Pirates stumble in second half, fall to Comets, 20-10

ESCONDIDO -- The Orange Coast College football team watched a first-half lead evaporate on Saturday night as the Pirates fell to Palomar College, 20-10, in a Southern League matchup played at Escondido High School.

The Pirates (1-5) came out strong in the first half and carried a 10-0 lead into the third quarter, only to see the Comets (5-2) rally with 20 straight points to close things out.

After holding the Comets to a punt on their first possession, the Pirates mounted a nine-play, 72-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a 5-yard touchdown run by Kyle White, putting Coast ahead, 7-0.

Another quick Palomar possession gave OCC the ball back and once again, the Pirates marched down the field, finishing off a 14-play, 62-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal by Griff Amies, putting the Pirates up 10-0.

Palomar had six possessions in the first half and thanks to the toughness of the Pirate defense, the Comets punted the ball away all six times.

However, the Pirates missed out on a chance to further pad their lead when a drive that reached the Comets' 23-yard-line ended with a lost fumble, keeping the score 10-0 at the half.

Pirate quarterback Kody Whitaker threw for 321 yards on 24-of-51 passing, but had four turnovers (one fumble, three interceptions) that proved costly.

Early in the third quarter, Palomar's Toeafua Amu picked off a Whitaker pass and dashed 42 yards for a Comets' touchdown, cutting OCC's lead down to 10-7.

The Pirates regrouped and again, marched deep into Comets' territory, only to have it end with no points, courtesy of a interception by Malohi Makihele in the end zone for Palomar.

Palomar took the ball down the field and grabbed a 14-10 lead when Brett Hollingsworth found M.J. Bailey for a 12-yard touchdown with 3:20 left in the third quarter.

OCC's Joseph Jackson kept the Pirates in the game when he picked off a Hollingsworth pass and returned it down to the Comets' 31-yard-line, giving the Pirates excellent field position.

Coast took the ball down to the Palomar 16-yard-line before another interception -- this time by Diovanni Brewer -- gave the ball back to the Comets.

Two plays later, Hollingsworth found Wayne Ganan for a 40-yard touchdown, putting Palomar up 20-10 after a missed PAT by the Comets.

Pirate wide receiver A.J. Holman led the Pirates with eight receptions for 133 yards, while teammate Mark Munson added seven catches for 88 yards. White finished the game with 41 yards on 13 carries for the OCC ground game.

Defensively, Mike Hayden led the Pirates with 10 tackles (seven solo) with a sack, while Esdras Simervil, Hugh Tomkins and Re'Shon Howard each added five tackles.

Coast returns to action on Saturday at Saddleback College, beginning at 6 p.m. OCC's next home game will be on Saturday, Nov. 1 against Santa Ana, beginning at 1 p.m.