OCC has enough to stay perfect

GLENDALE — There was little comfort in the 14-point lead the Orange Coast College football team built in the first half of Saturday night’s nonconference game at Glendale Community College.

More surprisingly, there was little security in a three-touchdown lead that the Pirates enjoyed with less than 4:30 to go in the game.

With 2:16 left in the fourth quarter, the Vaqueros came an onside-kick recovery away from having a chance to completely erase what had looked like a comfortable margin for Orange Coast just minutes earlier.

But Josh Jordan fell on Glendale’s last ditch-attempt to get another possession and sealed a 31-24 victory for the undefeated Pirates (4-0).

“We were up three touchdowns, we were trying to play some guys, obviously, and [the Vaqueros] didn’t give up,” Orange Coast Coach Mike Taylor said. “We ended up having to go back to [our starters].

“You get a lead and you try to play a lot people [off the bench], and that’s probably why they’re not playing.”

Glendale (2-2) scored twice in a span of two minutes, four seconds on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Martinez to Robert Linda and a 22-yard scoring pass from Martinez to Brian Williams to pull within 31-24 at the 2:16 mark.

Orange Coast appeared to have taken all drama out of the game early in the fourth quarter when Spencer Wighton sacked and stripped the ball from Martinez and Christian Bonsall recovered the fumble.

The turnover killed a Vaqueros drive on the OCC 23-yard line and the Pirates then marched 66 yards in nine plays to take a 31-10 lead on a nine-yard run by Taylor Hughes with 10:48 left.

It was the third unanswered score by Orange Coast, which led, 14-10, at halftime, in the second half after a 33-yard Ryan Casano field goal with 10:14 left in the third quarter and a two-yard run by Ray Holley with 2:39 remaining in the third. Meanwhile, the Pirates had ended the Vaqueros’ first three possessions of the second half on two punts and the fumble recovery.

“We talked at halftime about sloppiness, we had some penalties,” Taylor said. “We talked abut coming out in the second half and tighten the ship and we did.”

Despite a first defensive stand of the game that yielded 54 yards in personal foul penalties and put the Vaqueros in the red zone, Orange Coast kept Glendale off the scoreboard and would take a 14-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Hughes to Scott Lefrandt with 10:18 left in the second quarter and a three-yard Hughes run 2:30 later.

Hughes threw for 157 yards and a TD on 14-of-26 passing with no interceptions.