Mesa looks to turn narrow losses into renewed rise
Olympians open tonight at East Los Angeles with new quarterback, rebuilt receiving corps
2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL
EastCountySports.com staff report
San Diego Mesa College enters the 2026 season believing a difficult 4-6 campaign did considerably less damage to the program’s foundation than it did to the Olympians’ final record.
Mesa gets its first opportunity to prove it tonight when the Olympians visit East Los Angeles College for a 6 p.m. nonconference opener.
Head coach Gary Watkins, a former Monte Vista High player who developed under legendary Monarchs and Southwestern College coach Ed Carberry, said Mesa remains committed to the process that helped establish the program as a consistent contender.
“We have taken a lot of care in how we’ve built the San Diego Mesa football program,” Watkins said. “One year that doesn’t necessarily go our way isn’t going to rock our foundation.
“When storms rise, I always tell our guys, ‘We’re a heck of a lot safer in the boat.’ There’s no reason to jump off the boat and panic.”
Mesa finished 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the National-Southern Conference last season, but three of its losses were decided by a combined eight points.
The Olympians lost 21-18 at Mt. San Antonio, 24-21 against Citrus and 40-38 in triple overtime against Southwestern. Mesa was 2-3 after the Southwestern game despite those three defeats coming by three, three and two points.
“The scoreboard was what it was and the record was what it was,” Watkins said. “We lost a couple of 50-50 games that typically have gone our way in years past. Those are L’s in that column, but our guys were in it. Our guys fought, they played hard and they stayed together.”
Mesa later earned conference victories over Chaffey and Mt. San Jacinto. The Olympians defeated Chaffey 31-21 before going on the road and beating Mt. San Jacinto 35-31.
The Olympians averaged 28.1 points and 365 yards per game but allowed 32.8 points and 432.2 yards per contest. Mesa’s greatest statistical weakness was its pass defense, which surrendered 295.5 yards per game and 23 touchdowns.
Watkins said the program used the offseason to address the areas in which it lacked depth.
“We were able to rebuild some areas in which we were lacking last year,” Watkins said. “We have a really good group of talented individuals. They’ve been a lot of fun watching them grow and develop from spring ball through the summer, through fall camp and into East LA preparation.”
Watkins spent the entire offseason with the Olympians after coaching in the UFL during portions of the previous three springs. That allowed him additional time with the quarterbacks, new members of the coaching staff and the team as a whole.
“It was really nice to be here this spring with the guys and help them develop throughout the entirety of the offseason,” Watkins said. “We’re excited. We’re going to have some guys flying around and playing an exciting brand of Mesa football.”
New quarterback takes over
Mesa must replace Reggie Johnson, who accounted for most of the Olympians’ offense last season.
Johnson completed 143 of 286 passes for 2,116 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 255 rushing yards and five touchdowns, giving him 2,371 total yards and 24 combined scores.
Watkins did not announce his starter during the preseason interview, but the competition includes several intriguing options.
Sophomore Tyson Line gained experience last season, completing 14 of 26 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown. He also carried 15 times for 51 yards.
Jackson Emerson appeared in five games and completed two of five passes for 19 yards.
The most prominent new option is former Helix quarterback Ryland Jessee. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Jessee signed with Michigan State after his high-school career and redshirted with the Spartans before returning to San Diego.
The roster also includes freshmen Parker Rhea, Diesel Taylor, Braxton Sherley and Matthew Orysiek at quarterback.
Watkins said Mesa intends to employ a balanced approach regardless of who receives the opening assignment.
“We plan to have a wide-open, balanced attack this season,” Watkins said. “Our M.O. as a program has always been to play solid offense, great defense and great special teams, execute at a high level and be disciplined.
“I’m hoping and praying that we can create some more explosive plays on offense.”
That need became apparent against the top teams in the National-Southern. Mesa scored 41 points at Saddleback but allowed 59, then closed the season with a 65-27 loss at Riverside.
“In order to play with those guys, we have to be more dynamic and more explosive on offense,” Watkins said. “That’s what we’re hoping to achieve this season.”
Villanueva joins rebuilt backfield
Mesa also must replace leading rusher Derek McClintic, who carried 126 times for 500 yards and four touchdowns while adding 15 receptions for 96 yards and another score.
Returning sophomore Devin Cerda provides the most verified production in the backfield. Cerda rushed 63 times for 251 yards and one touchdown in eight games. He also caught eight passes for 67 yards and another score.
One of Mesa’s most accomplished newcomers is former Monte Vista standout Alexander Villanueva.
Villanueva rushed for 2,749 yards and scored 44 touchdowns during his senior season, helping the Monarchs capture the San Diego Section Division V championship and Southern California Division 6-A title.
He rushed for 365 yards in Monte Vista’s playoff victory over Hoover, added 240 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards against Vista and was later selected to the MaxPreps California All-State team.
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Villanueva could immediately provide some of the explosiveness Watkins wants to add.
Mesa’s backfield also includes sophomores Caylin Sacus-Harris and several freshmen competing for carries.
Receiving opportunities abound
Mesa’s new quarterback will work with a largely rebuilt receiving corps.
The Olympians’ top three receivers from last season—Aleonte Logan, Troy Bassler and Jay Porter—do not appear on the current roster.
Logan led Mesa with 35 receptions for 589 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 16.8 yards per catch and produced an 83-yard reception.
Bassler caught 34 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns, while Porter finished with 26 receptions for 475 yards and four scores.
Together, the three accounted for 95 receptions, 1,550 yards and 13 of Mesa’s 20 touchdown catches.
Colin McCann is the leading returning receiver after catching eight passes for 146 yards in six games. McCann averaged 18.3 yards per reception and recorded a 54-yard gain.
Cerda contributed eight receptions for 67 yards and one touchdown. Luke Butler-Hoagland caught two passes for 29 yards, while Samuel Marquez had one reception for nine yards.
Those four verified returnees combined for 19 catches, 251 yards and one touchdown last season, leaving substantial opportunities for the newcomers.
Sophomore Maclane Watkins gives Mesa a 6-foot-5, 210-pound target. The newcomers include 6-foot-3 Joshua Newbern, 6-foot-3 Jayden Chanel, 6-foot-4 Ezelle Buchanan and 6-foot-3 Wilford Anderson.
Their development could determine whether Mesa achieves Watkins’ objective of producing a more explosive passing attack.
Size up front
Mesa possesses unusual size and depth along the offensive line.
The returning group includes Geovanni Paulsen, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound sophomore from Mira Mesa; Ayden Dolan, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound sophomore from Santana; and Alejandro Tejeda, a 6-foot-1, 325-pound sophomore from Granite Hills.
Tejeda played on Granite Hills’ 2022 state-championship team and later received California all-state recognition during his high-school career.
Freshman Kiemon Green is listed at 6-foot-5 and 370 pounds, Marcel Sandoval at 6-foot-6 and 315, and Eric Reynoso at 6-foot-7 and 343.
Mesa also has exceptional size at tight end. Sophomore Nathaniel Pugsley-Demarest is listed at 6-foot-5 and 278 pounds, while freshman Jaden Haggerty is 6-foot-6 and 265.
The size should provide Mesa with options in pass protection and the running game while its new quarterback and receiving corps settle into their roles.
Defense seeks major improvement
Mesa’s defense may have the greatest influence over whether last season’s close losses become victories.
The Olympians held East Los Angeles to 20 points, Palomar to 21 and Chaffey to 21, but allowed at least 40 points against Southwestern, Saddleback and Riverside.
Mesa allowed 136.7 rushing yards per game but struggled against the pass, surrendering nearly 300 yards per contest.
Watkins did not identify individual starters before the opener but said Mesa rebuilt several areas that were lacking last season. The current roster includes a combination of returning defensive backs and substantial new size on the defensive front.
Local products throughout the defensive roster include players from Helix, Lincoln, Poway, St. Augustine, Point Loma, Morse, San Diego, Mt. Carmel, Montgomery and Mira Mesa.
The depth will be tested immediately against an East Los Angeles program Watkins described as consistently large, athletic and talented.
Another East LA battle awaits
Mesa defeated East Los Angeles 35-20 in last season’s opener, scoring immediately on Aleonte Logan’s 92-yard kickoff return.
The final margin did not fully reflect how competitive the game remained before the Olympians pulled away.
Watkins expects another difficult matchup tonight.
“They’re always talented, they’re always big and they’re always athletic,” Watkins said. “We’ve had some epic battles against East LA over the course of my tenure here at Mesa College.
“I expect to get off that bus in East Los Angeles and be in a 15-round heavyweight bout. We’ve been preaching and teaching all week that it’s going to take 60 minutes—and hopefully it doesn’t take any more than that.”
Mesa has played overtime games and one-possession contests against East LA during Watkins’ tenure. East LA enters the season with a new head coach, although much of its program structure remains in place.
“We’re going to go out there, play our brand of ball and control what we can control,” Watkins said. “Hopefully, we come out on the right side of the outcome.”
Following tonight’s opener, Mesa hosts Mt. San Antonio on Sept. 5 and visits Citrus on Sept. 12. National-Southern Conference play begins Sept. 19 against Palomar.
The Olympians visit Southwestern on Sept. 26 before facing El Camino, Saddleback, Chaffey, Mt. San Jacinto and Riverside.
Saddleback enters as the defending conference champion, but Watkins believes the entire National-Southern presents an uncommon weekly challenge.
“The SCFA National-South is by far the toughest conference in the SCFA,” Watkins said. “Every single week, you’re playing playoff-caliber football teams. Every single week is a playoff game.”
Watkins said the Olympians are approaching the schedule as “10 one-game seasons.”
Mesa also continues to measure its program beyond the football field. Watkins said the Olympians produced 13 all-state scholar-athletes last year, recorded a team grade-point average above 3.0 and continued moving players to four-year programs despite the losing season.
“The football program is more than just 10 Saturdays out of the year,” Watkins said. “The holistic development of the student-athlete is something that we take great pride in.
“We’re in no way worried. We’re in no way doubting our process. I’m looking forward to getting after it in 2026.”
