Carlos A. Luna / The SWC Sun
By Nick Sinsabaugh & Stephen Lowe
After spending the last two seasons rebuilding Southwestern College’s football program, Coach Oscar Rodriguez is ready to chase a championship.
After starting last season 5-0, the Jaguars went through a difficult stretch before recovering and finishing with a bowl win.
Head coach Oscar Rodriguez said the expectations for the program have grown.
“We want a championship,” he said. “We want to compete nationally at a high level.”
And players are meeting those expectations. The Jaguars have opened the season with a 4-0 start.
Safety Joshua Hampton said the team cannot become satisfied with its early success.
“One of our main focuses is to always be getting better and never get complacent,” he said. “There’s always room for improvement.”
Since Rodriguez took over the program back in February 2024, Southwestern has focused on changing its culture. A major part is what Rodriguez calls the “H3 standard,” which stands for humility, habits and hard work.
Defensive back Max Gonzales said players have developed enough trust to hold one another accountable without creating division.
“If someone tells you, ‘You’ve got to do that better. Come on, that’s not the standard here,’ it all comes from a place of love,” he said. “We know that now, and that’s why we’re really close.”
Coach Rodriguez said Southwestern looks for more than talent when recruiting players.
“Good football players are everywhere, but great people are hard to find,” he said.
Both Hampton and Gonzales pointed to Caleb Blocker as one of the players to watch. Gonzales mentioned quarterback Dominic Duran, with linebackers Brady Eads and Niko Ta’a among players who have made an impact.
During the offseason, certain depth has created competition for playing time.
“You’re competing for a spot, time, and you’re competing just to compete,” Hampton said. “You’ve got to be a competitor to compete here at Southwestern.”
Gonzales said coaches don’t promise playing time based on where a player previously competed. Players are expected to earn their roles, whether they came from a Division I program or another level of college football.
“It’s extremely important to have depth,” he said. “We have multiple guys that can play and are ready to play, to step up when we need them to.”
Hampton said depth becomes even more important against conference opponents, who are known to play a more physical style of football
“It comes down to who can hold out the longest, who can stay physical the longest and who’s going to give in first,” he said.
Rodriguez described the conference as the “SEC of California football” because of the level of competition the Jaguars face.
Last season, Southwestern went 4-3 in conference play, defeating Mt. San Jacinto, San Diego Mesa, Palomar and Chaffey.
The Jaguars know an undefeated start does not guarantee the same success later in the season.
Hampton said one of Southwestern’s biggest areas for improvement is penalties. Mistakes such as holding and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties can give opponents opportunities that become more costly against stronger teams.
“In big games and playoff games, those are going to be the game changers, and we know that,” he said.
On the field, the goal is clear.
Gonzales said the Jaguars want a championship, but reaching it requires focusing on what is directly in front of them rather than looking too far ahead.
“The main goal is to win a championship, but really, we want to take it one week at a time,” he said. “We can’t get too ahead of ourselves.”
