Jags, Mesa in county unbeaten showdown

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

No. 4 Mesa brings Diesel Taylor and California’s most explosive passing attack to No. 8 Southwestern for a charged National Southern League collision

By RAMON SCOTT
EastCountySports.com

CHULA VISTA — The trophy is mythical. The stakes are not.

San Diego Mesa and Southwestern will bring matching 4-0 records, state top-10 rankings and legitimate postseason ambitions into Saturday’s noon kickoff at DeVore Stadium.

It is the San Diego County community college game of the year—and the latest contest for the title former Southwestern coach Ed Carberry called the “Kings of the County.”

Mesa enters ranked No. 4 in California and No. 7 in the JCGridiron Dirty 30 national rankings. Southwestern is No. 8 in the state and No. 14 nationally.

Both teams are 1-0 in the National Southern League. Both dominated a ranked county opponent last week. Both have spent September demonstrating that their unbeaten starts are more than the product of favorable schedules.

Only one will leave DeVore Stadium with its record intact.

This is the matchup the first month of the season has been building toward.

Mesa possesses the more explosive passing attack. Southwestern counters with a deeper running game, the state’s most productive defense and home-field energy in what should be the most emotionally charged game either team has played.

The computer numbers favor Mesa by fewer than five points and project another game decided deep into the fourth quarter.

That sounds about right.

Last season, Southwestern defeated Mesa 40-38 in overtime, preserving the victory by stopping a two-point conversion. This meeting brings both programs back together with even more at stake.

HOW THEY ARRIVED

Mesa opened with a 44-6 victory over East Los Angeles, survived Mt. San Antonio 20-19, then shifted into another offensive gear.

The Olympians overwhelmed Citrus 68-28 and dominated Palomar 48-14, producing 116 points across their last two games.

Quarterback Diesel Taylor threw six touchdown passes against Citrus, then accounted for three more scores against Palomar. Through four games, Taylor has thrown 12 touchdown passes without an interception.

Southwestern has reached 4-0 through a more balanced formula.

The Jaguars defeated Grossmont 52-10, used defense and special teams to beat Long Beach 34-14, then opened National Southern League play by dismantling No. 25 Mt. San Jacinto 40-12 on the road.

Southwestern has outscored its opponents 153-36. Its closest victory margin has been 20 points.

The Jaguars have rushed effectively, protected the football, scored four defensive touchdowns and repeatedly changed games on special teams.

Something has to give Saturday.

DIESEL DRIVES MESA

Taylor entered the season in a crowded quarterback competition that included Tyson Line and former Helix standout Ryland Jessee.

Four weeks later, the offense unquestionably belongs to Taylor.

He ranks among the National Southern League leaders with 236.8 passing yards per game and leads the league with his 12 touchdown passes.

Taylor has been at his best during Mesa’s two-game offensive eruption. Against Citrus, he completed 12 passes for 234 yards and six touchdowns. Against Palomar, he completed 23 of 35 attempts for 276 yards, threw two touchdowns and ran for another.

Palomar sacked him four times, but Taylor continued attacking downfield and avoided the turnover that might have allowed the Comets back into the game.

His receiving corps has supplied matchup problems across the field.

Colin McCann leads the league at 90 receiving yards per game and has four touchdowns.

Jayden Chanel is averaging 49 yards and also has four scores.

Grady Woodward, Joshua Newbern, Braxton Sherley and others have given Taylor enough alternatives to prevent defenses from tilting coverage toward one target.

Taylor distributed 23 completions among 10 receivers against Palomar.

Southwestern’s secondary will be the best collective unit he has faced.

DURAN CONTROLS THE OTHER SIDE

Southwestern quarterback Dominic Duran has generated fewer touchdown passes than Taylor, but his efficiency has been exceptional.

Duran is averaging 233.5 passing yards per game, only three fewer than Taylor, while completing 75.6 percent of his throws. He entered last week leading California National Division quarterbacks in efficiency and yards per attempt.

Mt. San Jacinto held Duran without a touchdown pass, but that statistic reflected Southwestern’s control—not a lack of production.

Duran completed 13 of 17 passes for 180 yards, converted a third-and-18 with a 44-yard completion to Bobby Cameron and protected the football while the Jaguars rushed for 204 yards.

He has thrown to a varied group led by Malachi Bean-Seay, who averages 48.8 receiving yards and has two touchdowns. Ahmad “AJ” Perry II and Titus White also have two touchdown receptions.

Southwestern does not require Duran to carry its offense. It asks him to identify where the defense is vulnerable and deliver the ball there.

He has done that exceptionally well.

VILLANUEVA RETURNS TO SOUTH COUNTY

Mesa running back Alexander Villanueva provides one of the game’s strongest East County connections.

The former Monte Vista standout leads the Olympians at 55 rushing yards per game and has shown that the vision, balance and anticipation that made him productive in Spring Valley have transferred to the college level.

Villanueva carried 13 times for 67 yards against Palomar, gaining positive yardage on 12 attempts. He added two receptions and helped Mesa control the football for nearly 32 minutes.

He is rarely the fastest player on the field. He continues to run as though he knows where the next opening will appear before the defender does.

Villanueva’s ability to remain ahead of tacklers will be tested by a Southwestern defense that closes space faster than Mesa’s previous opponents.

The connection extends to the sideline.

Mesa head coach Gary Watkins is also a Monte Vista graduate. Carberry coached Watkins during his high school career before later building Southwestern into a county power.

Now Watkins leads Mesa into Carberry’s former stadium with the unofficial county crown at stake—and with another former Monarch helping carry the Olympians’ offense.

SOUTHWESTERN’S THREE-BACK PROBLEM

Southwestern’s running game does not revolve around one featured back.

That makes it more difficult to solve.

Jamar Johnson averages 52 yards per game, Caleb Blocker averages 46.3 and Elias Johnson averages 46. Elias Johnson has scored a team-high five rushing touchdowns, while Blocker has added two.

Against Mt. San Jacinto, Jamar Johnson carried 16 times for 59 yards, Elias Johnson gained 51 and scored twice, and Blocker added 46 yards and a touchdown.

The Jaguars finished the game with a 15-play possession consisting entirely of running plays, consuming the final 10 minutes before Duran took a knee.

That sequence provides Southwestern’s ideal blueprint for Saturday.

If the Jaguars can stay ahead of the chains, convert third downs and sustain drives, they can keep Taylor and Mesa’s receivers on the sideline.

Mesa’s offense is most dangerous when possessions multiply. Southwestern will attempt to shorten the game without surrendering its own explosive opportunities.

PRESSURE WITHOUT OVERCOMMITMENT

Mesa’s defensive front has become increasingly disruptive.

Tobiah Araujo has 3.5 sacks, Jack Metzler has three and Beau Caliendo has two. Araujo produced consecutive sacks against Palomar and recovered a fumble as the Olympians held the Comets to 198 total yards.

Mesa recorded four sacks and forced five turnovers in the 48-14 victory.

Southwestern has been even more productive across the season.

The Jaguars lead California with 22 sacks, have intercepted eight passes and have scored four defensive touchdowns. They are allowing only 11.5 points per game.

Damarrion White, a former Granite Hills standout, supplied the latest defensive score when he intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 20 yards against Mt. San Jacinto.

The matchup may be determined by which defense can create pressure without surrendering the explosive play.

Mesa cannot allow Duran to escape a crowded front and hit Southwestern’s receivers behind the secondary. Southwestern cannot become so aggressive that Taylor finds McCann or Chanel isolated downfield.

SPECIAL TEAMS COULD SWING IT

Southwestern’s special teams have become a scoring unit.

Kiram Dallas has returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown in consecutive games—93 yards against Long Beach and 90 against Mt. San Jacinto.

He leads the SCFA with two kickoff-return touchdowns.

The Jaguars also have scored on a blocked punt, executed a successful fake punt and produced a safety on a punt snap against Mt. San Jacinto.

Kicker Daniel Meadows has scored 31 points, while former Christian High specialist Steven Benson has handled kickoffs and supplied touchbacks.

Mesa has its own dependable kicking options. Lorenzo Flores made field goals from 33 and 42 yards against Palomar, and Robert Petrich, a Granite Hills graduate, has handled extra points.

In a game projected to remain close, hidden yardage and one special-teams mistake could become decisive.

Kicking directly to Dallas would qualify as an unnecessary risk.

EAST COUNTY CONNECTIONS

Villanueva and Watkins provide Mesa’s most prominent Monte Vista ties, but Saturday’s rosters contain players from throughout the East County.

Mesa’s roster includes former Helix players Carter Ross, Ryland Jessee, Isaiah Jackson, Ronnie Lewis IV, Bradford Tharpe and Kyzza Matovu. The Olympians also have Granite Hills products Petrich and Mason Vaquero, along with Grossmont graduate Alejandro Tejeda and Mt. Miguel alumni Adrien Figueroa and Ezelle Buchanan.

Southwestern’s East County group includes White, former Christian High linebacker Brady Eads, Helix product Jaydin Lewis, Granite Hills alumni Braydon “Boogie” Wells and Hunter Hamilton, El Capitan players Brandt Barker, Marlon Ames and Lukas Garcia, Steele Canyon graduate Kyle Hima and Benson.

Not all will appear in prominent statistical roles Saturday, but their presence reinforces what makes the rivalry so personal.

Many played with—or against—one another before choosing opposite sides of the county’s largest junior college matchup.

WHAT MESA MUST DO

Mesa must protect Taylor more consistently than it did against Palomar.

The Olympians survived four sacks because Taylor repeatedly answered with explosive completions. Southwestern’s defense can produce pressure in waves, and it is more capable of converting hurried decisions into points.

Villanueva and the running game must prevent the Jaguars from treating every meaningful down as an obvious passing situation.

Mesa also must remain disciplined in kick coverage and avoid allowing Southwestern’s defense or special teams to create inexpensive points.

If Taylor receives time and Mesa plays from ahead, the Olympians have enough vertical offense to force Southwestern out of its preferred game.

WHAT SOUTHWESTERN MUST DO

Southwestern must turn its depth into control.

The Jaguars’ three-back rotation should test Mesa over four quarters. Duran must continue completing the high-percentage throws that move the chains while taking selective shots when the Olympians crowd the line.

Defensively, Southwestern cannot eliminate every Mesa receiver. It can, however, force Taylor to work through longer possessions and make him operate under pressure.

The Jaguars also need DeVore Stadium to feel like a home field.

Southwestern has recruited more aggressively beyond San Diego County under coach Oscar Rodriguez, adding physical, experienced athletes from Texas, Arizona, Georgia and other regions to a strong local foundation.

Mesa’s roster leans more heavily into Southern California and San Diego County connections.

Those approaches meet Saturday with first place, an unbeaten record and local authority available to the winner.

THE PICK

The rankings and computer projections point toward Mesa.

Taylor has earned that confidence. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes without an interception, and the Olympians have scored 160 points through four games.

Southwestern, however, has been the more complete team across all three phases.

The Jaguars can run with multiple backs, Duran rarely places the offense in danger, their defense produces points and their special teams can reverse an entire game with one snap. They also have not played a close game, while Mesa needed a one-point escape against Mt. SAC.

Mesa may possess the county’s most dangerous offensive player.

Southwestern appears to possess slightly more high-end athletic depth across the roster—and it gets this game at DeVore Stadium.

Taylor will produce enough explosive plays to keep the Olympians within one possession. Southwestern’s running game and defensive pressure should create the fourth-quarter opportunity that decides it.

One year after requiring overtime and a two-point stop, the Jaguars retain the mythical county crown by another narrow margin.

SOUTHWESTERN 30, SAN DIEGO MESA 27

GAME CAPSULE

No. 4 SAN DIEGO MESA (4-0, 1-0)
at
No. 8 SOUTHWESTERN (4-0, 1-0)

When: Saturday, Sept. 26, noon
Where: DeVore Stadium, Chula Vista
National rankings: Mesa No. 7, Southwestern No. 14, JCGridiron Dirty 30
Last meeting: Southwestern 40, Mesa 38, overtime
At stake: National Southern League position, unbeaten record and San Diego County bragging rights

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