Pirates set to wrap up season vs. West L.A.

COSTA MESA -- There is no such thing as "nothing to play for" and for the Orange Coast College football team, that sentiment rings true as the Pirates wrap up the 2022 season at home against West L.A. College on Saturday at 6 p.m. inside LeBard Stadium.

"I'm so proud of the guys ... everyone is still fighting for each other and we know this week, we are playing for our sophomores who have put in so much time and energy to help create the right atmosphere here within the program," OCC head coach Bubba Gonzalez said. "There is always something more to play for than for yourself and these guys have been doing that week in and week out. This week we are focusing on sending our sophomores out on a positive note. We had such a young team this year, so it was really up to our 11 sophomores to really set the standard for this group and they definitely did. Next year, with a strong returning group and with the right incoming freshman class, I can really see this team make huge strides for success and all of that was built from our sophomores this year."

Against L.A. Southwest on Saturday, running back J.P. Segura had the game of his life, rushing for a school-record 303 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries to lead the Pirates (2-7, 1-3 in American Metro Division) past the Cougars, 47-6. The record shattered the 66-year-old previous-best mark, set by Bill Harrison for the 1956 Pirates against American River College. "Guys were busting their (butts) to get him his yards and it was so great to see that," Gonzalez said. "For J.P., it's been a long road from the beginning of his OCC career to now. Plus, coming from Mexico and there not being a ton of Mexican influence in the game of football out there, J.P. is the kind of player that kids in similar situations can look up to as a role model. It was great to see him have that kind of night."

In addition to his single-game rushing record, Segura also topped 1,000 yards for the season (1,014 ... 4th-best in the state), becoming the first OCC back to hit that mark since 2011 when Dominic Betts rushed for a school-record 1,772 yards. 

"For this week, it's going to be more of the same," Gonzalez said. "We will try and control our offensive possessions with our ground game and if we are able to do that, that will free up things wide and will allow our quaterbacks to get some good looks down the field."

This week's opponent -- West L.A. (3-6, 1-3) -- has dropped 4-of-5, including back-to-back losses to Citrus (40-14) and Santa Ana (35-24). Much like the Pirates, the Wildcats rely heavily on their running game, led by Malik Norman, who leads the state with 1,452 rushing yards on 222 carries with 12 touchdowns. In fact, this will be the first time all season that two teams with 1,000-yard running backs will face each other. 

"This is going to be a very close matchup between two pretty evenly-matched teams," Gonzalez said. "They have to stop our run game and we have to stop theirs. If we can force them out of their comfort zone, I think we've got a few more guys on defense who can make a difference out there. We will continue to work for everything we want to accomplish on the field and off the field."

WLAC's quarterback, Cassell Wiggins has thrown for 1,469 yards and 13 touchdowns, with Orion Naulls (49 catches, 512 yards, 3 TDs) and Riley Rudolfo (41-298, 1 TD) as Wiggins' primary targets.

The OCC quarterback tandem of Baylor Ayres and Brandon Cannella have thrown for 1,395 yards and 12 touchdowns with five pass-catchers -- Glenn Atkins (20-247, 3 TDs), Isaiah Alonzo (18-220, 2 TDs), Kaden Baptista (17-284, 3 TDs), Kaleb Stamps (17-294, 2 TDs) and Segura (16-100) handling most of the load.

A trio of standout OCC defenders will be playing their final game in a Pirate uniform, including linebacker Jake Hall (team-leading 51 tackles, four sacks, 9 tackles for loss, one interception), defensive back Nick Koclanakis (35 tackles, three TFL, two pass break-ups) and Nathan Bernal (25 tackles, one interception).