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Southwestern College’s football team finished 8-3 last season with a season-ending 31-7 victory over Moorpark College in the Coaches Against Cancer Patriotic Bowl on campus.
The bowl game victory did much to erase the bad taste of a three-game late season losing streak after a perfect 5-0 first half of the season.
The Jaguars finished 4-3 in conference play with victories against Mt. San Jacinto (31-10), San Diego Mesa (40-38 in OT), Palomar (38-24) and Chaffey (27-20) and losses to Riverside (69-42), El Camino (38-35) and Saddleback (48-7).
Southwestern righted itself with the win over Chaffey to nail down a bowl game berth.
The bowl game victory did much to entice transfers to the Chula Vista campus for the 2026 season. A lot of them, in fact.
The list includes running backs Caleb Blocker (Kennesaw State), running back Elias Johnson (Maryland), offensive lineman Dylan LaFlamme (Northern Arizona), defensive end/defensive tackle D.J. Peevy (USC), defensive end Damarrion White (Fresno State), defensive tackle Dax Monestime (Northern Arizona), receivers Malachi Bean-Seay (UC Davis) and Titus White (CSU-Pueblo), defensive tackle Shaun Ayers (Tennessee State), defensive end Rodney Ondari (CSU-Pueblo), linebackers Tre Edwards (UCKA), Blake Lauritzen (Northern Arizona) and Charlie Sullivan (Cal Poly), defensive backs Kylan Studebaker (Colorado State) and Josh Hampton (Colgate), cornerback Chris Snyder (Cal Poly), kicker-punter Aaron Lee (UC Davis) and defensive lineman Marlon Ames (SDSU).
There is also a sizable list of four-year university prospects: tight end Landon Pol, offensive linemen Robert Martinez, Josh Glanz (Eastlake) and Thomas Yamashita, defensive tackle Malik Brooks, defensive end Carson Curtis, defensive tackle Ceejay Clavier (Olympian) and linebacker Brady Eads (Christian).
“The number of transfers that we’ve been able to integrate into our program has helped tremendously to turn around and flip the program,” SWC athletic director Ron Valenzuela said.
Blocker is a SWC returner who rushed for 965 yards and nine TD last season.
Eads, a 2025 starter, has received current interest from Brown University, University of San Diego, Robert Morris and Western Illinois. He logged 48 tackles in 10 games, 36 unassisted, as a frosh in 2025.
Peevy, a track speedster and All-CIF linebacker from Lincoln, is being highlighted as potentially the best defensive player in the nation. He has current offers from SDSU and Prairie View A&M University.
White, a first team All-CIF pick from Granite Hills, also has received interest from PVAMU.
There are others who are hoping to attract interest. Freshman defensive lineman Hunter Hamilton (6-3, 243) won two CIF championships with Granite Hills (Division I in 2024 and 2025) and one CIF title with Foothills Christian (8-player in 2023).
“I want to continue to get better and hopefully get signed by somebody,” he said.
The JC level offers a chance to either start or reboot careers.
Blocker elected to remain one more season with the Jags.
“I get a lot of good experience here” he said.
“It’s great, the workouts, the coaching, everything is great,” sophomore receiver Michael Moore said.
The Jaguars kick off the new season Saturday, Aug. 29, at College of the Canyons with a 2 p.m. start. Southwestern returns home to host Grossmont College in a crosstown rivalry clash on Sept. 5 at noon. The Jags host Long Beach City the following Saturday, Sept. 12, at 2 p.m.
SWC head coach Oscar Rodriguez believes he has another winning team in development.
“The most important thing is to instill our culture, care about each other and what we do,” the SWC gridiron boss said. “We have a group who loves football. It’s fun to be around them, seeing how they move through life’s challenges.”
Soutwhestern met the CETYS Mexicali Zorros in a bi-national scrummage on Aug. 20. The event featured big plays throughout by both teams. Ames (6-2, 208) scored on a fumble return to put the Jags ahead to stay.
“It was a heads-up play,” Ames said. “Damien Dixon causied the fumble. II saw the ball, I picked it up and ran with it.”
“I believe it we play together, it will be a good season,” sophomore linebacker Niko Ta’a (Lincoln) said.
“We just need to get everyone in line,” Eads added.
“We have the team to win a championship,” Rodriguez summed up.
Southwestern College Schedule
August
29: Southwestern at College of Canyons, 2 p.m.
September
5: Grossmont at Southwestern, noon
12: Long Beach at Southwestern, 2 p.m.
19: Southwestern at Mt. San Jacinto, 6 p.m.
26: San Diego Mesa at Southwestern, noon
October
8: Palomar at Southwestern, 6 p.m.
17: Southwestern at Riverside, 2 p.m.
24: Southwestern at El Camino, 6 p.m.
31: Saddleback at Southwestern, noon
November
7: Southwestern at Chaffey, 2 p.m.
21: SCFA playoffsSWC
SWC Jags, CETYS Mexicali Zorros engage in binational scrimmage
| CETYS University’s Zorros football team visited the Southwestern College Jaguars for the second time as part of their preseason preparation; the game took place at DeVore Stadium in Chula Vista, California, on August 20. For CETYS coach Luis Cervantes Ramírez, having these types of matchups is always beneficial, as it helps fine-tune their approach and identify areas for improvement ahead of the regular season, while also serving as a great opportunity for both the athletes and the staff. “Coming to play in the United States is one of the things every player and coach hopes for in their soccer career; we are among the select few teams fortunate enough to have our organization provide us with this opportunity,” Cervantes said. Wide receiver Gael Arévalo echoed that. “The impact is huge; we are truly blessed to come here and play against this team, which helps us prepare. It is a high level of play; very good, fast football, similar to what is played in the ‘14 Grandes’ league.” The “14 Grandes” (Great 14) refers to the top-tier, premier conference of college football in Mexico. It is led by the National College Football Organization (Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano, or ONEFA), which is the governing body for Mexican college football regarding the importance of these binational events. “We aim for students to gain more experience and practical exposure, while also continuing to strengthen the relationship between CETYS University and Southwestern College,” commented Dr. Mario Dipp Núñez, Director of CETYS Mexicali. The match allowed both teams to evaluate players, fine-tune strategies, and identify areas for improvement before the start of their respective competitions.The event also reaffirmed the collaboration between CETYS University and Southwestern College, institutions that drive academic projects and new training opportunities in the CaliBaja region. It is also a part of CETYS’ binational parnerships with U.S. colleges and universities, which include SDSU, UCSD and USD, among others. This is the Zorros’ second season in ONEFA’s “14 Grandes” Conference, and their opening match will be a home game with the Aztecas from the Universidad de las Américas Puebla, on Friday, Sept. 4, at the Mtro. Arturo Oviedo Guaderrama Stadium from at CETYS’ Mexical campus |
Binational scrimmage
Photos by Jon Bigornia
