City College’s football team had a rough patch this season, but the team overcame adversity despite its losses.
The Vaqueros have a 0-9 overall record with a 0-6 record in their conference. City College plays in a competitive Southern California Football Association (SCFA) Northern Conference.
However, the Vaqueros were faced with a roster of many freshmen this season, with a significant number experiencing junior college football for the first time as starters.
“We have a lot of guys who have never played a college game before and then all of a sudden they’re playing against the type of competition we’re playing against,” Head coach Craig Moropoulos said.
This season was a challenge due to the inexperience.
Despite the challenges, Moropoulos said he let his players know that they needed to give everything they had the whole game.
“We may not be the biggest guys, fastest or strongest, but something we do have is heart [and] we are willing to do all we can to help our brothers out,” First-year center Julyan Martinez said in an email to The Channels. “That shows a lot in [Moropoulos] coaching, he’s been doing this a long time and he understands the new game to us young guys coming in to play.”
The team has dealt with adversity, whether it was the losses, the young roster or the playoff suspension until September 2026.
City College’s football team moved from the American Pacific League to the northern section of the SCFA in 2023. Their new opponents have included the undefeated Ventura College, 5-1 Mt. San Antonio, 4-2 Moorpark, Citrus, Allan Hancock, Long Beach and Santa Ana.
The SCFA brought in more competition that City College has been adjusting to, compared to the American Pacific League, where they had a record of 10 wins.
“We’ve taken our lumps . . . this competition is outstanding and it’s very, very high level,” Moropoulos said. “We just want to keep building up, keep getting better little by little and never give up.”
Last season and this season, the football team dealt with the playoff suspension until 2026 and with recruitment restrictions.
However, despite the limitations, some players from the 2024 season stayed.
“All that matters is the players who have stayed or have come to play here knowing what had happened are doing all that they can to create a team with what we got,” Martinez said.
City College’s football team doesn’t discuss the restrictions they faced or how it may have affected this season.
“We are going to deal with what’s in front of us and not what’s behind us,” Moropoulos said.
Even though the Vaqueros faced a 0-6 conference record the football team relied on each other throughout the season.
Some returning second-year players had helped the younger side of the roster through their experience.
Wide receiver Nate Jetter and linebacker Nelson Smith are on the experienced side of players and helped others this season navigate junior college football.
Moropoulos explained Jetter and Smith are mature and helped others by showing what to do rather than just talking about it.
“I’m not really into guys who talk,” Moropoulos said. “I’m more into guys who actually do it.”
The Vaqueros struggled this season defensively. Moropoulos said Smith was the one to look at for leadership.
Despite the outcome of the season, the coaching staff and team were there for one another to overcome the season’s hardships.
“We all are here for each other and have all raised some sort of standard,” Martinez said. “The coaches, they are the ones behind the scenes helping us shine on that field every time we step on it [and] they have always been there to support.”
City College’s last game will be Saturday, Nov. 8 at La Playa Stadium to conclude the season before the team begins preparing for its 2026 season.
