Southwestern College’s Devore Stadium was the site of Steele Canyon High School quarterback Thomas Fishburne’s two biggest wins as a senior last season.
The Cougars upset the top-seeded Ramona Bulldogs, 33-29, to win the San Diego Section Division II championship last Dec. 2.
Two weeks later, Steele Canyon capped its eight-game winning streak with a dramatic 44-42 come-from-behind victory against Northern California regional champion Half Moon Bay to claim the California Division 3-A state bowl championship.
Fishburne will be returning to Devore Stadium this season as a member of the Southwestern College Jaguars community college football team.
It’s a great stepping stone for the Cougar alumnus.
“I got a couple of offers but I decided to stay here because I felt I didn’t get enough exposure for myself,” the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Fishburne said. “I want to play at a higher level and want to do that by getting more exposure and more experience at the community college level.”
Despite winning last year’s high school state championship, Fishburne said his most exciting moment last season came in the section championship game.
“That was the first time I was playing in front of so many people,” the charismatic former Steele Canyon signal-caller explained. “Looking up in the stands and seeing so many people watching me and my team was so exciting for me.”
Fishburne joins a SWC program on the rise. The Jaguars have appeared in six state bowl games since 2008, winning four of them. The school receives promotion this season from the American Mountain Conference to the restructured National Southern League where Southwestern will get a chance to play some of the top teams in the state such as Fullerton, Saddleback, Riverside, Golden West and Orange Coast College.
The upgraded schedule is a big motivating tool for players.
“I don’t know too much about the teams we play because I’m just coming out of high school but for me the goal is always to compete and win,” Fishburne said.
Fishburne earned 12 varsity letters at Steele Canyon by competing in football, basketball and track and field. He said being multi-faceted is his biggest attribute as an athlete.
“The biggest thing is that I’m athletic,” he said. “I like to think at game time that I can stay calm, keep the team together and make that last play.
“I feel making the state run has made me feel more confident.”
Southwestern College head coach Ed Carberry, a member of Monte Vista High School’s Football Hall of Fame, said he believes the freshman QB can be successful at the next level.
“I think he can play Division II football,” the veteran Jags sideline boss explained. “If he gets a chance at Division I, he can’t make mistakes with the ball. He can make plays on short passes or go deep. He can run. He’s got an excellent football sense.”
Fishburne will be joined by a pair of ex-Cougars on this year’s SWC team: cornerbacks Perry Steele and Robert Whitehead.
The Jaguars also have several other former East County prep standouts on their roster this season, including defensive returners Cameron Hanson (Mt. Miguel), Duran Miller (Mt. Miguel) and Jonathan Milsap (Helix) along with newcomer linebacker Landon Wood (Santana). Kameron Tiamalu (Helix) should add depth at the running back position.
Miller recorded 15 tackles for losses last season.
Southwestern kicks off its season with a Sept. 1 home game against San Diego Mesa College. Game time is 6 p.m.
The Jaguars defeated the Olympians, 19-14, last year on the final play of the game to win the American Mountain Conference championship.
Southwestern is also playing Palomar (Sept. 8 at Palomar) and Grossmont (Oct. 20 at West Hills High School) this season. The game against Grossmont will be part of the teams’ National Southern Conference schedule.
“This year we’ll have a true San Diego County champion,” Carberry said. “That should be an extra incentive for all the teams involved.”
Five alive
Fishburne is one of five players auditioning for the starting quarterback job on this year’s SWC team, joining returners Demonte Morris and Armani Jones-Sailor along with Otay Ranch High School alumnus Marcus Hernandez and Florida’s Chris Kalogianis.
Morris was selected the MVP of last year’s American Division Bowl game, a 35-14 Southwestern victory against Allan Hancock College.
Morris completed 58 percent of his passes last year for 1,055 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 434 yards and three touchdowns.
Jaguars to face tougher opponents on 2018 schedule
The Southwestern College football team, winner of the last two American Division Mountain Conference championships, takes a hike up the state’s community college football mountain this season with a schedule upgrade to the National Division Southern League.
The league realignment covers the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The Jaguars’ new-look schedule will feature Saddleback, Grossmont, Riverside, Golden West and Orange Coast College in league play plus a non-league game against defending state champion Fullerton.
Playing upper tier programs is nothing new for Southwestern, according to head coach Ed Carberry.
“Everything happens a touch faster,” the SWC coach said. “In 2010-11 we were in that league and went 5-5. The difference between winning and losing came down to one play in some instances. We fumbled a snap on a PAT and lost a game. We lost an overtime game against Orange Coast College when we hadn’t lost an overtime game in 10 years.
“The analogy is playing a 33 record at 45 speed. Things are speeded up. There are a handful of plays you have to do in order to win. Nine times out of 10 you have to make those plays against some teams, when against other teams you can make those plays seven times out of 10 and win a game.”
Carberry believes his team will not embarrass itself in the move up the competition ladder this season.
“The strength will be our kicking game, and we’ve got some speed at the receiver position,” Carberry assessed after last Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage. “They can recover kicks and take off on deep passes.”
Point Loma alumnus Jaime Medina adds the big boot to the program’s kicking game.
Top prospects at the receiver position include Tyler Adderly (Piper High School in Florida), Paden Hazuga (Mar Vista) and D.J. Hinton (University of Arizona).
St. Augustine High School grad Deandre Daniels leads the running back group along with Deangelo Howard (Bedford, Ohio) and Kameron Tiamalu (Helix).
The tight end position should be a highlight with Chula Vista alumnus Ublado Nolasco and returner Jory Weber.
Carberry said the team’s linemen may be underrated by some opponents. “We don’t have a lot of trees but a lot of bushes,” the SWC coach said. “They are a real strong group strength-wise.”
Defensive end Cole Bailey (St. George, Utah) is the tallest player at 6-6. Faufano Autele (Otay Ranch) joins the defensive line.
Carberry said the team’s defense will feature “great speed, a lot of veteran guys.”
Returning linebackers include Cameron Hanson (Mt. Miguel), Duran Miller (Mt. Miguel) and Jonathan Milsap (Helix).
Hanson ranked third on the team last season with 47 tackles.
Miller recorded 15 tackles for losses last season.
Carberry calls Milsap “a great leader.”
Defensive backs include Angelo Trujillo (Castle Park) and Rayshawn Parks-Price (Eastlake). Carberry calls Trujillo a “good press corner.”
“We have some good players out there, we just need to see them in competition out there,” Carberry said.
Photo gallery by Phillip Brents
