Pirates, Gauchos in battle of unbeatens

Bryce Alderton

Points could be hard to come by when Orange Coast College and host

Saddleback duel in the Mission Conference football opener for both

teams at 5 p.m. today at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

Both teams enter at 2-0 and are ranked in the conference’s top 2

in total defense. Coast, rated No. 1 in the conference and the state,

OCC Coach Mike Taylor said, has allowed a mere 240 yards in two games

while Saddleback has given up 511.

The Pirates, members of the American Division, come off their

first shutout in 10 years when they blanked visiting Los Angeles

Southwest, 20-0, Saturday. The Bucs held the Cougars to 37 yards of

total offense.

OCC’s defensive front should get a boost when sophomore defensive

tackle Jesse Mahelona, an all-state selection as a freshman, returns

to the starting lineup today after seeing action on just one play a

week ago to help heal a sprained ankle.

Mahelona made 12 tackles in Coast’s 18-14 win against Glendale in

the opener Sept. 6 and ranks fourth in the conference in that

category.

Taylor said Mahelona and starting defensive tackle Nick Moghaddam

will see action on the offensive line today to add more sophomore

leadership alongside left tackle Emil West and right guard Adrian

Mejia.

Coast’s offensive line paved the way for tailbacks Josh Black and

Chris Vega to find seams in the Cougar defense last week, but today’s

game figures to get a lot tougher against a Gaucho group that is

second in the conference in run defense, allowing just 51.5 yards per

game. Coast is third, giving up 61.5 per contest.

“[Saddleback’s] defense is very good,” Taylor said. “They were

touted coming in and have proven to be that through the first two

games.”

The Gauchos come in ranked No. 2 in Southern California and fourth

in the state according to the Junior College Athletic Bureau.

Leading the charge is sophomore linebacker Ryan Powdrell, who has

returned two interceptions for 56 yards in two games. Powdrell made

19 tackles and added an interception in a 24-16 victory over Chaffey

last week.

“He is going to be involved, he is the ring leader,” Taylor said

of Powdrell. “We’ll take some bad plays and try to have some good

plays, but that is the way football is. We can’t make a big play on

defense and figure it will be easy.”

Saddleback defeated OCC, 37-16, in the regular-season finale last

season at Coast, using a running game that amassed 217 net yards with

quarterback Brock Farrel -- the conference’s Co-Offensive Player of

the Year and first-team all-state selection -- tossing three

touchdown passes and leading an option attack. Farrel has completed

20 of 35 passes for 172 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions

in two games this fall.

Through two games the Gauchos rank last (12th) in total offense in

the conference, averaging 229.5 yards per game while OCC sits in

sixth at 322. But Saddleback has found the end zone seven times while

Coast has scored four offensive touchdowns.

Freshman quarterback Beau Budde, who relieved starter Kelika Higa

for the final two quarters of last week’s game, gets the starting

nod. Budde completed eight of 14 passes for 88 yards against L.A.

Southwest.

“He looked good [Wednesday] and has a good grasp of the offense,”

Taylor said. “[Budde and Higa] each bring something to the table.”

The game will dictate who will take snaps under center.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Taylor said. “If we score five or six

touchdowns, we might play [starting free safety Nick Dominelli] at

quarterback.”

Dominelli played quarterback in high school. Dominelli suffered a

concussion after being hit in the head on the opening kickoff

Saturday, but Taylor feels confident he will play today. Freshman

Trevor Meyers will start at free safety in his place.

Freshman receiver Justin Humalon, who missed last week’s game

because of a sore hamstring, will see limited action today as Coleman

Menke and Jermaine Snell get the starting wideout spots. Both provide

valuable options for whoever is at quarterback.

Sophomore defensive end Ryan Miller, who missed the first two

games with a tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right

knee, won’t start today, but Taylor said the second-team

all-conference selection a year ago improved during the week’s

practices.

“It will take awhile to work him in, but he had three bat-downs

that came out of the blue, stuff I haven’t seen since last year,”

Taylor said.

Taylor said OCC is better than they were when these two teams met

last season, especially defensively. The game could be decided on

turnovers, field position and the kicking game, he added.

“We can’t let a series that goes well dictate how we play the rest

of the game,” he said. “We have to play for 60 minutes, knowing there

will be highs and lows.

“There is a lot of passion in this group. They rise up and have

played to their potential every week.”