OCC opens with Vaqs

Barry Faulkner

The Orange Coast College football team will make history tonight at

5, when it plays host to Glendale in the nonconference season opener

at Newport Harbor High.

But the Pirates hope also to make an impression.

Playing for the first time at Newport Harbor’s Davidson Field, as

they await final touches on the renovation of their own LeBard

Stadium, the Pirates come off a 4-6 season that ended with four

straight losses.

Further, Coach Mike Taylor’s squad is hoping to begin what would

be only its second winning seasons in 11 years.

Glendale, meanwhile, is similarly anxious to reverse its program’s

recent struggles. The Vaqueros were 2-8 a year ago, including three

straight losses to end the campaign, and have had just one winning

season in their last nine.

Coach John Cicuto’s visitors surrendered nearly 33 points per game

last season, which should be music to Taylor’s ears.

Orange Coast’s biggest off-season emphasis was increasing

offensive productivity, after scoring just 16 touchdowns in 10 games

last fall and averaging just fewer than 13 points per contest.

The OCC offense will attempt to get things going without projected

starting sophomore quarterback Beau Budde, who has bone chips on his

right (throwing) ring finger, after banging it against a helmet in an

Aug. 28 scrimmage.

Sophomore Kyle Basanez, a transfer from Fordham, will get the call

at quarterback, though Taylor said freshman Chad Schmigel could also

see action.

Freshman Robert Aoki is the projected starting tailback for OCC,

for which sophomore fullback Jimmy Niutapuai is the leading returning

rusher with a modest 10 yards on five carries last season.

Freshman Ryan Lauderdale, sophomore Ismael Isais and freshman Will

Mitchell are expected to lead OCC’s wideouts, while sophomore tight

end Jon Garcia was a second-team All-Mission Conference (American

Division) performer a year ago. Garcia caught 11 passes for 142 yards

as a freshman.

The OCC offensive line, which returns four starters, averages

6-foot-3, 301 pounds.

“I’m anxious to see our offense,” said Taylor, entering his sixth

season at the OCC helm. “I think we’re much better up front than we

were a year ago.”

Defensively, OCC features returning all-conference picks Joe

Mitchell, a sophomore outside linebacker, and Ryan Davis, a sophomore

tackle. Another potential standout is 6-3, 245-pound sophomore

defensive end Ricky Miller, a bounce-back from Fresno State out of

Tustin High.

“We’re more athletic on defense [than in 2003],” Taylor said.

The Pirates figure to face a run-oriented offense against

Glandale, though the Vaqueros average only 6-0, 251 pounds from

tackle to tackle.

Sophomore Kenneth McDaniel, a converted receiver, is expected to

start at quarterback, where his speed and scrambling ability may

provide a challenge for OCC.

Sophomores Chris Berroud and Justin Tyler are projected to be the

primary ball carriers, while Phi Le and Tim Nailleux are members of a

Glendale receiving corps that Cicuto said has above-average speed.

Orange Coast defeated Glendale, 18-14, last season, on its way to

a 2-0 start. The loss propelled Glendale to an 0-4 beginning and the

Vaqueros have lost at least their first two games each of the last

three seasons.

Taylor said the best thing about the opener is always the ability

to test one’s personnel and schemes against an unfamiliar opponent.

“I think our guys are tired of practicing against each other,”

Taylor said. “It’s the first game of the year and there are always a

lot of mistakes and first-game jitters. And we’ll have a lot of new

faces playing for the first time in a college football game.”