OCC football: Who let the Pirates out?

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - A lack of preparation wasn’t the case for the Orange

Coast football team, Saturday night. The Pirates were ready for anything

from executing gimmick plays to woofing celebration chants.

The preparation paid off for OCC as the Pirates gained 628 yards of

offense, a school record, that led to a 55-21 Mission Conference Central

Division victory over district rival Golden West. OCC broke the record of

587 yards set in 1950 against L.A. Valley.

The Pirates paid their respects to the Rustlers after the final gun

and then grabbed the Victory Bell, the winner’s reward for the OCC-Golden

West conquest. The Rustlers owned the bell since 1997 after a 28-6 win.

“Whose got the bell now? Hoo! Hoo! Hoo-hoo,” the Pirates chanted as

they rang the Victory Bell. They were singing to the tune of the Baha

Men’s Jamaican anthem, “Who Let the Dogs Out?”.

“We knew we had it won,” said OCC wide receiver Justin Dale, who threw

a touchdown pass and ran in a score off a reverse. “We were just waiting

for the clock to run out to get the bell because we were ready to do (the

chant).”

The Pirates’ singing was a worthy celebration as they stormed to a

34-7 halftime lead, scoring touchdowns on five of their eight possessions

in the first half.

OCC scored on its first offensive play from scrimmage.

After sending the Rustlers three-and-out, Pirates running back Anthony

Campo broke away from a simple dive play and stretched it into a 54-yard

touchdown run. Campo’s dash was the first touchdown for the Pirates at

LeBard Stadium this season.

“We have the tools,” OCC Coach Mike Taylor said of the Pirates’

offense that rushed for 363 yards after gaining just 294 in its first

five games of the season. “We just need to get the ball in the right

hands. Obviously, we’re a different team than what we were against

Riverside.”

Taylor was speaking of the Pirates’ 17-2 loss to Riverside, Sept. 9,

when OCC finished with only 88 offensive yards.

Saturday night, however, was a different story as the Pirates (3-3)

extended their winning streak to three, handing Golden West (0-6) its

26th straight loss.

On OCC’s second offensive possession, the Pirates went for a trick

play to increase their lead.

After quarterback Nick Higgs completed a 37-yard pass to Jonathan

Jackson on a third-and-eight, OCC caught the Rustlers by surprise. On the

ensuing play, Higgs handed the ball off to wide receiver Vince Strang III

coming in motion toward the Pirates’ sideline. Strang then pitched the

ball to Dale running in the opposite direction. And Dale heaved a 40-yard

touchdown pass to Tyrone McNeace.

“We ran it in practice and I threw a (interception) because I couldn’t

throw it that far,” Dale said. “When I came out here I just said, “I got

to stay composed,” and I just threw it. That was my first touchdown pass

ever. I’ve been wanting to throw the ball. They finally let me throw the

rock.”

The Pirates scored again just before the first quarter came to an end

as OCC ran a draw play at the perfect moment. Golden West came on a

blitz, but Higgs handed the ball to James Dawkins, a product of Estancia

High, who went the distance virtually untouched for a 53-yard touchdown.

The Pirates increased their lead to 27-0 after Dale ran off a reverse

for a 44-yard score. Then, with 8:43 remaining in the first half Newport

Harbor High product Eddie Johnson gave Higgs a breather.

Johnson led the Pirates on a 45-yard drive in five plays ending with

his 9-yard touchdown pass to Jackson. Johnson finished with with two

touchdown passes.

OCC took advantage of its favorable field position throughout the

first half. Strang returned seven punts for 79 yards in the first half to

set up the offense.

The Golden West offense managed one touchdown before halftime. But,

the Pirates’ defense forced the Rustlers to punt seven out of their eight

possessions.

“This is the most exciting win I’ve been in since the championship

game in ’98 with Mater Dei,” OCC linebacker and former Monarch Dustin

Davis said. “We were up for this game. It was just a great win.”

Taylor was a bit upset with the Pirates’ second half, calling their

performance “sloppy.” Yet, OCC still earned some highlights in the second

half. The highlights came before the third quarter ended. Higgs’ 5-yard

touchdown run capped a seven-play 80-yard drive that featured tight end

Ben Fredrickson, who caught three passes for 61 yards on the scoring

drive.

Though Taylor was impressed with the victory, he wants his team to

maintain its momentum as it prepares for Palomar Saturday at home at 1

p.m.

Said Taylor, “We have some things we need to work on because Palomar

is not Golden West.”