Six more Pirates take their game to four-year levels
COSTA MESA -- Six more Orange Coast College football players (nine total) will be taking their football and academic skills to the four-year level, according to head coach Kevin Emerson.
The six Pirate players who made their announcement on Wednesday include defensive lineman Preston Hendry, defensive back Zoauntarrious Brunt, defensive back Sherrod Page, defensive back Sharky Reza, defensive lineman Josh Howell and defensive lineman Carlos Escobar.
"We're so proud of these guys," Emerson said. "Orange Coast College provides the tools and the ability to succeed and they took advantage and grabbed those tools. It's truly a tribute to the efforts they put out both on the field and in the classroom."
Hendry -- a 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive lineman -- will be attending Washington State next season. The Tesoro High School graduate racked up 83 tackles over his two-year career and this year, he had 30 in eight games to go along with three sacks and a forced fumble. "We moved him to the D-line and he devoted the time and energy to not only learn the skills of the position, but to grasp the skills that earned him an offer at a Division I university," Emerson said.
Said Hendry, "I know that Arizona State was also interested, but when I went to Washington State, it really had a family atmosphere and that's something that really made me want to go there."
Brunt -- a 6-4, 200-pound safety -- will be attending Colorado State next season. The Lincolnton (NC) High School graduate played in eight games this year and had 37 tackles to go along with a forced fumble, one pass breakup and one interception. "He's a very versatile player, who could have played offense and defense with his size and athletic ability," Emerson said.
As a freshman, Brunt had 44 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. "Colorado State really pushed hard to get me and I really respected that and wanted to be a part of their program," Brunt said. "I'm excited to get out there for the opportunity to play."
Page, a 6-2, 190-pound safety -- will be attending Youngstown State University in the fall. The Tampa Bay Tech (FL) High School graduate led the Pirates with 54 tackles (36 solo) and had a fumble recovery and three interceptions in his one season. "When I went to visit Youngstown State, it really felt like home to me," Page said. "I felt like it was the best opportunity for my future."
On the combination of Brunt and Page, Emerson said, "We closed off a lot of stuff on the back end of our defense, thanks to those two guys."
Reza -- a 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback, will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall. The Edison HS grad played in all 10 games and totalled 34 tackles (27 solo) and a team-best four interceptions to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one kick block. "My brother went to SLO and when I went to visit him on campus, I fell in love with the place right away," Reza said. "I can't wait to get up there and get started."
Howell -- a 6-1, 230-pound defensive lineman -- will attend Fort Lewis College (CO) in the fall. The Serra HS grad played in all 10 games for OCC last year and had 28 tackles and a team-best 4.5 sacks. His 10.5 tackles for loss were second-most on the team. "We actually moved Josh from linebacker to the D-line and he really made an impact for us and he's got a 4.0 grade point average in the classroom as well," Emerson said.
Escobar -- a 6-2, 260-pound defensive lineman -- will be attending Bethany College (KS) in the fall. The Capistrano Valley HS grad earned the respect of Emerson throughout the season with his hard work ethic and that hard work paid off. "He's a great story -- not the kid that always started or got all the attention, but he always was a hard-nosed player and he earned a full ride to Bethany College for his efforts," Emerson said.
These six signees will join OCC's three other early signees -- Will Martin (UC Davis), Ryan Eachus (UNC-Charlotte) and Melvin Irvy (Sterling College) -- giving Coast nine for the season thus far.
