OCC seeks fresh start

Barry Faulkner

For the six community college football teams in the Mission

Conference American Division, the second half of the 10-game regular

season brings hope, renewal and intrigue.

But for Orange Coast College, which meets visiting Long Beach City

tonight at 5, any mention of a second half also brings apprehension

and the stigma of failure.

The Pirates have been outscored, 58-0, in three losses to Mission

Conference National Division teams this year, 92-19, overall before

intermission this fall.

Additionally, the Pirates dropped their final four games of last

year’s second half, creating the foundation for the team’s current

nine-game losing streak.

“The five games we’ve played, we can’t replay, but this is a fresh

start,” Taylor said of tonight’s clash with the Vikings (2-3). “We

had a couple team meetings during the bye week and there was a lot of

soul searching. The kids dedicated themselves to the team and to

playing a second half.”

The Pirates will seek a reward for their renewed commitment

against a Viking squad that has won two of its three Mission

Conference games thus far, including a 42-11 triumph over a Santa Ana

squad that topped OCC, 37-14, Oct. 2. The Vikings, coached by former

Long Beach Poly head man Jerry Jaso, have outscored foes, 69-57, in

the second half this season.

The bye helped OCC, decimated by injuries this fall, get a little

healthier. Sophomore defensive end Ricky Miller, who missed time with

an eye ailment, is back to full strength, as is freshman offensive

tackle Tommy Crowley, who had missed most of three games with a

shoulder injury.

The Pirates also welcome back freshman tailback Matt Padilla.

Padilla amassed a team-high 186 rushing yards on 40 carries, before

suffering a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for the last 2 1/2

games. Padilla won’t start, but is expected to share time with

freshman Matt Downs, who has 166 rushing yards and a team-high four

touchdowns on 34 carries this season.

The Pirates’ offense, ranked ninth among the 12 Mission Conference

teams, will be testing a Long Beach unit ranked last in defending

both the rush and the pass.

OCC sophomore quarterback Kyle Basanez will be hoping to exploit

the latter. He has completed 58 of 127 passes for 750 yards and two

touchdowns. He has thrown four interceptions.

Basanez’s favorite targets have been freshman Ryan Lauderdale (16

catches for 200 yards), freshman Eric Dietz (10 catches for 110

yards) and sophomore Brian Johnson (eight catches for 135 yards and

one TD).

Long Beach is quarterbacked by Alex Aispuro (74 of 146 for 968

yards), while Richard Nichols leads the Viking running game with 355

yards and four TDs on 57 carries.