‘Dog Day Afternoon’ for area CC football

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: November 10, 2024

Second-ranked Riverside City College clinched the conference crown by stopping No. 6 San DiegoMesa / Courtesy, RCC athletics

2024 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ECS staff report

Al Pacino

Academy Award winning actor Al Pacino received first break as an actor in The Godfather sequel of films and Serpico.

Not long after, Pacino became known as the star of Doug Day Afterrnoon, a story of two desperate friends who attempt to rob a bank in Brooklyn, N,Y,, only to find out that it just wasn;t their afternoon in the dog days of summer for these first-time thieves in 1972.

The same could be said about local community college football teams.

For the first time this season, all four San Diego County based schols participated in a series of days games — and things did not go well.

Except for Palomar, only because they were playing one of its local rivals,here’s a review of contests which could eaily lent its namesto a long, Dog Day Afternoon.

Palomar 31, Southwestern 14

CHULA VISTA – In a last-ditch efforts to gain a victory this season, although Southwestern College lost its final home game in National Conference Southern Division action at DeVore Stadium toPlaomar on Saturday (Nov. 9), the Jaguars were awarded a win thsiweek.

Following the 65-0 setback by San Bernardino to San Diego Mesaq in Week 1, the Wolverines folded their tent and declared their season was over due to a lack of players (among other reasons). Thus, its mid-October game with SWC was never scheduled.

However, the CCCAA altered its rule and allowed the Jaguars to get a victory instead of declaring the game as a “no-contest” as is the norm for a non-conference affair.

Thus, when Southwestern concludeds its sesason next week at Grossmont, voth sides will be 1-8 overall — just a tick better than last season’s final when both were winless after nine starts.

As for Palomar (4=5 overall, 3-3 ncsd0, the COmets mounted a 21-3 halftime advantage and skated to the expectd, easy decision.

Trailing 14-0, the only Southwedtern points of ther half came on a 21-yard field goal by Jacob Cuevas. The boot capped an 88-yard drive that stalled at the Comets-4, so the coaches went for the kick rather than try to stay in the ballgame by going for the touchdown.

Sure, the Jags avoided the shutout, but is that really a moraql victory?

Read about Palomar’s story HERE on Monday / BOXSCORE

No. 2 Riverside 62, No. 6 San Diego Mesa 41

RIVERSIDE – The problem started just befdore 2010, when Fullerton College needed to travel to Grossmont College for the Southern California Championship — twiced captured by the Griffins — for day games because Mashin-Roth Memorial Stadium does not have lights.

The Hornets insisted that Grossmont change the venue so that the Hornets didn’t need o leave so early by the 2-hour bus ride to Fletcher Hills.

The Californian Community College Athletic Association ruled otherwise; Fullerton needed to leave its campus at the “early morning” hour of 9:30 a.m. in order to arrive by 11:30 a.m. for a scheduled 1 p.m. start.

Poor Fulelrton.

Now, in many games slated for Orange County when a San Diego COnty team heads norrth, suddenly the traditional night games are now held iun sunshine.

The situation may sound Juvenal or trite, yet the strategy worked in the battle of Top 10 programs.

Riverside finihsed with two touchdowns over the first three quarters, then postede threemore in the fourth to lead gate-to-wire.

The most remarkable statistic: the host Tigers went 10-for-13 on third-down conversions, leading to 619 yards in total offense; Mesa had 345.

Olympians quarterback Jax Leatherwood passed for 286 yards and five touchdowns, but Riverside running back Brandon McMasters carried 8 times for 4 scores.

With the win, Riverside clinches the NCSD championship and one of the berths to the Southland semifinals.

For more, read HERE / BOXSCORE

Mt. San Jacinto 40, Grossmont 21

FLETCHER HILLS – Grossmont College registered its highest point total since posting its lone victory over Antelope Valley, 23-12, in Week 2, yet fell to the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles of southwest Riverside County, Saturday (Nov. 9) at Mashin-Roth Memorial.

However, the final score was very misleading, as MtSC led 34-3 late in the first half, with the Griffins gaining two late touchdowns in the closing minutes.

Dortunatelt, Grossmont elected togo for 2-point cdonversion after all three TDs to try to get back into the contest unlike Southwestern — next week’s opponent to csa[ the seasn.

Read more HERE on Monday / BOXSCORF

For the Griffins,Keanu Pettiford and Adrien Chargaloff registered sacks, and Jaiden Vaquera had an interception. The leading tackler was Christian Boykins with 9 stops.