Orange Coast closes it out with 37-16 loss

Bryce Alderton

Though the outcome wasn’t what they desired, grins graced the

faces of the Orange Coast College football team Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates (4-6, 2-3 in the Mission Conference Central Division)

lost their final game this season to the visiting Saddleback Gauchos

(8-2, 4-1 in conference), 37-16, but the Coast contingent remained

upbeat.

“I wish Coast was a four-year university,” said sophomore

linebacker Dan Steinau, who was in on a number of tackles Saturday.

“We fought hard but came up on the short end of the stick. Our

attitude is so much more upbeat this year. We’re still a team that

hangs out.”

Coast stayed with Saddleback for as long as it could after falling

behind, 16-0, in the first quarter.

Twice OCC got to within seven points and received a helping hand

from 17 Gaucho penalties that cost Saddleback 157 yards.

The Pirates even tried an on-side kick and converted a fake punt

in the fourth quarter, trailing, 30-16.

Nick Dominelli took the snap from center at the Gaucho 43 in the

fourth period and tossed a 15-yard completion to James Webster to

keep OCC’s drive alive, but a 4-yard sack by Saddleback’s Jeff Dixon

stalled the pursuit three plays later and Orange Coast was forced to

punt.

OCC got the ball back later in the quarter following Chris

Cassidy’s 5-yard sack of quarterback Brock Farrel.

Coast had the ball on its own 35 but two plays later Jimmy

Ellingson mauled the quarterback for a 6-yard sack, forcing an Orange

Coast punt.

Saddleback scored a touchdown five plays later on a 5-yard burst

from Chris Smith.

“I wish we had gotten the on-side kick but the kick was too hard,”

Taylor said. “The fake punt was nice but we needed to score more

points. (Saddleback) is a good football team and that’s why they’re

8-2.”

The swarming front four of the Gauchos tackled Pirate quarterback

Derek Aspinwall for six sacks netting 40 yards.

Coming into the game the Gauchos had allowed the fewest rushing

yards in the conference (86.1), but Orange Coast regularly challenged

the defense Saturday.

Sophomore Niles Mittasch bruised his way for 114 yards on 32

carries and a touchdown run in the third quarter from a yard out to

get the Pirates within seven, 23-16.

Mittasch’s TD capped Coast’s second longest drive of the game.

The drive lasted 6:04 and covered 73 yards in 11 plays. Mittasch

carried eight consecutive times and scored on his ninth carry.

Dan Hawkey tallied 19 yards on the ground for Coast on six

carries, two of those yards coming on a TD run that capped a 16-play,

74-yard drive that chewed up 8:42 in the second quarter.

Coast quarterback Derek Aspinwall passed for 73 yards on 10 of 20

attempts. He hit Coleman Menke four times for 28 yards while James

Webster caught two balls for 21 yards and David Bare grabbed am

18-yard reception.

Six sacks and three runs for losses totaling 30 yards brought

OCC’s net rushing yards down to 90, which pleased Saddleback Coach

Mark McElroy.

“I’m very proud of our defense,” McElroy said. “(Orange Coast) has

a very good offensive line and (Mittasch) is a workhorse.”

It was Saddleback’s ground game that put a strain on the Coast

defense, gaining 217 net yards. Darren Shorter led the Gaucho ground

attack with 129 yards on 16 carries, scoring on a 25-yard TD scamper

in the third quarter to put Saddleback up, 23-9.

Quarterback Brock Farrel led an impressive option attack, gaining

64 yards on 13 carries. He was equally effective through the air,

competing 14 of 23 attempts for 180 yards and three touchdowns.