FOOTBALL: OCC edged late by Palomar

SAN MARCOS —Visiting Orange Coast College rallied from a 21-7 deficit to take a 27-21 lead with 3:35 left in the Southern Conference football opener Saturday at Escondido High.

But Palomar scored with 17 seconds left to claim the 28-27 victory.

Freshman running back Derrick Hunt had 141 rushing yards, including an 11-yard touchdown, and caught three passes for 72 yards, including touchdowns of 51 and 30 yards.

His 51-yard score broke a 21-21 tie with 3:35 left, but the conversion kick attempt by Estevan Silva was no good.

Sam Tapia kicked the game-winning PAT after Palomar (3-3, 1-0 in conference) drove 55 yards on four plays in just 38 seconds to erase its only deficit.

Kody Whitaker completed 21 of 34 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns for OCC (2-4, 0-1), for which freshman Joey Cox caught nine passes for 108 yards.

OCC amassed 475 offensive yards, 117 more than the Comets, who converted OCC’s lone turnover into a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Palomar’s late touchdown was a 20-yard pass from Matt Romero to Terrell Arnold.

— From staff reports