Pirates drop road opener to Cougars

SANTA CLARITA -- The Orange Coast College football team headed out of town for a showdown with the College of the Canyons Cougars on Saturday night and came up on the wrong end of a 42-19 decision, dropping the Pirates to 1-1 for the season.

Kody Whitaker threw for 218 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-34 passing, but the OCC defense struggled to find an answer for Cougars' wide receiver Marquise Brown, who caught five passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. The COC standout also scored on an 84-yard kickoff return and finished the night with 325 all-purpose yards.

Derrick Hunt had a strong rushing night for the Pirates, picking up 118 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while receiver Joey Cox led the way with six catches for 43 yards.

After Canyons scored on its first series of the game, OCC responded with a nine-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 17-yard touchdown run by Hunt.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Brown scored on his 84-yard kickoff return and the Cougars never looked back.

Coast had the ball inside Cougars' territory with less than a minute to go in the first half but Whitaker was intercepted by COC's David Wilder and four plays later, quarterback CJ Williams (9-of-16, 204, three TDs) found Brown for a 34-yard TD strike with just 14 seconds left in the half, putting the Cougars up 21-7.

Whitaker found Hal Walker for a 24-yard touchdown on OCC's opening drive of the second half to make it 21-13 following a missed PAT. But, Brown connected with quarterback Louis Eusebi late in the third quarter for his fourth TD of the night, putting Canyons up 28-13.

A 1-yard TD run by Shane Beaver kept the Pirates close at 28-19, but just four plays later, Williams connected with Wes Fitzpatrick on a 37-yard TD strike and the Cougars pulled away from there.

The Pirates will return to action on Saturday at home, against Ventura College, beginning at 6 p.m.