Pirates, Rustlers set to open season with the "Bell" on the line!

COSTA MESA -- The 2022 football season is about to get underway and for Orange Coast College, what better way to kick things off then with a rivalry grudge match against neighbor Golden West on Saturday at 12 p.m. up in Huntington Beach?

"It's always a great battle when Orange Coast and Golden West meet up," OCC head coach Bubba Gonzalez said. "It's hard to NOT be excited about this matchup. This year, we hope to make it as competitive as possible and our guys believe that we can play with these guys. Watching Golden West the past few years get to where they are now ... they were like us as far as starting in the league below and they used that time to their advantage and worked their way back up to where they are now. That's where we want to be and we are looking to follow their path and make this a competitive program once again. I believe we are making strides to doing just that and on Saturday, we will find out where we are against one of the top teams."

The 2022 Pirates are coming off of a 3-7 season in 2021 but are returning several veteran guys as well as first-year players who have come from winning programs so the blend is strong for the Orange and Blue.

"We've got a strong core of veteran leadership on this team and they've done a great job of not only setting the standard for how we want to do things around here, but they've also helped bring our new guys up to speed on how we want to do things so it's been a pretty seamless transition this offseason," Gonzalez said. "There's been no fighting the system and the culture we want to establish is being set by our veterans and followed by our freshmen. That hard work has paid off for sure, especially in the weight room. It's by far the strongest group I'v seen at this point in the season since I've been here, which, without dealing with COVID restrictions, has been huge for all of us. I think we had a hard time finishing games and I'm hoping with the strength and endurance we've been able to acquire, we can now do a better job of doing just that."

On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Brandon Cannella returns after a solid freshman year, where in a shared role, he still managed to throw for 1,021 yards and six touchdowns, while completing nearly half of his attempts (87-175). "Brandon has spent so much time with the coaching staff and working hard on and off the field," Gonzalez said. "He's got a better understanding of the offense and we expect him to come out strong this year."

Running back J.P. Segura also returns from a solid first year with the Pirates. The 5'6 running back proved hard to bring down as a freshman, rushing for 549 yards and four touchdowns, while playing in all 10 games for OCC. "He's one of those wiggly running backs who has gotten bigger and stronger in the weight room, putting on 10-15 pounds of muscle, which will make him even harder to bring down," Gonzalez said. 

Perhaps the biggest "X-factor" for the Pirate offense comes in the form of 6'5, 245-pound tight end Isaiah Alonzo, who looks to not only be a factor on the offensive line for the Pirates but also as a pass-catcher and first-down getter with his size and his hands. "He's been here and has overcome some injuries, but has learned what we are offense is trying to accomplish and we see him as a guy who can get those big catches to move the chains for us and his size will help him protect on the line as well," Gonzalez said. 

"This year's defensive captains include returning linebacker Jake Hall, who had a freshman-best 32 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks for the Pirates in 2021. "He's one of those guys who loves getting after every play and we expect him to do big things for us," Gonzalez said.

Joining Hall in the linebacker corps is first-year player and co-captain Johnny Brigandi, who comes to OCC after spending a year on the sidelines as an assistant coach for his alma mater, Newport Harbor HS. "I think his year away from the game really helped him see the game from a different perspective and it's been great to see him come in here and get things done this offseason," Gonzalez said. 

"Another first-year player who has earned the co-captaincy for the Pirates is 6'2, 240-pound defensive lineman Joshua Huerta. "We're really loved his leadership and his ability to be a disruption on the line for us and we can't wait to see what he can do this year," Gonzalez said. 

As for the Rustlers, they are coming off of one of their best seasons on program history, winning their first 11 games of the season before falling to Riverside the SCFA Regional Final, 27-23. Returning on the offensive side include WR Nick Kennewell (42 receptions, 655 yards) and running back Jared Johnson (72 rushes, 330 yards; 25 catches, 305 yards).

"I know last year was a very sophomore-heavy group so there is come turnaround over there, but knowing Coach (Nick) Mitchell, you know he's going to replace those sophomores with more quality athletes," Gonzalez said. "But our focus is on us ... if we can play a clean game and play with little or no self-inflicted mistakes, I think we will be right there at the end. I think we match well in most areas and if we can make those key plays on both sides of the ball, I think we can play with anyone. I really do. I think it's going to be a good, hard physical game, which is always the case when OCC and GWC get together and that's what you want from an opening-day, rivalry game."

This is the 54th Battle of the Bell matchup between the Pirates and Rustlers, dating back to 1966. GWC leads the all-time series 31-22 and have won nine of the last 10 matchups.