Junior College Football: OCC extends winning streak with 35-7 win against Pierce

WOODLAND HILLS — The Orange Coast College football team is on enough of a roll that it can even roll with some punches.

The Pirates overcame five turnovers to pound hosts Los Angeles Pierce, 35-7, in a nonconference game Saturday. It’s the third straight win for OCC (3-2), which hasn’t won three straight since 2012.

OCC scored on its first two possessions and three of its first four, then shut down the Brahmas (3-2), who helped by committing five turnovers of their own.

Sophomore receiver Stefan Derrick caught three touchdown passes and finished with five receptions for 101 yards to pace the Pirates’ offense.

Sophomore quarterback Mason Dossey threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, and also scored himself on a 49-yard run to help OCC amass 450 yards of offense, 110 more than the Brahmas.

Pierce, which came into the game leading the 37-school Southern California Football Assn. in scoring defense (14 points per game), yielded that many in the opening six minutes.

OCC covered 75 yards on five plays after receiving the opening kickoff, with Dossey scrambling through two phantom tackles with the 49-yard capper just 2:08 into the contest.

After a three-and-out by the Brahmas, OCC went 78 yards on nine plays, with Dossey capping the march with an 18-yard fade to Derrick, who burned the Brahmas’ press coverage all night.

“That puts a smile on my face every time,” Derrick said of the Brahma’s defensive plan to leave their cornerbacks on a perimeter island within arm’s length of OCC receivers.

Derrick, who came in averaging 19.3 yards per catch, upped that to 19.4. The converted defensive back now has 28 receptions for 544 yards and eight touchdown catches in five games this season.

Sophomore Darrel Watts had three catches for 74 yards and sophomore Richard Caceras added four receptions for 64 yards.

Sophomore tailback Daniel Rodriguez, who led the winners with 43 rushing yards, even got into the aerial act. He completed a halfback pass to Derrick for a 23-yard score to cap OCC’s third straight game with at least 31 points.

And while the offense continues to improve, its turnovers put the defense in bad positions against Pierce.

The OCC defense, however, was up to the challenge. A perfect example of this came near the end of the first half, when 35-yard run by the punter on a fake set up first-and-goal at the OCC four-yard line.

On the ensuing snap, freshman safety Brandon Worthy stepped in front of a Sean Smith pass near the goal line and returned his second interception of the game – his team-leading fourth of the season – 70 yards to help OCC dodge a bullet.

“Our defense played a stout team tonight and held them to seven points,” Emerson said.

Pierce came into the game ranked sixth in passing offense (320 yards per game), but managed just 209. The Brahmas had no pass plays of more than 23 yards and only two gained at least 20.

Emerson said he is pleased with the momentum his team has generated after dropping its first two games of the season.

“Losing is a habit, but success is a habit as well,” said Emerson, who has matched the win total from his first season in 2014, with five regular-season games remaining. “As that continues to happen, we expect to lose less and then that creates a better environment for us.

“The goal is to get better every week and we’re working toward that. I liked that we put the whole game plan together tonight. We punted just once until late in the game.”

Sophomore middle linebacker Mark Cushing, freshman outside linebacker Christian Webb and freshman linebacker Christopher Proctor all recovered fumbles to get the OCC defense off the field.

Proctor came off the bench to fill in for sophomore outside linebacker Mike Hayden, who left the game late in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Emerson said the extent of the injury is not known.

*

Orange Coast 35, Los Angeles Pierce 7

OCC 14 7 7 7 – 35

Pierce 7 0 0 0 – 7

FIRST QUARTER

OCC – Dossey 49 run (Bjurman kick), 12:52.

OCC – Derrick 18 pass from Dossey (Bjurman kick), 9:00.

LAP – Austin 15 pass from Smith (Gonzalez kick), 4:36.

SECOND QUARTER

OCC – White 5 run (Bjurman kick), 12:29.

THIRD QUARTER

OCC – Derrick 22 pass from Dossey (Bjurman kick), 3:44.

FOURTH QUARTER

OCC – Derrick 23 pass from Rodriguez (Bjurman kick), 11:14.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

OCC – Rodriguez, 11-43.

LAP – Thomas, 10-40.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

OCC – Dossey, 16-28, 264, 2 TDs.

LAP – Smith, 24-46-2, 209, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

OCC – Derrick, 5-101, 3 TDs.

LAP – Austin, 7-61, 1 TD.