East County Sports

Jaguars dominate Canyons in shutout

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

JAGUARS 27, COUGARS 0

Southwestern controls the ball for more than 44 minutes, forces four turnovers and allows only 21 rushing yards in a 27-0 road victory

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SANTA CLARITA — Southwestern opened its season with the kind of complete performance that could establish the Jaguars as an immediate contender in the Southern California Football Association.

The Jaguars controlled the football for 44 minutes, 22 seconds, rushed for 201 yards and overwhelmed College of the Canyons defensively in a 27-0 victory Saturday at Cougar Stadium.

Southwestern limited Canyons to nine first downs, 168 total yards and only 21 rushing yards. The Jaguars recorded five sacks, intercepted two passes and recovered two fumbles while beginning the season with a road shutout.

The defensive performance was especially impressive against a Canyons program accustomed to competing at the upper level of Southern California community college football.

Southwestern established control from the opening possession.

Daniel Meadows completed a seven-play, 43-yard drive with a 42-yard field goal, giving the Jaguars a 3-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

The advantage remained three points until Jamar Johnson finished a 71-yard march with a 9-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. Meadows added the extra point for a 10-0 lead.

Johnson carried 13 times for a team-leading 80 yards, including a 36-yard run.

Southwestern expanded the margin later in the quarter after taking possession at its own 45. Quarterback Dominic Duran connected with Kiram Dallas for a 41-yard gain, and Elias Johnson scored from one yard out to complete the five-play, 55-yard drive.

The Jaguars carried a 17-0 lead into halftime after holding Canyons to only 58 yards of offense during the first two quarters.

Duran supplied a steady performance in his Southwestern debut, completing 16 of 22 passes for 208 yards without an interception. He distributed the ball to seven receivers while helping the Jaguars finish with 409 yards of offense.

Ahmad “AJ” Perry II led Southwestern with four receptions for 77 yards, including a 38-yard gain. Dallas caught two passes for 47 yards, Jaime Gray had two receptions for 26 yards and Titus White added three catches for 19 yards.

Southwestern’s three primary running backs combined for 193 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries. In addition to Jamar Johnson’s 80 yards and one score, Caleb Blocker gained 60 yards on 13 attempts and Elias Johnson finished with 53 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

The Jaguars’ defense made certain the halftime advantage was never threatened.

Canyons reached Southwestern territory on its opening possession of the third quarter, but the Jaguars forced a fumble. Two plays into the Cougars’ next series, Joseph Stephens intercepted River Warren.

Canyons recovered a Southwestern fumble moments later, but the Jaguars’ defense answered by forcing another punt.

Charlie Sullivan intercepted a tipped Warren pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 16 yards to the Canyons 29. Four plays later, Elias Johnson powered into the end zone from one yard out for his second touchdown and a 24-0 advantage.

The Cougars produced their longest play on the following possession when Warren connected with Donovan Glover for 39 yards, moving the ball to the Southwestern 23.

David Peevy then forced Warren to fumble, and Southwestern recovered to preserve the shutout.

The Jaguars followed with a 10-play, 65-yard possession that consumed 6:29. Meadows completed the scoring with a 29-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining.

Meadows accounted for nine points, converting all three extra-point attempts and making two of three field goals.

The Jaguars allowed Canyons to run only 41 offensive plays. Warren completed 12 of 16 passes for 128 yards but was intercepted once and lost two fumbles. Braden Luedeker completed 2 of 4 attempts for 19 yards with an interception.

Peevy recorded a sack, two forced fumbles and 1½ tackles for loss. Sullivan added two tackles for loss to his interception, while Stephens contributed an interception and a pass breakup.

Niko Ta’a, Damarrion White, Carson Curtis, Dax Monestime and Hunter Hamilton also contributed to a Southwestern pass rush that produced five sacks for 38 yards in losses and nine tackles for loss totaling 45 yards.

Southwestern finished with decisive advantages in first downs (22-9), total offense (409-168), rushing yards (201-21) and possession time (44:22-24:58).

The Jaguars punted only once.

The performance also set up an immediate test between San Diego County rivals.

Southwestern (1-0) will make its home debut against Grossmont (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 5, at noon at DeVore Stadium. The Griffins opened their season with a 57-6 rout of Compton, scoring through the air, on the ground and on defense.

Grossmont quarterback Melvin Spicer IV accounted for four first-half touchdowns, completing 15 of 20 passes for 172 yards and three scores while rushing for another touchdown.

The Griffins’ defense recorded seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss while holding Compton to 132 total yards and five net rushing yards.

Both teams dominated the line of scrimmage in their openers. Southwestern outgained Canyons 409-168 and held a 180-yard advantage on the ground, while Grossmont outgained Compton 369-132 and did not commit a turnover.

Saturday’s matchup should provide a much stronger indication of where both programs stand after their convincing opening victories.

NEXT GAME

Grossmont (1-0) at Southwestern (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 5, noon
DeVore Stadium

SOUTHWESTERN 27, CANYONS 0

Southwestern — 3  14  0  10 — 27
Canyons      — 0   0  0   0 —  0

SCORING

First quarter

  • SWC — Daniel Meadows 42-yard field goal, 11:41.

Second quarter

  • SWC — Jamar Johnson 9-yard run (Meadows kick), 14:56.
  • SWC — Elias Johnson 1-yard run (Meadows kick), 4:47.

Fourth quarter

  • SWC — Elias Johnson 1-yard run (Meadows kick), 9:17.
  • SWC — Meadows 29-yard field goal, 1:56.

BY THE NUMBERS

Category Southwestern Canyons
First downs 22 9
Total offense 409 168
Passing yards 208 147
Rushing yards 201 21
Yards per play 5.8 4.1
Third-down conversions 6 of 15 2 of 8
Turnovers lost 1 4
Sacks 5 3
Tackles for loss 9 6
Penalties 6-102 11-109
Possession time 44:22 24:58

SOUTHWESTERN LEADERS

Passing: Dominic Duran 16-22-208, 0 INT.

Rushing: Jamar Johnson 13-80, TD; Caleb Blocker 13-60; Elias Johnson 13-53, 2 TD.

Receiving: Ahmad “AJ” Perry II 4-77; Kiram Dallas 2-47; Jaime Gray 2-26; Titus White 3-19.

Defense: David Peevy 2 tackles, sack, 1½ TFL, 2 forced fumbles; Charlie Sullivan 3 tackles, 2 TFL, interception; Joseph Stephens 4 tackles, interception, pass breakup.

Kicking: Daniel Meadows 2-for-3 field goals, long of 42; 3-for-3 extra points; 9 points.

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