Pirates wrangled by Gauchos
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (1-6) | 17 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
|
Saddleback (4-4) | 7 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 57 |
MISSION VIEJO -- Another strong start by the Orange Coast College football team gave the Pirates an early lead, but it wasn't enough as the Pirates fell to Saddleback College, 57-24, on Saturday night at the Snake Pit.
The Pirates (1-6, 0-3 in conference) jumped out to a 17-0 lead against the Gauchos (4-4, 3-1), scoring on three of their first four possessions.
After a Griff Amies gave Coast a 3-0 lead on the opening possession of the game, the Pirates used an eight-play, 53-yard scoring drive and took a 10-0 advantage on a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kody Whitaker to wide receiver Davasyia Hagger.
The Pirate defense held Saddleback short on a fourth-down pass play and made it 17-0 one play later as running back Clayton Howard dashed 51 yards for a touchdown.
The second quarter for the Pirates was a different story entirely, as the Gauchos scored 23 straight points and carried a 30-17 lead into halftime. Two OCC turnovers and a safety resulted in 16 of those 23 points for Saddleback.
The tandem of Whitaker and Hagger again found success in the end zone midway through the third quarter -- this time, a 45-yard touchdown strike -- but it was too little, too late as the Gauchos continued to find offensive success. Whitaker finished the night with 289 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 21-of-39 passing, while Hagger accounted for eight catches for 117 yards and two TDs. Mark Munson made the most of his three catches as he totaled 99 receiving yards and Howard led all rushers with 81 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Defensive leaders for the Pirates were Re'Shon Howard (nine tackles, 1.5 sacks), Joseph Jackson (nine tackles, seven solo) and the trio of Schneider Aladin, Mike Hayden and Austin Brewer (eight tackles each).
Coast will return home for a Saturday night matchup against Santa Ana College, beginning at 1 p.m.
