Pirates moving onward

Orange Coast College sophomore tight end Anthony Vidal will continue his football career at UNLV, Pirates Coach Mike Taylor said.

Vidal, who caught six passes for 58 yards in four games of an injury-shortened 2009 season, had received scholarship offers from Towson State and Southeast Missouri State.

Offensive lineman Charles Schultz, a Newport Harbor High product, and linebacker Matt McCloskey have landed at Rocky Mountain College, an NAIA program in Billings, Mont., Taylor confirmed.

Schultz will reunite with former Newport Harbor quarterback Kasey Peters, who recently received an additional year of eligibility after leading the NAIA in total offense per game (403.5 yards per game) in 2009.

Middle linebacker Travis Sanford will continue at Tabor College, a Division II school in Kansas, while Gerald Crisp, a two-year starter on the offensive line, is headed for Western Illinois.

Other Pirates trying to finalize their plans to compete for a four-year program include record-setting tailback Ray Holley, whose inability to command a Division I scholarship opportunity has confounded Taylor.

Holley, whose 1,457 rushing yards set a school single-season mark, was believed to have had an offer from Idaho State, as well as interest from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. But both have elected to go in a different direction, said Taylor, who identified Idaho as another possibility for the 5-foot-9, 190-pounder, who scored 18 of OCC’s 20 rushing touchdowns en route to all-division and all-region honors last fall.

Offensive linemen Harrison Lauer (Stoney Brook University in New York) and Frank Arriola (Eastern Kentucky), linebacker Jimmy Keating (Towson State) and defensive tackle Justin Niutupuai (San Jose State) are also talking with recruiters, Taylor said, hoping to finalize plans for 2010.

Safety Keahi Raikes, who was receiving interest from Idaho State, will need so shore up his academic standing in the spring semester, in order to perhaps generate interest from Abilene Christian, Taylor said.

OCC products who had already announced their transfer plans include offensive lineman London Sapolu, a Costa Mesa High product headed for Hawaii, and quarterback Kyle Manning (Arkansas Monticello).