OCC wins opener, 31-24

Tony Altobelli

FULLERTON - Orange Coast College football Coach Mike Taylor had a

feeling something was up when he suddenly became the least popular person

on the Pirate sidelines.

What was up was about a gallon of ice water hovering over Taylor’s

head in the wake of OCC’s dramatic come-from-behind, 31-24 win over

Fullerton Saturday at Cal State Fullerton.

The win was Taylor’s first as the Pirates’ skipper and the first

season-opening win in six years.

“I had a feeling something was going on because all of a sudden, the

coaches didn’t want to stand next to me,” a wet, but happy Taylor said.

Another person deserving of a sideline shower was Pirate Jared Flint.

The sophomore quarterback was 23 for 37 for 361 yards and two

touchdowns for the Pirates.

His 23 completions was one shy of the school record set by Keith

Jarrett in 1987 in a game against Santa Ana College.

“Flint did a great job considering the constant pressure he was

under,” Taylor said. “If I’m playing defense against us my first priority

is to stop Flint, but he stepped it up and made the big plays when we

needed it.”

Two of Flint’s favorite targets were David Castleton (six catches for

101 yards) and Justin Dale (four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown).

Taylor was also pleased with few mental mistakes in the game,

considering the inexperience he had on the field.

“We were a lot crisper than I was anticipating,” Taylor said. “Players

were where they were supposed to be and for the most part, we were all on

the same page out there.”

The Pirates did an excellent job of anticipating the Hornets’

defensive schemes.

Taylor used a conservative passing attack that produced tremendous

results.

Running back Raymond Ohrel (Newport Harbor High), was used out of the

backfield to catch eight balls for 124 yards, including a nifty shovel

pass that turned into a 70-yard gain to give the Bucs field goal position

late in the first half.

The Pirates’ defense also picked up the offense after two turnovers

could have proved costly.

In the second quarter, with the Hornets already leading, 7-0, a

52-yard interception return put the Hornets deep in the Pirates’ zone.

But, the Bucs’ defense tightened and Fullerton settled for a 27-yard

field goal from Jimmy Zurn.

After a third-quarter Pirate fumble, defensive back Bobby Johnson,

blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt by Zurn, keeping the game tied at

10-10.

“There was a lot of adversity out there against us,” Taylor said. “It

was very encouraging to see us rise to the occasion like that.”

It was the 50th contest between the two clubs. Both teams went back

and forth, until midway through the fourth quarter, when, once again, the

Pirate defense, this time, led by freshman linebacker Dustin Davis, shut

down the Hornets’ attack.

“I forgot how hard that young man can hit,” Taylor said of Davis. “I

remember him playing at Mater Dei, but I didn’t realize his power.”

Davis’ power was recognized by the Hornets early in the fourth quarter

when he drilled quarterback Greg Garand from the blindside, knocking the

ball loose.

Andrew Medley picked up the loose ball and scampered 30 yards for the

touchdown, tying the game at 17.

The Hornets quickly regained the lead with a 39-yard touchdown pass

from Garand to A.J. Pressley.

After the Pirates failed to move the ball, it was up to the defense to

come up big, and they did.

Davis’ third of four sacks, along with the strong play of defensive

end Chris Candlish, stopped Fullerton deep in their own end, forcing the

Hornets to punt, giving the Pirates excellent field position.

“Considering it was Chris’ first game out there at this level, he did

one heck of a job,” Taylor said.

Flint was 4 for 4 on the ensuing drive, including a 7-yard touchdown

pass to tight end Ben Fredrickson.

“What made the win that much better was that different people came up

huge when we needed them,” Taylor said. “It was really a team win all the

way around.”

After Fullerton went four and out, OCC, again in excellent field

position, took the lead for good on the strong running of Jimmie Banks.

The 247-pound fullback powered through for a 22-yard run, before

scoring from a yard out with 2:18 remaining.

Still, the Pirates had to pay a price in the remaining moments, in

terms of a near-heart-stopping Fullerton kickoff return.

The Hornets returned the grounder kickoff from deep in Fullerton

territory, which was nearly taken back for a game-tying touchdown.

Once the hearts started beating again, OCC forced the Hornets into

four-straight incompletions and the game was won.

Next up for the Pirates is their home opener Saturday night at 7

against a feisty Saddleback team, which upset nationally-ranked Mt. San

Antonio, 26-23 in both teams’ season opener Saturday.

“Practice will be a little more lively after a good win like this, but

we can’t live on last week’s performance,” Taylor said. “We have to be

ready for Saddleback or we’ll be in trouble.”