Defensive delight for Bucs

Bryce Alderton

Just how dominating was the host Orange Coast College football team’s

defense against visiting Los Angeles Southwest in the nonconference

home opener?

Coast recorded seven sacks for minus-53 yards, held the visitors

to just 25 rushing yards and recovered a fumble for a touchdown, all

in a 20-0 victory Saturday at LeBard Stadium.

With the win, OCC (2-0) recorded its first shutout since blanking

Saddleback in 1993, 17-0, a season culminated by a 26-14 victory over

Antelope Valley in the Orange County Bowl.

Making Saturday’s win even more impressive was that Coast was

without two All-Mission Conference defensive selections a year ago in

tackle Jesse Mahelona and end Ryan Miller. Mahelona sprained his

ankle in the first quarter of Coast’s 18-14 victory Sept. 6, but

played the rest of the game. On Saturday the all-state selection came

in on only one series. Miller tore the medial collateral ligament in

his right knee and has missed the first two games.

“You recruit players and they get an opportunity to play,” OCC

head coach Mike Taylor said. “The offense disappeared [in the first

half], but the defensive guys did a great job.”

Leading the charge was freshman end Justin Williams, who used his

6-foot, 235-pound frame to knife through a porous LA Southwest line

to record four first-half sacks, including an 11-yard takedown in

which he jarred the ball loose from the quarterback, allowing

sophomore defensive end Bryan Meers to return the fumble 48 yards

with 15 seconds to go in the first half, giving OCC a 10-0 lead at

halftime.

“I got there real quick and saw the ball was loose,” Meers

recalled. “I saw open field and just took it.”

The touchdown was Meers’s second in 12 years of playing football.

He preferred to speak about the whole unit.

“The key was hustling to the ball and not letting [the Cougars]

have anything,” Meers said.

Trailing 10-0 to begin the second half, the Cougars (0-2) used the

pass almost exclusively, but mustered just 14 yards through the air

the final two quarters. L.A. Southwest gained just 32 total yards on

offense in the second half and gained just one first down in that

span.

While the Cougars were sputtering with the ball, Coast inserted

freshman Beau Budde at quarterback for the second half in place of

Kelika Higa, who played the first two quarters. Budde started last

week’s game against Glendale, but never found a groove, going 3 for 9

for 27 yards under mild defensive pressure. Higa relieved Budde in

the second half and led Coast to three second-half touchdowns.

Saturday was a different story as the San Clemente High grad

orchestrated a 12-play drive near the end of the third quarter and

into the fourth that consumed nearly five minutes and ended in

freshman tailback John Black’s 2-yard touchdown run for the game’s

final score. Black rushed 16 times for 67 yards while teammate Chris

Vega had 13 carries for 68 yards.

Budde’s primary targets were Nainoa Kuna -- four catches for 46

yards and Anthony Escalera -- two catches for 34 yards. Jermaine

Snell, an Estancia High grad, gained 24 yards on three catches.

“I was happy with Beau,” Taylor said. “He moved the team and threw

the ball well.”

Taylor spoke his coaching staff at halftime and decided to insert

Budde for the final two quarters.

“Kelika had a few balls batted down and [the Cougars’] defense was

tough,” Taylor said. “It was a defensive slugfest.”

Freshman defensive back David Mendoza returned an interception 15

yards on Coast’s final defensive stand before OCC ran out the final

6:58.

Coast’s offensive line of center Kyle Collins, guards Adrian Mejia

and Blake Sorber and tackles Emil West and Ricky Mercado opened up

seams for Black and Vega and didn’t go unnoticed.

“The line did a wonderful job of coming together and setting it

up,” Black said.

The Cougars’ offensive line couldn’t contain Coast’s Sean

Campregher, Ryan Davis and linebacker Dallas DeFries from getting

into the backfield for sacks. Campregher and Davis each notched

8-yard takedowns while DeFries dropped the quarterback for 6 yards.

“They kept us in the game,” Black said of the defense. “They did

it for us, so it was time we did something ourselves.”

Coast kicker Mike DeHart booted field goals of 31 and 42 yards

Saturday.