[portfolio_slideshow id=8837]<\/p>\n
Coach Connor looks to rebuild despite setbacks<\/p>\n
The San Jose City College football team has had a tough season so far.<\/p>\n
With a record of 1-4, it is easy to see that the losses are creating tension within the team, but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to be successful, but when you\u2019re in a sport or you\u2019re in anything where you\u2019re judged on your performance alone, then it gets tough,\u201d said Carlton Connor, head coach of the Jaguars. \u201cNo one cares about how much time you put in to prepare, no one cares about how much time you put in during the offseason to get better, they just want to see the wins and losses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some students have started to speculate that \u201chatred\u201d between players is to blame for the losses this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily that we hate each other \u2026 three quarters of these kids live together,\u201d Connor said. \u201cThere\u2019s no escape.\u201d<\/p>\n
As is the case with many sports teams, there is a family dynamic within the Jaguars, and the players are like brothers. Conflict between siblings is to be expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you start dealing with people for the number of hours that we deal with each other, you\u2019re just going to get tired of it,\u201d Connor said. \u201cHas it hindered some of our progress? Sure. But those are the natural growing pains of JC football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh Pruneda, broadcasting student and former Jags football player, denied there is animosity within the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think hatred is too strong a word,\u201d Pruneda said. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone on the team hates each other, but the losing streak is very frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor was not here as a coach last year so he said this season is entirely developmental.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a crack in the foundation of the program so it\u2019s definitely a rebuilding year, a reestablishing year, but we\u2019re getting better each and every week,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n
He went on to say that offensive coordinator Shawn Thomas decided to resign before the end of the season, but his absence will not affect the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe (Thomas) chose to go on to other endeavors,\u201d Connor said. \u201cA lot of times people get into things and don\u2019t really understand the depth of which they get into, and I think that that was the case there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Injured Jags football player CJ Dia, 20, sociology major, said Thomas was a \u201cterrible\u201d coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like his mouth was a lot bigger than what he was bringing to the table, or he had never coached before,\u201d Dia said.<\/p>\n
During the game against West Hills College on Sept. 28, freshman defensive lineman Meke Savaii was ejected from the game for \u201ctaking a shot on a ref,\u201d according to the KJCC radio live broadcast from that day.<\/p>\n
Connor and Dia both declined to comment about the incident or about the player himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s served his suspension through the proper organizations and authorities,\u201d Connor said. \u201cIt was a two-week suspension and community service, and the young man \u2026 understands the importance of his behavior and his demeanor, and what he represents when he\u2019s wearing that helmet and that jersey, and I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to have that from him again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Savaii said he was instructed by Coach Connor to not speak about the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all happened so fast that as soon as the player made his move on the ref, he was out of the game,\u201d said Jason Guillory, KJCC radio live broadcaster. \u201cI believe it was due to a lack of discipline on the field, as well as frustration due to the lack of offensive production and the score of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conner says football is an emotional game and there are a number of things that can happen before, during or after the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you play this game you have to act out of character; and that doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have good character or you\u2019re not a good person, but just to have the ability to run around and throw yourself into other human beings at 20-25 mph consistently for 60 minutes \u2026 you\u2019re not the regular cat on the street,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n
As for the future, Connor said the team will continue to grow as young men and as football players.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, we are 1-4; yes, we have struggled; yes, there are some things that we could do to get better, but the best thing about it right now is that we have another week,\u201d Connor said. \u201cThe worst thing about it right now is we\u2019re going to run out of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that football and athletics at San Jose City College are an important aspect of the college community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really think that people should start to look at the bigger picture and look at the value of community that the teams bring,\u201d Connor said. \u201cI really would like to see a more positive spin, a more positive aspect of the way that we\u2019re treating our student athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[portfolio_slideshow id=8837] Coach Connor looks to rebuild despite setbacks The San Jose City College football team has had a tough season so far. With a record of 1-4, it is easy to see that the losses are creating tension within the team, but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes. \u201cWe\u2019re here…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88909,"featured_media":8838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[],"staff_name":[631],"class_list":["post-8837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-life","category-sports","staff_name-taylor-atkinson"],"yoast_head":"\n