Pirates travel to Grossmont to take on Griffins

COSTA MESA -- Week 3 of the Orange Coast College football season sees the Pirates heading to El Cajon to take on Grossmont College on Saturday, beginning at 3 p.m. and for head coach Bubba Gonzalez, Saturday's matchup with the Griffins will hopefully bring some momentum to the Pirates for the remainder of the season.

"This is such a young group and they need time to grow, but at the same time, we've got to get better and eliminate mistakes on both sides of the ball," Gonzalez said. "We are continuing to work on the mental component of the game. We are showing good things at practice and with our film sessions but when it comes to the game experience, we have to do a better job of incorporating that knowledge into game action. I love that we have such a resilient group who continues to work hard and take ownership for their mistakes. Let's keep things moving towards improving in all areas of the game as we head into Grossmont."

Coast fell in Week 2 to visiting Santa Barbara City College, 45-7, as mental and physical miscues led to some quick points for the Vaqueros, but the Pirates did have a few positive moments to hang their hats on.

Running back J.P. Segura bounced back from a rough opening week against Golden West and rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The sophomore RB showed power and elusiveness against a SBCC defense focused on stopping him.

"J.P. had some adversity early on with a quick fumble, but he managed to put that aside and bounced back nicely for us," Gonzalez said. "He's a guy you can never count out. He will continue to fight until the final whistle blows and I love that about him."

Tight end Isaiah Alonzo found some success of his own on Saturday. The 6'5 blocking and pass-catching standout did all that and more against the Vaqueros, catching five passes for 64 yards, including his first reception that resulted in a SBCC defensive back trucked to the ground by the 250-pound Alonzo. "Isaiah is SUCH a monster," Gonzalez said. "J.P.'s strong night had a lot to do with Isaiah's strong blocking up front. He really adds value to our running game. And, when we get him out on pass routes, he's a mismatch for just about any defender out there. I'd love to get him the ball more and by doing that, that will open up some options for our other guys."

Coast will start Brandon Cannella for Week 3 against the Griffins, but look for the Pirates to show a bit of a different look behind center with the addition of Brandon Johnson. "Brandon gives us some more options with our offense and he will give the defense some pause instead of going all in with their ears pinned back," Gonzalez said. "Brandon has the ability to be that dependable, drop-back quarterback for us, but if we need to be more athletic back there, Brandon can give us a bit more run-pass options for our offense, which will take come pressure off of our offense as a whole."

As for the Griffins (1-1) they opened with a 41-31 win on the road against Southwestern before getting hit hard at home against Citrus (50-14). Sophomore quarterback Elia Kirisimasi has thrown for 652 yards and six touchdowns in just two games, with his top targets going to Kenneth Calupe (9 catches, 88 yards), Dillon Gebase (8-136, TD) and James Johnson (8-91). "Grossmont is a decent sized group and a very good football team," Gonzalez said. "I won't take anything from anyone we play this year. They want to run a pro-style offense and use a four-man front, like we do. For us to be successful, we will HAVE to eliminate our mistakes and come out and play a complete football game. Find ways to move the chains on third down and find ways to eliminate that on defense."