Pirates drop season opener to Huskies, 31-22
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (0-1) | 6 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 22 |
|
East Los Angeles (1-0) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
MONTEREY PARK -- The Orange Coast College football team dropped its 2017 season opener on the road as East Los Angeles College pulled out a 31-22 win on Saturday night.
Using the ground attack more in Week 1, the Coast tandem of running back Nico Jackson and quarterback Pete Mitchell found success against the Huskies' defense. Jackson rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while Mitchell added 97 yards and a rushing TD of his own.
In the air, Mitchell threw was 7-of-17 for 127 yards and a TD, with leading receiver James Rutledge pulling in three catches for 72 yards and a TD.
ELAC quarterback Phillip Tran threw for 293 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-30 passing and set the tone on the game's opening drive when he connected with Kenny Allen on an 80-yard touchdown pass, putting the Huskies up, 7-0.
Coast's best drive of the game came late in the first quarter as Mitchell capped off an 11-play, 67-yard drive with a 7-yard TD run, cutting the deficit to 7-6 after a missed PAT.
From there, both teams traded blows and the Pirates were still just a point behind at 17-16 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.
But the ELAC offense found success with a pair of touchdown-producing drives, putting the hosts up, 31-16, with under two minutes remaining.
Coast scored with 1:28 remaining, but missed on a 2-point conversion that would have brought the Pirates to within one score of tying the game.
The Pirates will host the College of the Canyons on Saturday in their home opener, beginning at 6 p.m.
