OCC football: Higgs knew it all along

Steve Virgen

The scoreboard couldn’t bring him down -- El Camino 30, Orange

Coast 0 -- Nick Higgs never sunk his head. The Orange Coast College

freshman quarterback didn’t even mope, much less dwell in the frustration

of an offense that had scored just one touchdown in three weeks.

With his pass-happy dreams turning into nightmares, Higgs remained

patient and clung to the one thing that has maintained his love for the

game: confidence.

He believed in himself and he trusted his teammates could do better

and the results came through the week after the shutout.

The Pirates stunned Mt. San Antonio and then the following week OCC

pulled another upset at Pasadena City, which led to Higgs’ selection for

Orange Coast’s Athlete of the Week honors.

“Confidence, that’s the main thing,” Higgs said of the team’s

turnaround. “That’s all it is...confidence.”

Higgs acquired confidence and perseverance while playing for Sultana

High in Hesperia. Last year he suffered a deep thigh bruise that

shortened his season. Yet Higgs overcame the injury and threw for 1,500

yards in six games.

This year he began the season as a backup to Justin Simons in the

opener against Riverside. He played sparingly and finished with 17 yards

and one interception, completing 5 of his 9 attempts.

The next game at Long Beach, Higgs started, but didn’t improve much.

He led the Pirates to their first touchdown of the season, but threw for

only 70 yards on 6-of-26 passing with another interception.

And then came El Camino and the shutout. But he never worried. Higgs

and the Pirates went into the land of the nation’s No. 4-ranked team, Mt.

San Antonio, the next week and shocked the junior college football world

with a 26-25 upset win.

As if that wasn’t enough, OCC pulled another shocker at Pasadena nine

nights ago as Higgs had his best game of the season. He passed for 283

yards and two touchdowns, both to Justin Dale, Higgs’ high school

teammate in 1998.

“What I saw in him the past two games is what I’ve known about Nick my

whole life,” Dale said. “Those first three games he wasn’t playing like

the Nick Higgs I knew. I knew if the coaches just gave him another chance

he would show himself.”

Higgs has improved because he has kept in mind his high school years.

Throughout his stay at Sultana, Higgs learned not only to believe in

himself, but to also place trust in his teammates, one being Dale, OCC’s

big-play wide receiver, who is one of many reasons Higgs came to play for

the Pirates.

The Orange Coast connection of Higgs-to-Dale began at Sultana in 1998.

When Dale played for OCC last year Higgs went to see his best friend

play. Higgs saw an offense he would like to play in with Jared Flint

flinging passes downfield.

The following year, Higgs decided to join Dale. And now that the two

are becoming comfortable with the offense, Higgs is finding Dale quicker

than ever.

“I know where (Dale) is going to be because I played with him,” said

Higgs, who believes he is growing comfortable with the offense and the

team day by day. “Our offense is doing better because we’re trusting each

other.”

As the Bucs enter Mission Conference Central Division play, Higgs is

satisfied with his decision to play for OCC. He, as most JC football

players, came here to move on to the next level. But, Higgs also came

because he didn’t want to stop playing. And when his career is over at

OCC, he hopes to continue it elsewhere.

“To play at this level, you just don’t play just to play,” Higgs said.

“You play because you love the game and you want to get to the next

level. I don’t care where I play next. I just want to keep playing.”

And it continues Saturday on the Pirates’ campus, with Golden West

College invading for a 7 p.m. collision.