OCC football: Pirates tricked for a loss

Steve Virgen

FULLERTON - Orange Coast College’s football game at Cal State

Fullerton against Fullerton College was more of a trip to the Hornets’

playground. While OCC relied on the momentum of a five-game winning

streak, Fullerton deceived the Pirates with trick plays.

Fullerton blindsided OCC’s joyride with a 47-35 victory, Saturday,

most likely ending the Pirates’ chance for sole

possession of the Mission Conference Central Division

championship. The Bucs (5-4, 3-1 in conference play) can win the

title outright if they win next week and Fullerton and Palomar lose.

OCC hosts Saddleback next week. Fullerton (4-5, 3-1) will play at

Santa Ana. And Palomar (6-3, 3-1) hosts Golden West.

If OCC, Fullerton and Palomar win, all will share the

conference title and bowl bid scenarios will unfold

thereafter.

The Hornets converted three of four trick plays, which led to 21

points, including a fake field goal when Guy Porter’s 23-yard touchdown

reception from Brian Bartczak gave Fullerton a 34-14 lead early in the

third quarter.

“It was some schoolyard sandlot stuff, but that’s a part of the game

of football,” OCC Coach Mike Taylor said. “Any time you give up a

double pass or a big play like that, you’re a little

embarrassed because you know defensively they

shouldn’t be able to do that. It’s not like they ran

something that we couldn’t defend. We just bit on it. And we just need to

learn from those mistakes.”

On its first offensive possession, Fullerton surprised OCC with a fake

punt. After Pirates tight end Ben Fredrickson caught a 15-yard

touchdown pass from Nick Higgs,the Hornets scored 28

straight points, beginning with a scoring drive that included

the punt fake -- a 45-yard pass from starting running back Matt Gogan

to Porter putting Fullerton at the OCC 18-yard line. Three

plays later Gogan ran for a 4-yard touchdown to

tie the score at 7.

The Hornets led, 28-14, at halftime with Porter the main reason for

the advantage. The starting safety made his sixth interception of the

season, forced a fumble, scored a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown and

lined up as receiver to make two catches for 77 yards.

“There’s some good football players in this conference, but I don’t

know who’s better than (Porter),” Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said.

“This has to be our biggest win of the season because it keeps

us alive (for the conference title).”

Before Porter left the game with an abdominal strain, he struck again

in the third quarter with the reception off the fake field goal.

He was alone along the Hornets’ sideline unnoticed by Bucs that

he was on the field.

OCC answered Porter’s touchdown with two quick scores.

Wide receiver Justin Dale finished off a short out pattern for a

23-yard touchdown reception from Higgs. Two minutes later, running back

James Dawkins, a product of Estancia High, outran defenders for a

51-yard touchdown run. He finished with 154 yards on 19 carries.

“That’s a team that had nothing to lose and we had everything to

lose,” said Dawkins. “I learned that everything comes back to haunt

you. The fumble I had in the first half came back to haunt us. Every

mistake, every play counts toward the win.”

OCC trailed 34-28 after Dawkins’ touchdown and then Fullerton went

back to its bag of tricks. The Hornets converted a

44-yarddouble pass play when Jeff Crooks threw a backward pass to Brian

Bartczak who then launched it to Ben Reneau,

setting up Gogan’s 5-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, Pirates defensive back and return specialist

Johnnie Peeples returned it 91 yards for a TD.

Coach Taylor said the game against Fullerton would be decided by

turnovers. OCC had four turnovers as Dawkins fumbled

and Higgs threw three interceptions, two near the

Hornets’ goal line.

“No heart,” OCC defensive captain Dustin Davis said of the Pirates

effort. “A bunch of mental mistakes cost us the game.

Trick play or not, if you have your head in it, you don’t

get burned.”