San Mateo unanimous top 3C2A football choice; Butte No. 2 after Mt. SAC falls in league opener
SAN MATEO – Incumbent champion College of San Mateo is a unanimous No. 1 choice this week by California Community College Football Coaches Association member coaches in the JC Athletic Bureau’s state poll.
Formerly No. 2 Mt. San Antonio, the 2024 3C2A state runners-up, was taken down at neighbor Citrus College, 48-43, in Saturday’s National Northern League opener. The Mounties (3-1) fell to No. 8 this week. Citrus (3-1) moved up to No. 14 (from No. 20).
CSM (4-0) took all 14 first-place votes and totaled 350 points after extending its National Division winning streak to 14 games with a 38-14 triumph at American River College in Sacramento. The San Mateo defense provided four first quarter turnovers that the Bulldogs offense converted into an early 28-0 lead over the Beavers. San Mateo will conclude non-league play at No. 17 Fresno City College (2-2) on Saturday. Butte College (4-0) moved up one spot to No. 2 this week after an impressive 43-29 win at Modesto -- also dropping the Pirates (2-2) to No. 12 (from No. 7). Butte plays at No. 17 College of the Sequoias (3-1) on Saturday.
Moving up one position each in the poll this week are No. 3 Golden West, No. 4 Ventura, and No. 5 Diablo Valley – all perfect at 4-0.
Northern California Football Conference teams conclude non-league play this week -- while the Southern California Football Association has a second week of league action.
Top SCFA games: East Los Angeles at No. 3 Golden West, Santa Barbara at No. 4 Ventura, No. 6 Southwestern at No. 18 SD Mesa, Moorpark at No. 8 Mt SAC, No. 9 El Camino at No. 25 Mt. San Jacinto.
Top NCFC games: No. 1 San Mateo at No. 17 Fresno, No. 2 Butte at No. 16 Sequoias, Shasta at No. 5 Diablo Valley, No. 7 Monterey Peninsula at Redwoods, No. 12 Modesto at American River.
| JCAB FOOTBALL POLL (Sept. 23) | |||||
| RK | School | Record | Pts | PR | |
| 1. | San Mateo (14) | 4-0 | 350 | 1 | |
| 2. | Butte | 4-0 | 326 | 3 | |
| 3. | Golden West | 4-0 | 319 | 4 | |
| 4. | Ventura | 4-0 | 311 | 5 | |
| 5. | Diablo Valley | 4-0 | 278 | 6 | |
| 6. | Southwestern | 4-0 | 269 | 9 | |
| 7. | Monterey Peninsula | 4-0 | 253 | 11 | |
| 8. | Mt. San Antonio | 3-1 | 240 | 2 | |
| 9. | El Camino | 3-1 | 232 | 10 | |
| 10. | Fullerton | 3-1 | 213 | 12 | |
| 11. | Saddleback | 3-1 | 212 | 14 | |
| 12. | Modesto | 2-2 | 175 | 7 | |
| 13. | Riverside City | 2-2 | 173 | 8 | |
| 14. | Citrus | 3-1 | 166 | 20 | |
| 15. | Cerritos | 3-1 | 148 | 17 | |
| 16. | Sequoias | 3-1 | 147 | 16 | |
| 17. | Fresno City | 2-2 | 109 | 13 | |
| 18. | San Diego Mesa | 2-2 | 94 | 22 | |
| 19. | Bakersfield | 2-2 | 92 | 15 | |
| 20. | Foothill | 3-1 | 80 | 23 | |
| 21. | Santa Rosa | 2-2 | 51 | T-24 | |
| 22. | Pasadena City | 2-2 | 46 | 18 | |
| 23. | Sacramento City | 2-2 | 44 | 19 | |
| T24. | San Francisco | 2-2 | 34 | NR | |
| T24. | Mt. San Jacinto | 2-2 | 33 | 21 | |
| Others: Victor Valley, 26; Antelope Valley, 22; De Anza, 21; Canyons, 16; Los Medanos, 15; Allan Hancock, 13; Grossmont, 7; Sierra, 7; Santa Monica, 6; Feather River, 5; Moorpark, 4; San Jose City, 4; Palomar, 4; Reedley, 3; American River 2. | |||||
(Fred Baer, JC Athletic Bureau)