A JC that wins with local talent

Anyone who thinks a junior college can't win football games with local, home-grown talent would be wise to show up at Don Odishoo Field on Saturday.

The season finale for the Merced College Blue Devils promises to be a showcase for some of Merced County's top prep stars of yesteryear. For a small ticket price -- or a canned good -- you'll likely see a kid you know or remember streaking down the sideline, fighting in the trenches or plowing his way between tackles.

And the refreshing part, there's a strong chance it will come in a win. Maybe even a blowout win, folks.

When's the last time we said that?

However, there's one small, teeny-tiny caveat: Be prepared to root on the bad guy.

Merced College hosts the Modesto Junior College Pirates on Saturday night in a revival of the Gateway Bowl.

The Pirates (4-0 GGC, 6-3) are bona fide champions, having locked up at least a share of the Golden Gate Conference title with last week's convincing win over Laney. They'll play in a bowl game, probably their own (the Graffiti Bowl). The Blue Devils, on the other hand, have long been an afterthought -- though they've played with a pulse as of late.

MC is 2-2 in conference, 2-7 overall, and a long shot to beat MJC.

The irony is that both programs have followed the exact same formula, recruiting mostly local talent to fill out their rosters. The Blue Devils have 40 local players on their rosters, including 14 from championship programs like Merced and Dos Palos high schools.

MJC has nine players from Merced County, alone, which means the Pirates have 1) laid their roots in the Blue Devils' backyard and 2) proven they can win with local talent. Worse yet, our local talent.

We love to argue the relevance of a building a winning junior college. What matters more: winning games or developing talent? For the most part, the division is 50-50. People rave about MC's ability to send kids to the next level -- which is awesome -- while others can't stand to see another loss.

The sad reality is that Saturday's game could have a lasting impact on recruiting in this area for years, and an even greater impact on the future welfare of MC football. If Modesto can waltz into MC's house and run up the score, I think we'll see more and more of our local talent gravitate towards Modesto.

That's how it works. Guys like Casey Cotta (Los Banos), RJ Regert (Buhach Colony) and Carlos Acosta (Merced) could have enrolled at MC, but they didn't. And why's that?

I suspect we'll find out Saturday.