Fresh off a record sixth California Community College Athletic Association football state championship and another national crown, City College of San Francisco starts this season top ranked in the state in a coach's poll compiled by decades-long JC guru Fred Baer of the JC Athletic Bureau.
California, of course, has long been a hotbed for JC talent, lighting up scoreboards and sending truckloads of scholarship athletes to four-year programs. There are 71 teams that compete in JC football in California and 139 nationally.
American River College, one of three California teams coming off a perfect season, is ranked fifth in the state and third in Northern California. ARC is riding an 18-game winning streak under tireless coach Jerry Haflich and will play host to the Rams of San Francisco on Sept. 29 as the Beavers move up to A-level play in the state, thus becoming eligible to compete in the NorCal and State bowl games. The state-title winner generally emerges as the top-ranked team in the country.
ARC opens the season Saturday at home against Monterey Penisula, ranked 12th in Northern California, then it plays the first game at refurbished Sacramento City College's Hughes Stadium on Sept. 7 before playing at NorCal No. 6 Chabot in Hayward and hosting NorCal No. 13 Santa Rosa.
In short, a pretty stacked schedule for an ARC outfit that could be fielding its finest team. The Beavers are led by returning tailback Devonte Booker of Grant High School, and new receivers in J'Juan Muldrow and Tyler Trosin of Folsom's 2010 state-championship team.
ARC finished ranked No. 2 in NorCal last season behind San Francisco and No. 4 in the state.
Sac City and Sierra College are not ranked, though the programs have been in recent seasons. Sierra hosts Sac City in an opener on Saturday.
State JC Top 25
with last year's record
1. San Francisco 12-0
2. Mt. San Antonio 11-2
3. Riverside 11-0
4. Butte 10-1
5. American River 11-0
6. Fresno 10-1
7. Cerritos 8-4
8. San Mateo 8-3
9. Palomar 7-4
10. Saddleback 8-3
11. El Camino 8-3
12. Chabot 9-2
13. Modesto 8-3
14. Ventura 7-4
15. Delta 7-4
16. Diablo Valley 8-3
17. Golden West 7-4
18. Allan Hancock 7-4
19. De Anza 7-4
20. Desert 6-5
21. Hartnell 8-3
22. East Los Angeles 8-3
23. Monterey Peninsula 7-4
24. Fullerton 5-5
25. Santa Rosa 5-5.
Others included: LA Harbor (7-4), Foothill (5-5), Santa Monica (8-3), Santa Ana (5-5), Canyons (4-6), Grossmont (4-6), Siskiyous (5-5), Yuba (7-4), Moorpark (6-4), Feather River (5-5), Contra Costa (6-4).
Northern California Top 20
with last year's record:
1. San Francisco 12-0
2. Butte 10-1
3. American River 11-0
4. Fresno 10-1
5. San Mateo 8-3
6. Chabot 9-2
7. Modesto 8-3
8. Delta 7-4
9. Diablo Valley 8-3
10. De Anza 7-4
11. Hartnell 8-3
12. Monterey Peninsula 7-4
13. Santa Rosa 5-5
14. Foothill 5-5
15. Siskiyous 5-5
16. Yuba 7-4
17. Feather River 5-5
18. Contra Costa 6-4
19. Merced 4-6
20. Sequoias 4-6
Others: Laney (2-8), Sacramento (3-7).
- Joe Davidson
- On Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD
- On Facebook: sacbeepreps
- On TV: Fox40.com for the Final Quarter highlight show
- On the net: surewestsports.com
- On podcasts: ESPN1320.net
Later this week: Trevor Horn previews for The Bee the regional JC scene.
In above photo: American River College freshamn receiver J'Juan Muldrow brings with him a culture of winning, having played a key role in Folsom High School's 2010 state championship team. Photo by Brian Baer
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