

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL — SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SAN DIEGO — A week after Granite Hills High graduate Robert Petrich knocked Riverside from the unbeaten ranks with a field goal at the horn, San Diego Mesa gets another Saturday night game at Merrill Douglas Stadium.

The fourth-seeded Olympians host fifth-seeded Golden West, while No. 6 seed Southwestern visits No. 3 Mt. San Antonio. Both Southern California regional quarterfinals kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Mesa and Southwestern finished 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the National Southern League, tied for third in a league that supplied four of the region’s six playoff teams. No. 5 Golden West (8-2) at No. 4 San Diego Mesa (8-2)

(4) MESA vs. (5) GOLDEN WEST

Saturday, 6 p.m. — Merrill Douglas Stadium

Mesa’s 45-42 victory over Riverside earned the Olympians a home quarterfinal. Now they face the defending Southern California regional champion, which repeated as National Central League champion with a 28-14 victory over Fullerton. Mesa finished No. 6 in the final regular-season state coaches poll, one spot ahead of Golden West.

Tyson Line made his first start of the season against Riverside and earned SCFA National Division Offensive Player of the Week. The Mira Mesa High graduate went 24-of-37 for 378 yards and three touchdown passes and ran for another score. Braxton Sherley caught two of those touchdown passes and finished with 120 receiving yards.

Mesa erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, then went 59 yards in the final 47 seconds to set up Petrich’s 33-yard winner. Former Helix standout Isaiah “Pablo” Jackson ran for 95 yards and scored the touchdown that put Mesa ahead 42-35. A week earlier, Jackson had 156 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against Mt. San Jacinto.

Mesa’s two losses, to Southwestern and Saddleback, both came in overtime by a combined five points. Beating Golden West would send the Olympians to top-seeded Saddleback on Nov. 21 for a rematch of their 30-27 overtime loss.

Massey projection: Golden West 28-26, with Mesa given a 47 percent chance to win.

(6) Southwestern (8-2) at (3) Mt. San Antonio (9-1)

Saturday, 6 p.m. — Walnut

Southwestern needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to get past Chaffey 28-20 in its regular-season finale. Now the Jaguars open the playoffs against a Mt. San Antonio team that has won eight straight and capped a 7-0 National Northern League season by beating Ventura 62-27. The Mounties finished No. 3 in the state coaches poll; Southwestern was No. 8.

The Jaguars’ fourth-down execution made the difference at Chaffey. They went 3-for-3, and each conversion came on a touchdown drive. Dominic Duran hit Christopher Villasenor for 15 yards on fourth-and-7 before finding Kiram Dallas for the go-ahead touchdown. Duran later found Bobby Cameron for 16 yards on another fourth-and-7, setting up Caleb Blocker’s 15-yard touchdown run with 1:50 left.

Duran completed 24 of 39 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Blocker ran for 69 yards, caught three passes for 49 and scored twice. Kylan Studebaker led the Jaguars with seven tackles, including a fourth-and-1 stop at the Southwestern 17 early in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars showed they could recover when a blocked punt put them behind late at Chaffey. Against the Mounties, sustaining drives from the start would help keep an offense that just scored 62 points off the field.

The winner visits No. 2 Riverside on Nov. 21. The Tigers beat Southwestern 38-28 in their regular-season meeting. 3C2A

Massey projection: Mt. San Antonio 36-23, with Southwestern given a 21 percent chance to win.

Saturday’s other SCFA postseason games

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