Pirates look for more success on Saturday against Grossmont

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COSTA MESA -- After posting the first shutout win in 15 years, the Orange Coast College football team will look for more success against the Grossmont College Griffins on Saturday night inside LeBard Stadium, beginning at 6 p.m.

With the help of a relentless defense that held Moorpark off the scoreboard and the right leg of kicker Zach Grisotti, the Pirates squeaked by the Raiders, 3-0 and Coast hopes to bring a more well-rounded display of football to the field against the Griffins this Saturday.

While the Pirate "D" and the rushing game (229 total yards on the ground) were on full display last week, head coach Bubba Gonzalez would like to see a more balanced attack with the ball. "We definitely need to get our pass game going," Gonzalez said after his team was held to just 66 passing yards. "I'd love to see us get more guys involved in the offense. Last week, our offensive line opened holes for our running backs and we took advantage of that, but we need to keep defenses off-balanced with some success in our passing game too."

The RB trio of David Hernandez, J.P. Segura-Queijeiro and Colin Gregg combined to carry the ball 45 times for 210 yards last week against the Raiders. Look for Pirate quarterback Brandon Cannella to find more success this week against a Griffins defense that has allowed 287 passing yards and 31.5 points per game through their first four games (2-2).

"It's going to be another tough game this week," Gonzalez said of the Griffins. "They've got a big defensive line and their offense runs and throws effectively. We will need to continue to play hard and hopefully build some confidence from last week and carry it into this week."

Coast dominated the time of possession against the Raiders last week to the tune of 44:47 to 15:13, using long, effective drives throughout the entire night. But, finding the end zone proved elusive as the goal line got closer. "We need to do a much better job of finishing off drives," Gonzalez said. "We guys get tired, we have to make sure we stay mentally sharp and do the little things to keep moving towards the end zone. We can't make mental mistakes or take penalties that stall our progress. The guys have been working our butts off all season long so our struggles offensively aren't from a lack of effort. We will continue to grow and improve every week and that's all you can ask of your guys."

The quarterback tandem of Canella and J.D. Rafkin have thrown for 480 yards and two touchdowns on 40-of-96 passing, with pass catchers Edwin LaCrosse (13 catches for 96 yards), Aaron Fletcher (12 catches for 135 yards, 1 TD) and Boogie Lilley-Sneed (eight catches, 105 yards, 1 TD) leading the way.

It's been a solid three games for Segura-Queijero (33 carries, 214 yards, 1 TD), Gregg (26-139) and Hernandez (34-114), while on defense, sophomore Marquise Alexander has anchored the Pirate defense with a team-best 24 tackles (5 tackles for loss) with 1.5 sacks.

For the Griffins, it's been an up-and-down start to the season. After falling 10-7 to Southwestern in the season-opener, Grossmont looked to turn things around with high-scoring wins against Citrus (42-39) and Moorpark (55-21). But, last week, it was a rough home outing against Mt. San Jacinto (56-26) that brought the Griffins back to the .500 mark for the season.

Sophomore QB Brady Abt has been rock solid through four games, throwing for 1,284 yards and nine touchdowns (five interceptions) on 89-of-153 passing. Against Moorpark, Abt picked apart the Raider defense for 490 yards passing and four touchdowns, his second consecutive 400-yard passing game of the season.

Running duties for the Griffins have been the primary responsibility of RBs Treyvion Davies (44 carries, 219 yards, 3 TDs), Keiyon Holloway (12-122, 1 TD) and Chris Dartey (17-66), while sophomore wide receiver Payton Monson has been the Griffins' top pass-catcher with 29 receptions for 453 yards and five touchdowns.

On defense, keep an eye out for freshman linebacker Jagger Giles, who leads the team with 30 total tackles (16 solo) and sophomore strong safety Chance Lovato who has a team-best 21 solo tackles and an interception to his ledger.