Orange Coast College

Football: Second-half surge lifts Pirates past Santa Monica

Saturday, September 06, 2008

COSTA MESA -- After a rugged first half of play, the Orange Coast College football team flew in formation in the second half and posted a 27-3 nonconference win over visiting Santa Monica on Saturday night at LeBard Stadium.

OCC capitalized on a pair of short-field drives and used a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown by sophomore Shad Baichtal (pictured left) to turn a 3-0 first-half deficit into a comfy 21-3 lead in the third quarter.

Second-half quarterback Taylor Hughes was 6-of-7 for 95 yards and one passing touchdown -- a 38-yard strike to Keali'i Doll midway through the fourth quarter. The sophomore QB from Corona del Mar HS also added a rushing touchdown, as did sophomore running back Kevin Ah-Hi, who finished with 78 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. With 4:18 left in the first half, the Corsairs took a 3-0 lead on a Ronny Estrada 29-yard field goal.

Starting quarterback Sean Reilly was 10-of-16 for 76 yards, using short, quick passes to move the ball up the field. A couple of decent drives were not cashed in and SMCC took a 3-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

After pinning the Corsairs deep into their own zone, a short punt and a nice 28-yard return by Baichtal helped give Coast the ball on Santa Monica's 20-yard line. Four plays later, Ah-Hi scampered in from 10-yards out, giving the Pirates the lead for good.

Sophomore Benjamin Soza helped spark another scoring drive with an interception, giving OCC the ball again in Corsair territory.

The ensuing six-play, 44-yard scoring drive was capped off with Hughes' 11-yard dash to the corner of the end zone, making it 14-7 with 4:45 left in the third.

That lead grew to 21-3 when Baichtal stepped in front of a Lugmon Nasouf pass and returned it 60 yards to the end zone. Baichtal finished with 159 return yards (55 on punt returns, 44 on kickoff returns, 60 on the INT).

OCC's best overall offensive drive took place in the fourth quarter. Doll's 38-yard TD catch from Hughes capped off an 11-play, 71-yard series that drained 6:45 off the clock.

Sophomore Dean DeLeone (nine tackles, three solo, 1.5 TFL, one sack) anchored a Pirates defense that held SMCC to 120 rushing yards and just 91 passing yards.

OCC returns to action on Saturday night at LeBard Stadium against L.A. Southwest, beginning at 6 p.m.