At SJCC athletes and coaches have either been preparing for the upcoming season or their season has been underway for a short time.

Some of the coaches have voiced the confidence that their team will produce exciting games and are encouraging students to support the team at home games.

Sports that begin this semester include football, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross-country.

For the football team, dual-threat quarterback Delmon Williams is poised for a big year as coach Connor said, “He’s starting to really understand the quarterback position.”

With his elusive running style and his ability to throw down field, Williams provides the offense with a consistent big-play threat and he possesses the attributes that make him an exciting player to watch this season.

New paragraph Williams has the skill to elude rushers and extend plays with his legs and is capable of throwing deep passes on the run. He can also take off and run with the ball and is difficult to tackle once he is in the open field.

Coach Connor also spotlighted running back De’Jon Packer and said, “He’s a good combination of speed and power.”

Packer is an exciting player that has breakaway speed and is not afraid to lower his shoulder and run through tacklers.

Williams is already building a strong rapport with wide receiver Donald Weathersby, which coach Connor also spotlighted. At 6-foot-1 Weathersby is a legitimate deep threat in the Jaguars’ offense. He possesses an innate ability to go up and catch the football at its high point.

Coach Connor also said he believes students should be encouraged to attend games and support their team because, “There’s nothing like playing in front of a capacity crowd, no matter what sport it is no matter what you’re doing. Just the energy that you get from the crowd is special.”

Men’s basketball does not begin until November, but excitement for the season is warranted. Hall of Fame Head Coach Percy Carr is preparing for another strong season. With over 800 career wins and 36 playoff appearances, the presence of Coach Carr almost guarantees a winning brand of basketball for the Jaguars as they look to build on their impressive 10-2 win-loss record in conference play from last season.

On the women’s basketball side, head coach Terri Oberg looks to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing 2015-16 season in which the team finished with a 13-14 overall win-loss record.

The team, however, still posted a strong 7-4 win-loss record at home and showed great promise as they faced a tough a schedule.

Coach Oberg said that the strength of this team will be the, “returning players that have bought in and are committed to getting better.”

Returning players such as Regina Sankey, who made First Team All-Conference last season, and Ashley Snow, who made Second Team All-Conference last season, should come into this season improved and prepared to help the team achieve a winning record.

Coach Oberg also said she feels students should be excited to watch this team because, “The experienced players are very committed and they have put the time in to improve during the summer.”

Coach Oberg also said she plans to, “full court press, run, and play at a fast tempo with intense defense.”

Coach Oberg also wants to encourage any women that are interested in competing with the team to contact her in the kinesiology department as the team is a bit short-handed at the moment.

For the players and coaches it is important that students come out and support their team at home games. Schedules for all sports this semester are included on this page.