Ah-Hi, Baichtal lead Pirates over Vikes

COSTA MESA — Orange Coast College tailback Kevin Ah-Hi shrugged and smiled when asked if his last name meant something in another language. But after the 6-foot, 210-pound freshman carried 48 times for 266 yards in the Pirates’ 20-14 victory over visiting Long Beach, one might suggest it could mean “old-school.”

Ah-Hi’s ground assault on the Vikings in the Mission Conference American Division game Saturday was a definite throwback in this age of spread, air-oriented offenses, especially at the community college level. Ah-Hi broke a 20-year-old school record for most carries in a game and came within nine yards of tying the school record for single-game rushing yards set by Bill Harrison in 1956.

Bart Recktenwald held the previous mark for carries with 38 in 1987.

Ah-Hi, who came in with 472 yards on 117 carries this season, handled all 12 plays in the 80-yard touchdown drive that broke a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter.

Three plays after his would-be 15-yard touchdown run was nullified by a holding pentalty, the New Zealand native who starred at Coeur d’Alene High in Idaho before redshirting at Montana State last season, swept 14 yards around the left side for the game-winning score with 5:09 remaining.

On the scoring play, his fifth touchdown of the season, Ah-Hi followed a kickout block by receiver Cameron Hall, as well as the work of tackle Jordan Taormina and guard Finau Fiaseu, both of whom pulled and lead through the hole. It was only the sixth time he gained at least 10 yards all night. His biggest burst was a 20-yard gain up the middle on the first play of the game-winning drive.

Ah-Hi carried eight times for 60 yards in the Pirates’ 15-play, 93-yard drive that consumed 8:17 in the third quarter.

OCC’s methodical ground game, which produced 18 of the team’s 27 first downs, combined with an opportunistic defense, led by three interceptions from freshman free safety Shad Baichtal, to help the Pirates improve to 4-5, 2-2 in the division.

The Pirates had the ball for 43:53 of the 60-minute contest, and their 80 offensive plays nearly doubled the visitors’ total (41).

Baichtal shared the hero label with Ah-Hi. He twice left his feet to make interceptions in the end zone, then jumped a slant route to pick off Gabriel Thomas at the OCC eight-yard line to halt the Vikings’ final possession with 4:06 left in the game.

Baichtal retreated and leaped just inside the goal line to snatch a Thomas pass headed for an open receiver deep in the end zone with 4:30 left in the first half. That halted a Long Beach drive that had come 63 yards to the Pirates’ 10.

Baichtal, whose three interceptions coming into the game led the team, collected his second interception of the game with 12:05 left, diving to catch and ill-fated deep pass to end a Long Beach prosession that had covered 57 yards and gotten as far as the OCC 26.

Baichtal’s big plays helped deflate an otherwise prolific performance by Thomas, a freshman making just his second start of the season.

Thomas completed nine of 20 passes for 205 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown strike to Stephen Burton, who finished with 153 yards on his five catches. Thomas, who darted out of a handful of potential sacks, also rushed for 31 yards on 13 attempts.

OCC sophomore middle linebacker Matt Harris (11 tackles), freshman defensive end Dean DeLeone (seven) and Baichtal (five) helped limit the Vikings to just 48 yards on the ground and just three first downs after halftime.

“We haven’t really come out and just pounded the ball on anyone,” said Ah-Hi, who credited an offensive line of starters Sam Alexander, Bryce Carich, Randy Seaton, Fiaseu and Taormina, as well as tight ends Bill Brown and Cordell Simmons, for creating just enough creases to keep moving the chains.

“I really didn’t have to do much,” Ah-Hi said. “I just ran where the holes were.”

Ah-Hi said his performance was rewarding, since his father, Vena, had flown in from Idaho to be in attendance.

“My Dad came out for the Golden West game, but we found out Friday [after his father had arrived] that we weren’t going to play [the Oct. 27 game was called off due to poor air quality from Orange County fires], so he was a bit down about that,” Ah-Hi said. “But he was here, again today. My Dad is my inspiration, so I just wanted to put on a show for him. I wanted to make him proud.”

OCC Coach Mike Taylor said the running game allowed the Pirates to avoid taking some of the chances that produced five interceptions, all of which led to touchdowns, in the Nov. 3 loss to El Camino.

“Sometimes you put the ball in the air, bad things happen, and bad things have,” Taylor said. “You try to be balanced, but when you’re getting five and six yards a crack, you’re crazy to throw the ball.”

OCC sophomore Chris Debowski threw for 56 of his 64 passing yards before halftime. He was sacked three times and threw one interception.

Cody Williams had field goals of 27 and 43 yards in the first half, after which OCC trailed, 14-6.

After Debowski scored OCC’s first touchdown on a four-yard run with 4:15 left in the third quarter, Nathan Barnett completed a halfback pass to Wes Taylor for the two-point conversion to knot the score.

Long Beach, which came in last in the 12-team Mission Conference in total defense, fell to 2-7, 1-3.

The Pirates close out their season Friday at 7 p.m. when they makeup the Golden West game at OCC.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

FIRST QUARTER

OCC – Williams 27 FG, 0:18.

SECOND QUARTER

LB – Tubbs 1 run (Mullen kick), 13:04.

OCC – Williams 43 FG, 6:36.

LB – Burton 64 pass from Thomas (Mullen kick), 2:00.

THIRD QUARTER

OCC – Debowski 4 run (Taylor pass from N. Barnett), 4:15.

FOURTH QUARTER

OCC – Ah-Hi 14 run (kick failed), 5:09.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

LB – Thomas, 13-31; Robertson, 4-16; Tubbs, 3-0, 1 TD.

OCC – Ah-Hi, 48-266, 1 TD; Debowski, 13-5, 1 TD; N. Barnett, 1-2, King, 1-1; Taylor, 1-1; Team, 1-minus 1.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

LB – Thomas, 9-20-3, 205, 1 TD; DeFelice, 0-1-0, 0.

OCC – Debowski, 8-15-1, 64.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

LB – Burton, 5-153, 1 TD; Lewis, 2-22; Richardson, 1-17; McNeil, 1-13.

OCC – N. Barnett, 4-29; Villapando, 1-15; T. Barnett, 1-8; Taylor, 1-7; Banks, 1-5.