Rancho Santiago Upsets No. 2 Orange Coast

Orange Coast couldn’t hold onto the ball against Rancho Santiago Saturday night, which probably means the Pirates won’t hold onto their No. 2 state and national rankings this week.

Rancho Santiago held on all the way for a 10-7 upset of the previously unbeaten Pirates in a Mission Conference Central Division opener.

The Dons (2-4, 1-0) stopped a four-game losing streak behind tough defense and the wet weather at Santa Ana Stadium, which combined to produce five OCC turnovers. The Pirates (5-1, 0-1) lost fumbles twice in the fourth quarter to end potential game-winning drives.

With 44 seconds to play, Orange Coast was at the Rancho Santiago 35-yard line when quarterback Donnie Smith fumbled the snap and the Dons’ J.R. Sauni recovered to seal the victory. Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Pirates had muffed a punt near midfield and the Dons recovered, enabling them to continue running the ball and the clock.

“Our game plan was to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible to keep it out of (Orange Coast’s) hands,” Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas said. “(The game plan) worked well, especially since Coast kept giving us the ball back.”

Rancho Santiago rushed 61 times for 160 yards and did not turn the ball over. Orange Coast still managed a 34:55 to 25:05 advantage in time of possession, and outgained the Dons, 279-238, but the turnovers proved to be the key statistic.

Rancho Santiago’s only touchdown was the result of a fumble of its own. Punter David Knorr dropped a snap midway through the first quarter, but picked up the ball and ran 15 yards for a first down at the OCC 25. From there, the Dons ran the ball nine consecutive times, leading to a one-yard touchdown run by Kendrick Isles.

The Pirates tied the score on Adrain Steen’s four-yard touchdown run with 5:52 remaining in the first half, but the Dons took a 10-7 halftime lead on Knorr’s 36-yard field goal with 43 seconds left.