Orange Coast College

Football: Bell stays put as Pirates rally to top Rustlers!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

COSTA MESA -- Much like Wednesday's Rib Eating Contest between Orange Coast and Golden West, Saturday's football game between the Pirates and Rustlers was on the sloppy side and it the outcome wasn't decided until the final seconds.

However, unlike Wednesday, it was the Pirates who came out victorious with a 16-13 comeback win before an impressive crowd of over 3,000 at LeBard Stadium, keeping the "Victory Bell" trophy in Costa Mesa for the second straight year.

Ray Holley's 1-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left helped push the Pirates in front to stay, pushing their record to 3-0. With the loss, GWC falls to 1-2.

"It was a great atmosphere for football here tonight and it was a hard-fought game between two solid programs," OCC head coach Mike Taylor said. "Fortunately for us, we were able to make a couple of big plays down the stretch and we were able to push it in for the win."

It was a game of offensive success, combined with key defensive turnovers for both teams. The two teams combined for 663 yards of total offense and 40 first downs, but thanks in large part to eight combined turnovers, several potential point-producing drives came up empty on both sides.

Holley and sophomore Kevin Ah-Hi Combined for 127 rushing yards on 28 carries, while quarterback Taylor Hughes threw for 227 yards on 20-of-29 passing with two interceptions. Receivers Cameron Hall, Anthony Vidal and Matt Redding combined for 197 yards on 14 catches.

For the Rustlers, they were led by wide receiver Lavasier Tuinei, who caught five passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns and was the main weapon for quarterback Michael VanDeripe (19-30, 243 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions).

In the first quarter, OCC's marched down the field and had opportunities to score, but a field-goal attempt was wasted by a fumbled snap and the second drive was stopped by an interception by GWC's Jordare Lewis at the Rustler goal line, keeping the game scoreless.

After a VanDeripe fumble was recovered by OCC's Matt Henry at the Rustler 31-yard line, OCC was again in excellent field position. However, the GWC defense stiffened and OCC settled for a 45-yard field goal by Ryan Casano for a 3-0 Pirates' lead.

Late in the second quarter, the Rustlers found the first "big play" of the game when VanDeripe hit Tuinei for a 49-yard touchdown strike, giving GWC a 7-3.

Following an OCC turnover, the Rustlers had the ball on OCC's 25 with 31 seconds left in the first half, but Pirate linebacker Jimmy Keating intercepted a VanDeripe pass at the goal line on the last play of the half, keeping the score 7-3.

OCC cornerback DeQuan Everett notched the Pirates' second pick of the night and eight plays later, the Pirates cashed the drive in with a 42-yard field goal by Casano to cut the deficit to 7-6.

A nice kickoff return by GWC's Brandon Grissom gave the Rustlers the ball at midfield and three plays later, VanDeripe hit Tuinei with a slant pass and the receiver broke free for a 44-yard touchdown, putting the Rustlers up 13-7 after a blocked PAT by Sione Liufau.

Again, OCC drove down the field, but had to settle for Casano's third field goal of the night (27 yards) to make it 13-9 with 3:34 left in the third.

Both teams went back and forth before the Pirates mustered up one final drive with 5:52 left in the game.

Perhaps the play of the game came on second-and-13 on the Pirates' 41 when Hughes went back to pass, scrambled out of trouble and hit Hall for a 45-yard gain, giving OCC the ball on the GWC 14-yard line.

A 12-yard run by Holley gave the Pirates first-and-goal from the GWC 2-yard line and after a couple of running plays were stopped by the Rustlers, a Golden West timeout stopped the clock with 35 seconds left.

On the next play, Holley got the ball, slanted right and found the opening he needed as he plowed into the end zone and sending one of the bigger OCC crowds in recent memory into a frenzy.

GAME NOTES -- Halftime was highlighted with a golf-ball drop from a helicopter above the LeBard Stadium turf (pictured right), to raise money for Children's Hospital of Orange County. Over 1,000 balls were dropped and an estimated $16,000 was raised from it.