Idled Mt. San Antonio leads Butte in coaches football poll, Riverside, San Mateo, Ventura and Golden West close behind

(Courtesy Ventura College Athletics)
(Courtesy Ventura College Athletics)
October 8, 2024

Previous Rankings: Sep. 2 l Sep. 9 l Sept. 16 l Sept. 23 l Sept. 30

SAN MATEO – Although not actually playing a game over the weekend, Mt. San Antonio College remains in control of the JC Athletic Bureau poll of California Community College Football Coaches Association members at the mid-season break. The Mounties (4-0) took 12 first-place coaches votes and tallied 391 points this week to remain ahead of No. 2 Butte College (5-0), with the five remaining No. 1 votes and 387 points. The leaders in both the South and North regions are now the lone remaining unbeaten National (state championship) Division teams.

Mt. SAC had its Central League contest with San Bernardino Valley cancelled when the Wolverines suspended football operations for the remainder of the 2024 season in the interest of student safety, due to low turnout and injuries.

Moving up this week are Riverside CC (4-1), from fourth to third, and College of San Mateo (4-1), from sixth to fourth. Both had occupied the No. 1 spot earlier this season. Riverside defeated CSM in the 2023 3C2A state title game. Riverside is now 2-0 in Southern League play, after a 76-16 win over Mt. San Jacinto, and shares the league lead with tenth-ranked Saddleback. San Mateo finished non-league play by ousting formerly No. 3 Fresno CC from the unbeaten ranks, 14-7. Fresno dropped to No. 7.   Adding to the top ten shuffle this week, with a group of 4-1 teams, are No. 5 Ventura (up from No. 9), No. 6 Golden West  (from No. 8), and No. 8 College of the Canyons (from No. 10).  Ventura, Canyons, and No. 17 El Camino (3-2) are the early Northern League leaders at 2-0.

All the top (10) teams have a bye week before everyone gets involved in league play Oct. 17-19. The lone significant contest (non-league) on Saturday (Oct. 11) has No. 18 College of the Sequoias (3-2) at formerly No. 22 Santa Rosa (2-2), which dropped out of the top 25 this week. Butte held off Sequoias, 14-12, last week as the Giants could not convert a late 2-point conversion.

The Southern California Football Conference had not determined, at the beginning of the week, how to handle potential forfeits and possible make-up games for Central League members, leaving Mt. SAC at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in league, at least temporarily. Golden West and No. 20 Long Beach both have 2-0 league records.

After the “break” Northern California Football Association National Division play kickstarts on Friday, Oct. 18, with Butte at Santa Rosa in the NorCal League and San Mateo at No. 14 Diablo Valley (3-2) in the Bay 6.  The Valley League opens Oct. 19 with a rematch of the 2023 title game, pitting No. 11 Modesto (3-2) at No. 7 Fresno. Modesto won the 2023 showdown. 

(Fred Baer, JC Athletic Bureau)

JCAB FOOTBALL POLL (Oct. 7)
RK School Record Pts PR
1. Mt. San Antonio 4-0 391 1
2. Butte 5-0 387 2
3. Riverside 4-1 364 4
4. San Mateo 4-1 342 6
5. Ventura 4-1 316 9
6. Golden West 4-1 307 8
7. Fresno 4-1 299 3
8. Canyons 4-1 261 10
9. San Diego Mesa 4-1 258 5
10. Saddleback 4-1 242 14
11. Modesto 3-2 212 7
12. Fullerton 3-2 197 17
13. American River 2-3 194 18
14. Diablo Valley 3-2 163 11
15. Allan Hancock 3-2 162 19
16. Bakersfield 3-2 148 12
17. El Camino 3-2 142 21
18. Sequoias 3-2 126 15
19. Foothill 3-1 114 13
20. Long Beach 3-2 80 RV
21. Sacramento City 3-2 61 RV
T22. Mt. San Jacinto 3-2 54 16
T22. Pasadena City 4-0 52 25
24. Cerritos 2-3 50 20
25. Laney 2-2 37 RV
Others: Citrus, 26; Sierra, 24; Redwoods, 23; Chabot, 21; Monterey Peninsula, 18; Reedley, 17; Moorpark, 17; Chaffey, 16; Siskiyous, 15; De Anza, 15; Santa Rosa, 14; Palomar, 12; Shasta, 10; Glendale, 9; Santa Ana, 4.   

 
CCCSIA FOOTBALL POLL (Oct. 7)
RK School Record Pts PR
1. Mt. San Antonio 4-0 148 1
2. Butte 5-0 146 4
3. San Mateo 4-1 132 5
4. Golden West 4-1 131 8
5. Riverside 4-1 130 3
6. Ventura 4-1 118 9
7. Fresno 4-1 113 7
8. Canyons 4-1 112 12
9. San Diego Mesa 4-1 101 6
10. Saddleback 4-1 95 17
11. Modesto 3-2 89 2
12. Fullerton 3-2 77 10
13. Allan Hancock 3-2 63 14
14. American River 2-3 62 11
15. El Camino 3-2 60 22
16. Sequoias 3-2 53 16
17. Diablo Valley 3-2 53 13
18. Bakersfield 3-2 52 15
19. Foothill 3-1 44 23
20. Long Beach 3-2 30 RV
21. Mt. San Jacinto 3-2 30 24
22. Laney 2-2 19 NR
23. Pasadena City 4-0 15 RV
24. Cerritos 2-3 14 19
25. De Anza 5-0 12 RV
Others: Sacramento City, 10; Redwoods, 10; Palomar, 8; Citrus, 8; Santa Rosa, 7; Shasta, 3; Monterey Peninsula, 3;  Moorpark, 2.