In a football season that bounced around crazily like a slippery onside kick, the Southwestern College Jaguars went from invincible to invisible.
As the leaves dropped from the trees, the Jags fell in the standings. Winning four of their first five games, SWC seemed poised to run away with the league championship. Then the physical interfered. Key injuries crippled SWC. Running backs Aaron Harris and Patrick Mitchell and wide receiver Cass White were lost or slowed by leg injuries. SWC lost its final five games to go from 4-1 to 4-6.
In a rare SoCal mudbowl, SWC was throttled by Santa Ana College 35-17 in its final home game of the season. Sophomore offensive lineman Marcus Clements gave it his all, playing on defense and offense.
“This is the most disappointing loss because it’s my last home game,” he said. “We should have finished the season strong. We started strong, but we just didn’t finish strong.”
He said this season was a positive experience for him and enjoyed playing with this team.
“We had a good team,” he said. “There was no drama, everybody liked each other.”
Coach Ed Carberry said his team was better than its 4-6 record.
“It was a frustrating season,” he said. “It was underachieving. The players worked hard. The coaches worked hard. I just have to do a better job of organizing everything and getting them going in the right direction.”
Carberry said he enjoyed watching his team win four straight games, but more so the attention some of his players are getting from university programs.
“Seeing the players being recruited ends up being the longest lasting deal,” said Carberry. “Mark Pouvave is committed to Utah, so in the last three years, we have had three players go to the Pac-12. Last year we had six Division I players and it looks like we are going to be real close to that again this year. Those are the things that in the long run mean the most.”
Harris had many great achievements on his way to becoming SWC’s all-time rushing leader. His most memorable career moment, however, came during his freshman year, he said.
“My first year would be my highlight because I had my first 150-yard game,” said Harris. “I thought to myself ‘I can’t do the bench. I’m not a bench player.’ When I got the 150 yards, it was the highlight of my life because I knew I was ready to go to the next level.”
Carberry’s next task is recruiting. His top priority is defensive and offensive linemen, which are tough to recruit because few high school students have the size to fill the position on a college team.
“Recruiting never ends,” said Carberry. “It is recruit, retain and persist. It is getting people here, getting them to stay here throughout the whole season and getting them to come back the next semester academically successfully. We have done a great job at that. We average about 20 guys a year out to universities.”
Carberry said long term thinking is required to coach community college football. In the end, student success counts more than fleeting victories and bowl games. The game of life continues even when the final whistle blows.