Resilient OCC defense is key

COSTA MESA — Good defenses bend, but don’t break. The Orange Coast College defense bent over backward, then snapped back with some fourth-quarter heroics to clinch a 21-6 Mission Conference National Division football victory over visiting Santa Ana Saturday.

The Pirates’ defense, which was on the field for 92 plays, nearly double the 48 plays run by the OCC offense, first posted a goal-line stand that twice stuffed quarterback sneaks from the one-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

Then, on its next series, OCC safety Chris Assily returned an interception 72 yards for a clinching touchdown with 3:21 left in the game.

After giving up an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession of the game, the Pirates fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, setting the Dons (5-2, 1-2 in the division), ranked No. 5 in Southern California, up at the OCC 39-yard line.

But the defense forced a punt.

After OCC fumbled on a punt return, giving Santa Ana possession at the Pirates’ 26-yard line, the OCC defense held firm and a subsequent 26-yard Santa Ana field-goal try misfired.

Defensive coordinator Scott Orloff’s unit then came up big near the end of the half, when cornerback Chris Holmesly forced a fumble and safety Benjamin Soza recovered after a completed pass on fourth down to the OCC nine-yard line with three seconds left before intermission. The completion would have created first and goal.

Soza, picked off Santa Ana quarterback Kasey Peters, his former Newport Harbor High teammate, to halt a Dons drive that advanced to the OCC 33 late in the third quarter.

Cornerback Derrell Perkins broke up a pass on fourth-and-three to allow the Pirates to take over on downs at their own 21 moments later.

Santa Ana marched to the OCC five-yard line on nine plays spanning the third and fourth quarters, before the Pirates stiffened for the goal-line stand.

Santa Ana tailback Brian Allen ran twice to the one-yard line, but a third-down sneak gained nothing and a repeat on fourth down, on which Peters bobbled the snap, produced nothing, igniting a wild celebration on the OCC sideline.

After Assily’s exclamation point touchdown — on which the sophomore deftly awaited for trailing teammates to pick off would-be tacklers to cruise into the end zone — the Pirates (6-2, 1-2), ranked No. 9 in Southern California, twice stopped the Dons on downs to ice the win.

Perkins and Holmesly consistently thwarted Peters’ attempts to find tall wideouts on fade and streak patterns.

Holmesly also blocked a punt.

Peters had completed nearly 54% of his passes the first seven games, and had thrown for 1,528 yards and 17 touchdowns.

But against the OCC secondary, as well as a front seven that applied consistent pressure while managing just one sack, Peters completed only 26 of 57 (45.6%), with one TD and two interceptions. Peters did amass 297 passing yards, as the Dons outgained the Pirates, 429-269, in total offense.

OCC went 90 yards on 15 plays to take the lead, as quarterback Kekoa Crowell capped the march that used 7 minutes, 37 seconds, with a 1-yard sneak with 1:38 left in the first quarter.

Upon taking over at their own 20 after Santa Ana’s missed field goal, OCC needed just two plays to widen the lead.

Crowell found Damola Adeniji behind the secondary for a 75-yard score that made it 14-6.

Other defensive stalwarts included Shaun Mohler, Matt Harris, Mark Marowicz, Nathan Codd, Bubba Reynolds, Ryan Wolfe, Lama Taafua, Winter Welz and Chris Syfers.

OCC plays at Cerritos next week.