Pirates stun top-ranked Rustlers, 17-14, to win back Victory Bell!

COSTA MESA -- For the first time since 2009, the Victory Bell has returned to Costa Mesa as the Orange Coast College football team shocked the California community college football world with a 17-14 upset win over rival Golden West on Saturday night in a "West-Coast Showdown" matchup that will be remembered for years to come.

The Pirates (6-3, 4-1 in conference) grabbed the lead for good with 18 seconds left as quarterback Mason Dossey hooked up with Matthew Nelson on a 3-yard TD strike, sending the Pirate side of LeBard Stadium into a frenzy.

The Rustlers (8-1, 4-1), who were strong in special teams play all night, returned the ensuing kickoff back to the Pirates' 40-yard-line and gained an additional 15 more yards on a face mask penalty by Coast, putting the ball on the OCC 25 with just five seconds left.

After a GWC timeout, the Rustlers elected to go for a game-tying 42-yard field-goal attempt by Humberto Maciel, but the kick sailed wide right as the Pirate players rushed to collect their long-lost prize ... the historic Victory Bell.

It has been a one-sided rivalry over the last few years with the Rustlers outscoring the Pirates 107-14 over the past two contests, making this upset win even more special for second-year coach Kevin Emerson.

"This is the step our program needed to take and it's a belief that the players bought into," Emerson said. "Our guys stepped up and made big plays and our defense came up big when we needed to. This one was incredibly special for our entire program and I'm so proud of everyone associated with this team and this school."

With the OCC win and GWC loss, the Southern League standings have a rather crowded feel near the top, with Saddleback in first at 5-0 and the Pirates and Rustlers a game back at 4-1. Golden West plays at Saddleback on Saturday at 6 p.m., while the Pirates host Grossmont at 1 p.m. in the season finale for all teams.

Mossey threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-30 passing for Coast, while Kyle White put on his hard had and pounded out 111 yards of total offense (53 rushing and 58 receiving). 

Coast came out strong on its opening possession, converting two big third-down opportunities and capping off a seven-play, 81-yard scoring drive when Dossey connected with Darrel Watts for a 48-yard touchdown pass play. Dan Bjurman's extra point put the Pirates ahead, 7-0.

The Rustler offense had little answers against the OCC defense in the first half as Coast held GWC to just 66 total yards of offense in the opening two quarters. Golden West was 0-for-5 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth downs. A Bjurman 28-yard field goal midway through the second quarter put the Pirates up 10-0 and that's where it stayed through the remainder of the first half.

The Pirates nearly made it 17-0 on an interception return for a touchdown by Gilbert Gildersleeve, but the officials ruled the pass hit the ground before it was caught by the Coast defender and the score remained 10-0.

Golden West had the ball to start the third quarter and another big return and personal foul penalty by the Pirates put GWC at the Coast 35-yard line. Six plays later, Josh Smith plowed in on a 4-yard touchdown run, cutting OCC's lead to 10-7.

The Rustlers' defense, top-ranked in the SCFA in fewest points allowed (15.9) clamped down and held the Pirates to less than 50 yards of total offense for most of the second half and that allowed the state's No. 1 team to grab a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter on a Smith 2-yard TD run.

Both teams battled back and forth and after a big three-and-out stop by the Pirates' defense, Coast had the ball on its own 47-yard line with 2:26 left in the game.

Dossey connected with Watts on a 24-yard pass, putting the ball inside the Rustlers' 30. A costly personal-foul call on the Rustlers moved the ball to the GWC 15-yard line and on a third-and-9 from the Rustlers' 11, Dossey found his favorite target -- Stefan Derrick -- for a big 11-yard completion, giving OCC first-and-goal from the GWC 3. 

From there Dossey rolled right and hooked up with Nelson, who made an incredible shoe-string catch rolling to his right, putting Coast ahead for good. 

Coast outgained Golden West 301-252 in total yards and the defense, led by Brandon Worthy's seven tackles (five solo), held the Rustlers to just 3-of-13 in third-down efficiency.

GWC leads the all-time series, 25-21-2, but the Pirates are once again, proud owners of the Victory Bell.