WEST-COAST SHOWDOWN:

COSTA MESA — In the last three seasons, it has been known as the Battle for the Bell, the Beach Bowl and, this year, the West-Coast Showdown.

But moments after Orange Coast College drove 70 yards on 11 plays for the winning touchdown with 30 seconds left to claim a 16-13 football triumph over district rival Golden West Saturday at OCC, Pirates sophomore receiver Cameron Hall, whose 45-yard catch and run was the big play on the decisive march, had another lofty title to throw out.

“Beating Golden West is almost like [winning] the Super Bowl,” said Hall, who hauled in a Taylor Hughes pass on a crossing route and bounced off a would-be tackler near midfield before being chased out of bounds at the Rustlers’ 14-yard line with just more than one minute remaining to help set up the winning score. “It’s unbelievable.”

Those not on the OCC sideline might have been forgiven for abandoning belief that the offense could find the end zone, after the Pirates (3-0), ranked No. 22 in the state, drove into Rustlers’ territory on seven of their first eight possessions, but only managed to come away with three Ryan Casano field goals.

Hughes was responsible for terminating possessions that had reached the Golden West 14- and 19-yard lines, both times throwing interceptions to deflate about 2,500 Pirates’ rooters on the visitors’ side.

Hughes, who finished with 234 passing yards and converted a fourth-and-one situation with a two-yard sneak on the winning drive, said his ill-fated passes deflated even him.

“I scared everybody there for a minute,” Hughes said of his two interceptions. “I got kind of down on myself there, but the team held me up. Everyone was saying ‘Stay in it. Stay in it. We’re coming back. We’re going to get the ball back.’ ”

Trailing, 13-9, OCC took possession after a short punt on its 30-yard line with 5:52 left.

After Hughes’ aforementioned sneak simultaneously moved the ball to the OCC 41, as well as the chains, he was sacked for a three-yard loss. He then flipped a screen pass to freshman running back Ray Holley, who got back to the original line of scrimmage.

Then, Hughes, well protected most of the evening, hit Hall, his favorite target, for 45-yard decibel-inducing yards.

“You couldn’t even hear the play, because the crowd was so noisy,” Hall, whose six catches included a leaping, one-handed snatch near the Golden West sideline, said of his key catch and run. “All I saw was the corner of the end zone and that was what I was trying to get to. We knew we needed a big play and I tried to stay up as long as I could. Once we got down that close, we knew we were going to do it. Everyone was just so amped up, it was a given.”

Holley then slashed through the middle for 12 yards to create first-and-goal at the two. A Hughes sneak and a handoff to tailback Kevin Ah-Hi (83 yards on 20 carries) netted just one yard and Golden West called its final timeout with 35 ticks remaining to try to save time, and its lead.

But Holley powered over off right tackle on the ensuing snap and after OCC’s Keahi Raikes intercepted the Rustlers’ last-second desperation bomb at his own 24-yard line, Pirates players sprinted beyond the north end zone to hoist the perpetual Bell trophy and carry it near midfield. There, joyous OCC players took turns ringing in their fourth win in the last five meetings with Golden West, and only the program’s second 3-0 start in the last 17 seasons.

Golden West (1-2) had five drives into OCC territory that produced no points. But the designated home team built a lead by virtue of near-identical passes from Michael Vanderipe (244 aerial yards) to freshman wideout Lavasier Tuinei.

Both times, Tuinei caught the ball in front of a closing cornerback about 10 yards beyond the line. But first Josh Jordan, then Anthony Curry failed to wrap up Tuinei, who sprinted 49 and 44 yards to the end zone, the latter with 6:15 left in the third quarter.

But Casano and a defense led by Shad Baichtal (11 tackles) and Dean DeLeone (10 tackles), interceptions by Baichtal, Jimmy Keating, DeQuan Everett and Raikes, and a fumble recovery by Matt Henry, kept OCC in it. Casano, a transfer from Texas Christian University, booted field goals of 45, 42 and 27 yards.

“I’m more proud of you guys than any team I’ve had in a while,” an emotionally charged Taylor told his players afterward. “This was a great game and a great victory for us. I’m very proud that our kids didn’t get down and they didn’t panic, before going down and getting the touchdown. We had to rise, because we were running out of time.”

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