COC Football Program Earns 3C2A Scholar Team Award

Information graphic on a blue background with yellow text and highlights, alongside a team photo of the 2023 football team in honor of its recent 3C2A Scholar Team Award.

April 29, 2025

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

The 2023 Cougars football team has been named a 2023-24 California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Scholar Team Award winner.

The Scholar Team Award is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the 3C2A. It emphasizes the academic achievement of all members of one specific team. Only one team is selected for each 3C2A sport, with a total of 23 men's and women's teams honored for the 2023-24 school year.

Joining the football program in receiving the academic honor is the 2023 state championship women's golf team. The pair of scholar team awards are the first for Canyons since its 2019 state championship women's golf team also won the award in spring 2021.

To be eligible, all team members must have excelled academically with a total GPA of 3.0 or higher. The team should also have demonstrated better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competition.

"We are incredibly proud to congratulate our 2023 football and women's golf teams for earning the 3C2A Scholar Team Award, recognizing them as the top academic-performing teams in the state, for their respective sports," said Matt Crater, Director of Athletics, Student Engagement & Student Support. "This honor reflects each team's hard work, discipline, and commitment to excellence in competition and the classroom."

"It's amazing to witness the level of work and dedication these student-athletes dedicate to their academics on top of the commitments made to their sport and their personal lives away from campus," said COC Athletic Counselor Albert Loaiza. "To be able to excel in the classroom is hard enough, but to combine that with the effort dedicated to their respective sport is inspiring to see."

The 2023 Cougars football team posted a 6-5 overall record and 5-2 mark in conference play while returning to postseason competition with a bid to play in the Western State Conference Bowl. The Cougars also finished third in the Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League.

The bowl game was the first for COC since the 2017 season with the Cougars having qualified for the state playoffs in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Canyons ended the year as the No. 18 ranked team in the state.

Boasting a roster of nearly 80 players, the Cougars combined for a team GPA of 3.25.

"We are so proud of the fact that our remarkable student-athletes have adopted such a strong, student first mentality," Loaiza said.

At season's end nine players earned All-Northern League Team honors, with six selections from the offensive side supported by three on the Cougars' defense. A whopping 29 players were named to the 2023 SCFA Scholar Athlete Team, the most of any program in the region.

"We take great pride in supporting our student-athletes," added Crater. "This recognition is a testament to the culture of academic achievement we strive to uphold at College of the Canyons."

The two teams were celebrated during the annual 3C2A Convention held March 25-28, in Sacramento. A full list of 2023-24 3C2A Scholar Team Award winners is included here.

Stay up to date by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.