Top two teams remain the same in football polls, Citrus joins top 10 party

Previous rankings l JC Athletic Bureau Release (PDF)

SAN MATEO – Defending 3C2A state champion College of San Mateo and runner-up Riverside City College continue to pace both the JC Athletic Bureau’s poll of California Community College Football Coaches Association members and the poll from the California Community College Sports Information Association, heading into the fourth week of play.

San Mateo took 10 of the 11 first-place votes in the JCAB poll and eight among the CCCSIA voters after giving Modesto JC its first setback, 37-20.  While all five of last week’s top teams won over the weekend, there was a slight adjustment -- with Mt. San Antonio College moving up a spot into third with the coaches, trading positions with City College of San Francisco. American River leaped two places to No. 5, prior to this Saturday’s showdown at San Mateo. No. 6 Fullerton and No. 7 Citrus complete the group of top seven teams with 3-0 records. Contra Costa is the other remaining 3-0 team and jumped six spots to No. 13 this week.  

The CCCSIA had Fullerton, American River, Butte, Citrus, Golden West and Modesto rounding out its top 10. Citrus climbed five spots with the coaches and three with the sports information directors to crack the top 10.

Competition gets underway Saturday in the expanded Southern California Football Association National Division, which now has eight teams in each of the three leagues. Riverside opens Southern League play at Palomar. The two 3-0 teams in the Central clash at the outset when Mt. SAC visits new National Division member Citrus, which holds a USA-leading 17-game win streak. The Northern League has four teams at 2-1 and four at 1-2 and will have two of the pacesetters meeting when with 21st-ranked Moorpark  No. 15 El Camino.

TOP GAMES Sat., Sept. 23: No. 5 American River at  No. 1 San Mateo;  No. 2 Riverside at Palomar;  No. 3 Mt. SAC at No. 7 Citrus;   No. 4 CCSF at No. 23 Fresno;  Mt. San Jacinto at No. 6 Fullerton; No. 18 East LA at No. 8 Golden West; No. 11 Modesto at No. 9 Butte; Orange Coast at No. 10 Cerritos; No. 12 Sierra at Delta; Laney at No. 13 Contra Costa; No. 21  Moorpark at No. 15 El Camino;  Diablo Valley at No. 16 Reedley;  No. 17 Bakersfield at Antelope Valley;  Canyons at No. 19 Santa Barbara;      No. 20 Ventura at No. 23 Hancock;  No. 22 Long Beach at Antelope Valley;  No. 25 Sequoias at Shasta.

AMERICAN DIV.: Foothill at Cabrillo; Victor Valley at Pasadena; Chaffey at LA Southwest; Redwoods at Monterey Peninsula; Hartnell at De Anza.

(Fred Baer, JC Athletic Bureau)