JuCo Week 1: San Diego teams win 3 of 4

Photo Credit: Nicole Noel Photography

SAN DIEGO MESA (1-0) 35, East Los Angeles (0-1) 20

Mesa set the tone on the opening kick when Morse High alum Aleonte Logan housed a 92-yard return, then QB Reggie Johnson authored a four-touchdown night (three passing, one rushing) to guide the Olympians past East Los Angeles. Johnson hit Kwali Wilson (31 yards) and Conor Lawlor twice (32, 18) through the air and tucked one in from 12 yards after halftime; Logan piled up 181 kick-return yards on four tries. ELAC QB Logan Ebnet threw for 293 yards and two late scores, but Mesa’s 8-of-11 third-down efficiency and timely red-zone finishing were the difference despite 15 penalties.

SOUTHWESTERN (1-0) 26, Canyons (0-1) 24

Southwestern opened fast and finished faster, edging Canyons 26–24 with a 1-yard keeper by QB Brayten Silbor with 1:27 left. Silbor was sharp all day (27-of-38, 287 yards, 3 TD) with scores to Israel Evans, Nic Cline and Israel Garcia-Rotolo, while the Jaguars’ defense grabbed the game’s lone interception (Chance LaChappa). Canyons rallied in the fourth behind dual-threat Jazel Riley IV (107 rush yards, rushing TD, plus a 40-yard TD pass to Joseph Saenz), but Southwestern's late 75-yard march sealed it. Team totals were nearly even (SWC 439 yards, Canyons 391), with both sides converting 57% on third down.

GROSSMONT (1-0) 64, Compton (0-1) 0

Grossmont put up a statement shutout in its home opener, racking up 427 total yards and 22 first downs while holding Compton to just three total yards of offense. QB Melvin Spicer IV earned SCFA Player of the Week honors after dicing the secondary (15-of-22, 250 yards) with five touchdown passes and added a 32-yard rushing score; the Griffins also got ground TDs from Myles Norman and Gannon Daoedsjah and a 36-yard field goal from Tyler Haley. The defense was relentless, limiting Compton to -2 net passing yards and five rushing yards, while Abdikadir Ali sparked special teams with four punt returns for 89 yards.

Ventura (1-0) 32, PALOMAR (0-1) 21

Palomar led 14–6 after a 52-yard sprint from Fallbrook High alum Chris Bausch (183 rush yards) and a 26-yard KJ Chatham (Lincoln) touchdown strike, but Ventura methodically took control with 554 total yards and a 35:47 time-of-possession advantage. The Pirates leaned on a deep backfield (334 rushing yards) and QB Devin Tate, who threw a TD to Elijah Davis and later iced it with a 24-yard scoring run with 4:53 to play; Koen Glover also powered in from a yard out. Chatham finished with two TD passes for Palomar, but Ventura’s balance and sustained drives proved decisive late.