Ray Holly etched his name into the record books

Posted by Tony Lee - Nov. 18

Coast's running back Ray Holley broke the all-time single season rushing record at OCC Saturday (Nov. 14) when he rushed for 266 yards with five touchdowns against Long Beach City College. See all the entire game summary and how Holley got the record.

Fastest of them all

Posted by Tony Lee - Oct. 31

Orange Coast College's cross country teams proved Friday (Oct. 30) that both men's and women's squads are the team to beat for the 2009 state championship. At the Orange Empire Conference Cross Country Tournament in Huntington Beach's Central Park, Coast finished first in the men's five-mile run and the women's 5K run in a convincing fashion. See how the runners finished.

Where are the champs?

Posted by Tony Lee - Oct. 25

The defending Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year, Brett Wallach, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, leads the pack key players on the 2009 state champion baseball team have moved onto different locations. See where they moved to since then.

What loss to Golden West?

Posted by Tony Lee - Oct. 25

After the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season, the lady Pirates have won five-straight games - the latest on Friday (Oct. 23) against Santa Ana College. See how the lady Pirates have bounced back.

Meet a Pirate: Danny Orona

Posted by Tony Lee - Sept. 20

Danny Orona is a 5 foot 6 inch, 160 pound driver from Los Amigos High School who starts on the men's water polo team. “Last year, he really didn't get much playing time but he kept working in practice every single day,” head coach Monty McCord said. "He makes things happen when he's in there. He's a great defensive player (and) he's willing to do a lot of the dirty work not everyone is willing to do." See how he answered the questions.

Victory Bell stays at Coast

Posted by Tony Lee - Sept. 20

For the first time in the West-Coast Showdown history, the Pirates have won the Victory Bell three years in a row. In a dramatic 24-21 victory, Coast (3-0) defeated the Golden West College Rustlers (0-3) to even up the all-time series at 20-20-2. See the last-second dramatics of the game with pictures and quotes from players and coaches.

Meet a Pirate(s): Rebecca Murray and Melissa Mahi

Posted by Tony Lee - Sept. 11

The women's basketball coaching staff have picked their captains for the 2009-2010 season. Rebecca Murray (left) and Melissa Mahi (right) are sophomore returners. See how they answered the questions from the hat.

Lady Pirates hands Mt. San Jacinto its first loss

By Tony Lee On Friday, December 11, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College's women's basketball team, fresh off a buzzer-beating, tournament winning shot at the 26th-Annual Conoco-Phillips Tournament, played at Cuesta College, adds one more heartbreaking loss to another team's standings.

According to OCC's Sports Information Director Tony Altobelli, the lady Pirates (8-3) "led most of the first half and carried a 41-31 lead one minute into the second half before the (Mt. San Jacinto) Eagles (7-1) found their spark and ripped off 12 straight points, forcing the Pirates into a pair of timeouts.

"Both teams traded baskets and the lead for the next few minutes before the Pirates responded with a game-changing 13-0 run, highlighted by eight points from Michelle Lewis (pictured) and a pair of buckets from (Samantha) Hansen, giving Coast a 64-52 lead with 6:40 left."


Coast's Amanda Deal led the lady Pirates once again with 11 and 10 apiece from Danielle Keneipp and Hansen.

Click here to read full game summary by Altobelli.

OCC returns to action on Friday in the opening round of the Coast Christmas Classic against El Camino, beginning at 7 p.m.

[Photo courtesy of Justin Yamasaki]

Secret to volleyball's success

By Tony Lee On Friday, December 11, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College women’s volleyball team understands the saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” a bit too well from doing “boards” at their practices.

“It’s where you push this wooden block with carpet around it, push it with your hands and run across the floor,” said sophomore libero Nikki Osuna on Nov. 26 after beating Moorpark College in five sets. “We do those every day and I feel like we hate them so much, but they’ve made us so much better. Our stamina is insane that we can go for games like this and play the way we do.”

Head coach Chuck Cutenese said that ever since he became a coach, he’s incorporated using boards into his programs.

“It’s a lower body workout and you feel it in the back of your legs,” he said. “When I played at Chapman University, I hated them. They were the worst. But our coach kept saying it’s going to make you better.”

Though many of the Coast players agree that doing boards is painful, all of them recognize the benefits of pushing a two-by-four wooden block with carpet on it.

“Yeah they are tiring and yeah they made you want to throw up, but in the long run, we were probably in better shape than all the other teams,” sophomore middle blocker Briana Fields (pictured) said, “because of our hard work and boards we did everyday.”

But boards were also a used as a form of punishment.

“I set the record last year for 29 boards in a row because I was late for practice,” sophomore outside hitter Rachel Freeno said. “I’m like the queen of boards, but everyone hates them.”

Besides the increased strength and stamina, Freeno said that boards have contributed a big part to why the lady Pirates are such a cohesive group.

“Personally, I think it’s bringing us closer,” she said, “because everybody dreads doing boards so it’s pushing us as a team.”


Click here to read "Lady Pirates on top again" article on the team winning its third state title in the last five years.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Lady Pirates are No. 1

By Tony Lee On Sunday, December 06, 2009 0 comments
The lady Pirates volleyball team got off to a bad start by losing its first game at the California Community College Athletic Association state championship.

But Orange Coast College won the next 12 out of 13 sets to make it to the finals today (Dec. 6) against Orange Empire Conference rivals Cypress College.

Despite losing to the Chargers in their last meeting, the lady Pirates won the first set of games, 3-1, and then beat Cypress again in the sudden death, first-to-25 point set, to claim the state championship.

Tournament MVP was freshman setter Kimya Jafroudi.

More information will follow soon.

[Photo courtesy of Nikki Osuna]

Back to the Final Four

By Tony Lee On Sunday, December 06, 2009 0 comments
Karlee Skalla (pictured) tallied 13 kills and four blocks for the Orange Coast College women’s volleyball team in a 25-21, 25-12, 25-14 win against Sierra College Saturday (Dec. 5) in the California Community College Athletic Association state championships at San Joaquin Delta College.

The No. 1 seeded lady Pirates (23-3) lost to the No. 4 seed Sierra in the opening round of the tournament and since then has played in the loser's bracket.

“We underestimated our first opponent Sierra and it cost us," head coach Chuck Cutenese said in a press release on coasports.org. "We have six players who were there at the state tournament last year and we haven’t learned. Other teams are not going to play dead for us. We let up in the third game vs. Delta and lost a game we shouldn’t have there. It’s disappointing."

Prior to the rematch against Sierra, Coast began Saturday with a 25-23, 25-14, 25-21 win over Sacramento City College, the No. 1 ranked team in the state.

Poe Gantt led OCC with 10 kills, while Rachel Freeno had nine kills. Nikki Osuna led the Pirates with 22 digs.

Against Sierra, Freeno led Coast with 17 digs, Gantt had 12 kills and Briana Fields added nine kills with a .533 hitting percentage.

Skalla recorded a .480 hitting percentage in that contest.

OCC will play against Irvine Valley College at 10 a.m. in the semifinal today. The winner will play against Cypress College, who is undefeated at the state tournament, in the final.

In the lady Pirates' last match against IVC on Nov. 11, Coast won in five sets 19‐25, 25‐17, 25‐18, 22‐25, 15‐8.

The last match against Cypress, on Nov. 4, resulted in a 25‐13, 22‐25, 25‐23, 19‐25, 15‐13 loss.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Another record-breaker on Coast volleyball

By Tony Lee On Sunday, December 06, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College's freshman setter Kimya Jafroudi (pictured) set a school Final 8 record against San Joaquin Delta Friday (Dec. 5) with her 64 assists at the California Community College Athletic Association state championships.

She also racked-up 64 assists in only four sets.

The lady Pirates won that game 21-25, 22-25, 26-24, 18-25.

Congratulations Kimya.

Click here to see her Pirate of the Week article.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Split at state championships

By Tony Lee On Saturday, December 05, 2009 0 comments
Despite the playing the No. 4 seeded Sierra College, the No. 1 seeded Orange Coast College's women's volleyball team was upset by the Wolverines Friday (Dec. 4), 25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24, at the California Community College Athletic Association state championships.

In its first match in the loser's bracket, the lady Pirates (21-3) eliminated San Joaquin Delta College 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-18 to stay alive in the tournament.

Coast will play the loser of today's morning match at 1 p.m. and win another game after that to stay alive in the tournament. Coast will also need to win at least twice Sunday to claim the program's third state title in the last five seasons.

Freshman setter Kimya Jafroudi had 64 assists against Delta, Poe Gantt had 26 kills and Nikki Osuna had 20 digs.

Against Sierra, Gantt led the lady Pirates with 19 kills and Osuna had 18 digs.

That 18 digs set the single-season record for digs, previously held by Ashlee Moon (451 in 2006), and Osuna now has 473 heading into today.

Deal me in

By Tony Lee On Saturday, December 05, 2009 0 comments
Freshman Amanda Deal (pictured) scored a career-high 25 points on Friday to defeat Allan Hancock College 71-67 at the semifinals of the Cuesta College Tournament.

Deal had five three-pointers and scored 16 of her 25 points in the second half to help the lady Pirates (6-3) advance to today's title game at 4 p.m.

Coast's Samantha Hansen added 11 points in the contest.

[Photo courtesy of Justin Yamasaki]

Opportunity to play at a $3 million stadium

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, December 02, 2009 0 comments
Right next to the Adams Avenue, a brand-new softball field is being built for the start of the 2010 spring season for Orange Coast College's softball team.

Head softball coach Ruby Rojas said she will have open tryouts for OCC students who are interested in suiting up for the lady Pirates next season.

"I will be holding tryouts January 5th at 1 p.m. and I am looking for eligible student athletes to come out for the 2010 season," Rojas said. "Especially since we just got a $3 million stadium."

Rojas is a 2008 Beijing Olympian athlete and batted cleanup for the Venezuelan national team. She also competed in the Canada Cup over the summer and led Venezuela to a third place finish.

To read a feature story about Rojas, click here. To read a feature story on some of the 2010 recruits, click here.

[Artist rendering courtesy of Orange Coast College]

Make it rain

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, December 02, 2009 0 comments
Head coach Mike Thornton said the Orange Coast College lady Pirates have been playing stressed out at the start of the season.

His goal at the third place game of the Santa Ana College Thanksgiving Tournament was for his players to be stress-free and relax on offense. The lady Pirates (4-3) did just that and responded with making a season-high 12 three pointers
on Sunday (Nov. 29) to defeat Solano College, 81-50, at the Cook Gym.

"I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and have been a bit demanding," Thornton said. "Our goal today was to come out relaxed on offense and I think we did that today."

Sophomore Jenna Lujan (pictured), who led the team with 16 points and eight rebounds Sunday, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Thornton said that he asked Lujan to be more assertive on offense this season and this was the first time she did that this season.


"Coach has been talking about being more offensive minded - and not just defensive," Lujan said. "I'm still looking for my players, but firstly, looking for my layups and finishing strong."


Thornton was also impressed by her defense - especially against San Bernardino Valley College on Saturday.


"I think she had only nine points but took four charges," he said. "I think that's the most charges anyone has taken at Coast in a game."


Freshman Tiffany Montiero added 10 points off the bench and contributed two of the 12 three pointers on Sunday. Lujan converted three of the 12.


Coast's Sam Hansen scored nine points, Helena Robel scored eight and Alyssa Hanson and Michelle Yamasaski scored seven also.

"We have a lot of people that can play - we play about 12 people," Hanson said. "We have a lot of people rotating in-and-out, pretty quick."

Lujan also echoes that statement.


"It's cool knowing that we can all score," she said. "We don't have that one go-to-player. We can all drive, finish, make free throws so it just equals it all out."


OCC returns to action on Thursday (Dec. 3) at the Cuesta College Tournament against the College of the Redwoods, beginning at 3:30 p.m.


[Photo by Tony Lee]

Ouch!

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, December 02, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College's Alyssa Hanson (No. 12) said she suffered a bloody lip early in the first half Sunday (Nov. 29) after her teammate Jenna Lujan "elbowed me in the mouth."

"Oh my gosh I feel so bad," Lujan said. "I told her she went after my rebound and she was in post territory. But I feel really bad about that."

Hanson returned to the game after getting her lip treated and finished with 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting.


"She was really sorry about it," Hanson said. "It just happens. It's OK. I'll just have a fat lip for awhile."

Also in the picture, trainer Dan Denzler on the left and teammate Bianca Carranza on the right.


[Photo by Tony Lee]

State finals for the second straight year

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, December 02, 2009 0 comments


Orange Coast College’s head women’s volleyball coach Chuck Cutenese reminded his team about all the bleachers they’ve run and all the push ups they did prior to the final set against Moorpark College.

“All of that was for this moment right now — being in shape, to be disciplined and to be focused,” Cutenese said to the fifth-ranked lady Pirates Saturday at the Southern California Regional Playoffs.

Coast (20-2) responded to their coach’s speech by playing an errorless final game to upset the fourth-ranked Raiders (20-3), 25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 16-25, 15-8, at the Raider Pavilion and move onto the state championship for the second consecutive year.

“We’ve worked so hard for this and we were seeded lower than this team,” said sophomore libero Nikki Osuna, who led Coast with 26 digs. “We wanted to show everyone that they need to stop underestimating us.”

Osuna, who redshirted last year due to a knee injury and missed the state championship, now has 435 digs for the season and needs 17 more to break the school single-season record (451) set by Ashlee Moon in 2006.

“I started crying right at the end,” she said. “From last year, being at state and just watching it, it’s driven me so much just to want to be on the court this year.”

Coast sophomore outside hitters Poe Gantt led the lady Pirates with 16 kills with Rachel Freeno trailing behind with 15 kills in the contest.

Coast sophomore outside hitter and middle blocker Briana Fields, who finished with 13 kills, added that she doesn’t agree with their ranking.

“I personally think we’re better than our ranking,” she said, “but the good thing about being ranked low is that people underestimate you and we can come out and show them what we’ve got.”

Fields was the only lady Pirate to be selected for the 2009 All-State SoCal team. She was also one of two players from the SoCal region to be selected for the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All American first team.

“They anticipate she’s going to get the ball and (Field) is hitting against two people every time,” Cutenese said. “I think that shows how good of a player she is.”

But Cutenese said freshman setter Kimya Jafroudi, who compiled a game-high 54 assists Saturday, has gone unnoticed and is the lady Pirates’ unsung hero this season.

“They make all the decisions and she’s done a fantastic job, especially as a freshman,” Cutenese said of setters. “That’s a lot of pressure on (Jafroudi) and she’s really come through.”

Despite being ranked No. 5 at the start, Coast is now the highest-ranked team out of SoCal to make it to the state championship.

Now as the No. 1 ranked team, the lady Pirates face fourth-ranked Sierra College Wolverines Friday at the California Community Colleges Athletic Association Women’s Volleyball Championship.

The state championship is held at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. and is a double-elimination tournament that ends on Sunday.

“I set a goal for this team and it was to get back to the state tournament,” Cutenese said. “We came up against a real strong Moorpark team — they were real physical, real aggressive — and (we) really pulled through at the end and I’m really proud of them.”

[Photos by Tony Lee]

No Thanksgiving hangover for the lady Pirates

By Tony Lee On Friday, November 27, 2009 0 comments


The lady Pirates put their hands in the middle and yelled out "team" before the opening tip-off of the Santa Ana College Thanksgiving Tournament Friday (Nov. 27).

That word is probably the best way to describe the 2009-10 Orange Coast College women's basketball team because, according to head coach Mike Thornton, there are no superstars on the roster.

But to win, the lady Pirates do not need a No. 1 offensive option. With its top four scoring leaders only separated by four points Friday, Coast (3-2) shared the ball as a team en route to a 56-47 win over Merced College (1-4) at the Cook Gym.

"Through the first four games, we had a different leading scorer every game," Thornton said.

But Coast forward Sam Hansen, fresh off a 21 point performance in a 76-74 overtime win over Cerritos College on Nov. 18, is one of the front-runners to be that No. 1 scoring option.

Hansen scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting (4-of-4 on free throws) Friday to become the lady Pirates' first back-to-back scoring leader this season.

"When I'm in, I'm going to give it my all," she said.

Hansen also had a team-high four steals in the contest and was a big part of Coast's full-court defensive press that resulted in 20 first half Merced turnovers.

Because of that, the lady Pirates closed the first half on a 7-0 run and carried over the momentum at the start of the second half with an 8-1 run to give themselves a 15 point cushion with 14 minutes left in the game.

"We practiced that a lot," Hansen said of the full court press defense. "We just want to execute that to give ourselves more chances for baskets."

Coast freshman Amanda Deal, who scored 11 points on 2-of-2 shooting and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, added that because no one is a No. 1 offensive option, their team unity shows on both sides of the court.

"We're always working hard (and) I can count on any girl at any time when we're playing," she said. "We all just want to win and it shows."

The other top scorers for Coast were sophomore Jenna Lujan, who also led the lady Pirates with two blocks and four assists, and freshman Tiffany Monteiro (2-of-4 on three pointers) with eight points.

"We have to work really hard together," Hansen said. "We win as a team, we lose as a team."

Coast will play against San Bernardino Valley College Saturday (Nov. 28) in the second round of the tournament at 5 p.m. at Cook Gym.

[Photos by Tony Lee]

Second place for the Pirates

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 21, 2009 0 comments
The lady Pirates cross country team will not defend its state championship as Coast fell to Glendale College by 37 points at the 2009 California Community College State Championship at Woodward Park in Fresno Saturday (Nov. 21).

Glendale finished first at 43 points and Mt. San Antonio College finished third with 92 points.

To lead the lady Pirates once again was sophomore standout Kimone Hewitt, who finished in third with a 18:05.30 mark.

Coast's Hillary Labelle finished 16th (18:52.24), Jane Kerner finished 22nd (18:59.93), Andrea Gayton-Jacob finished 23rd (19:05.74), Sara Toberty finished 28thh (19:16.83), Andrea Guerra finished 42nd (19:37.02) and Margaret McDuffee finished 62nd (19:58.57).

The men's squad also finished in second place Saturday.

San Bernardino Valley won the state championship with a 67 and OCC finished 66 points behind with a 133 to finish in second.

Third place finisher was Glendale College at 164.

Coast was led by sophomore standout Russell Westphal, who finished 13th with a mark of 20:41.94.

Eric Dyson finished 24th with 20:55.35, Sergio Olivarrias finished 29th with 20:58.04, Pedro Saucedo finished 31st with 20:59.68, Jake Dawson finished 44th with 21:10.20, Francisco Baquero finished 63rd with 21:24.30 and Jorge Torres at 124th with 22:05.03.

[Photos from the Orange Empire Conference finals and courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Nov. 18 issue of the Coast Report

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, November 18, 2009 0 comments
This week's top headline of the Coast Report's sports page is the men's and women's cross country team going to the state championship on Saturday (Nov. 21) to Fresno.

Sports column "It's Me, Tony Lee" is about football player Ray Holley who set OCC's all-time single season rushing record Saturday (Nov. 14) in Coast's final game of the season.

This week's Pirates of the Week are Nikki Osuna, who almost set a school record in digs, and Antonio Dominquez, who scored seven goals in the men's water polo playoff games.

Also, more than 50 percent of the 2009 OCC spring athletes made the honor roll.

All the articles are available on www.coastreportonline.com.




Top of the rowing world

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, November 18, 2009 0 comments



The Orange Coast College men's crew team defeated many Division-I, four-year universities and placed first and second place in the Head of the Harbor's Novice 8 race at San Pedro Harbor Sunday (Nov. 15).

Out of the seven teams in the race, Coast's A team finished at 15:55 for first and Coast's B team finished second at 16:42, which beat third place UC Santa Barbara by five seconds.

In the Varsity 8 race, Coast's A team lost a neck-to-neck race to USC (15:26) by just one second and finished second at 15:27.

Coast's B team finished behind third place Loyola Marymount University (15:54) and UC Irvine's A team (15:57) at 16:29 to finish fifth out of nine teams.

[Photos courtesy of Dan Ferons]

Men's soccer ends in a shutout

By Tony Lee On Tuesday, November 17, 2009 0 comments
Prior to the 4-0 loss to Riverside Community College in its season finale Friday (Nov. 13), Orange Coast College's men’s soccer team was ranked 16th in the region.

However, the loss bounced Coast (8-10-3, 5-6-3) out of playoff contention and the Pirates finished the season 19th in the southern region with a 1.7286 power ranking.

“We thought we would be much better than we did,” head men’s soccer coach Laird Hayes said. “We were wrecked by injuries. We just got disseminated.”

On top of injuries, Hayes said he lost some players due to academic ineligibility and a lack of sophomore leadership also hurt the team down the stretch.

“I’m not blaming the kids. That’s our responsibility as coaches,” Hayes said of coaching leadership, “to try to teach that, get them to buy into it. (The coaching staff) learned a lot, we got a lot to do, make amends and improve for the next year.”

The Pirates were led by Jordan Gorman (six goals, nine assists) and William Munoz's (pictured) nine goals and two assists this season.

[Photo by Hank Schellingerhout]

Lady Pirates playoff bound

By Tony Lee On Tuesday, November 17, 2009 0 comments
After defeating Irvine Valley College due to a forfeit Friday (Nov. 13), the lady Pirates (14-5-1, 10-5-1 in the Orange Empire Conference) finished the season ranked 12th in the southern region with a 2.0425 power ranking.

This earned Coast a playoff spot and the lady Pirates will face the fifth-ranked Cypress College (16-3-2) Saturday in the first round of the playoffs.

Head women’s coach Kevin Smith said that one of the key wins that helped the lady Pirates to make it to the playoffs this season was the victory against Riverside Community College in the OEC opener on Sept. 15.

“To be honest with you, out of the bat, Riverside on the road, turned out to be a pretty big win,” Smith said of beating the 10th ranked team in the southern region.

However, Coast didn’t find the same success against OEC's top two teams, Santiago Canyon College (ranked first in the southern region) and Cypress, as the lady Pirates went 0-4 against them and was outscored 12-to-one in those games.

“We just have to find a way to beat Santiago and Cypress,” Smith said.

The lady Pirates will rely on Kallie Ryker (pictured), the No. 1 goal scorer in the OEC with 19 goals and eight assists, Taryn Bales (eight goals, 14 assists) and Laura Tishler (nine goals, six assists).

If Coast beats the Chargers Saturday (Nov. 21), the lady Pirates face the winner of fourth-ranked Moorpark College and 13th-rank San Diego Miramar College on Tuesday (Nov. 24).

[Photo by Hank Schellingerhout]

It's Me, Tony Lee: Holley is the best ever at OCC

By Tony Lee On Sunday, November 15, 2009 0 comments
It’s hard to explain what Orange Coast College football player Ray Holley has that makes him the best running back our school has ever seen.

On Saturday, Holley, playing in his 10th game of the season and his fourth with a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL), needed 252 yards to break the school’s single-season rushing record of 1,442 yards set by Jeff Clayton in 11 games.

The 5-foot-9-inch sophomore from El Modena High School knew what he needed to do and opted not to tape his knee so he wouldn’t have to think about the injury.

As a result, Holley played in arguably his best game at OCC, rushing for 266 yards and all five of the team’s touchdowns on Saturday and set the all-time record at 1,457 yards in a season.

“It feels great,” Holley said. “I worked for it, everyone else worked for it and they helped me get there. It was a great group of guys we played with and it was fun. I just wish that it would last another week.”

However, the Pirates did lose to Long Beach City College 42-38 and no one was more disappointed than Holley.

“It sucks to be a sophomore, come out and be this close to make it to a bowl game,” Holley said. “It just sucks to lose this way.”

But it’s not just the single-season rushing record that he’ll be known for.

“That kid’s got the most heart that I’ve ever seen,” said teammate Jimmy Keating after the 33-27 triple overtime victory against Santa Ana College on Oct. 10.

Holley sprained MCL on the Pirates’ first offensive possession in that game but played through the injury and finished with 42 carries for 191 yards and three touchdowns n the last being the game winning score.

That’s not just having heart. That’s having courage, determination and pride like no other athlete I’ve ever come across.

Ever.

He also puts on an eye-black before every game with the initial PIW — which stands for put in work.

“The guy’s a solider,” sophomore teammate Jimmy Keating said. “Put in work is his motto. He puts in the work everyday and no one wanted (Saturday’s game) more than him.”

Head coach Mike Taylor said that Holley not only puts his time in on the football field during practice, but he also studies films regularly and puts the effort in the weight room.

“Ray’s a great kid; I’ve said that from the get-go,” he said. “He’s a team kid, the team loves him, he’s got lots of energy (and) he practices hard.”

This season, Holley had 75 percent of the Pirates’ touchdowns, involved in 45.3 percent of plays of scrimmage and rushed for 311 times — almost 100 more times than the previous record holder Bart Recktenwald (216).

The stats and records he has set speak volumes about his football abilities but it’s what’s behind pads and the helmet that makes him truly stands out.

This season, he’s also showed all the Coast fans the expression of “leaving everything out on the field.” This season, he showed what it means to play through an injury.

Records are mean to be broken but I hope no one breaks the school records Holley’s set in 2009.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Darrius Young to the rescue

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
The Vikings advanced 84 yards on nine plays to score on the Pirates and took the lead with 1:11 left in the game.

Long Beach's Darrius Young had two critical 22-yard receptions, the second of those being a touchdown, to put the Vikings up 42-38.

On the ensuing kickoff, Coast's Cody Matthews returns it for 24 yards and puts the Pirates on the 39-yard line.

After one incompletion, Coast's Kyle Manning connected with Calvin Brister on a 20-yard pass to get the Pirates to the 41 yard line.

With 32 seconds left, on third-and-10, the Pirates ran a draw for Ray Holley to get it to the 36-yard line and then converted on the fourth-and-five on a pass to Kyle Burdett.

On the last play of the game, six-seconds left, Manning's pass was deflected and the Pirates lose, 42-38.

EDIT
Complete stats can be found here.

New all-time rusher

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments

Ray Holley has the record!

After the Pirates scored on a seven-yard touchdown from Holley (that put the Pirates up 38-35 with less than nine minutes left in the game), he got the carry on the next Coast offensive possession and got the record on a 15-yard toss.

Prior to his touchdown, Coast's Brandon Estrada put the Pirates in great field position with a 26-yard end around (or reverse) run.

Congratulations "Smalley Holley."

[Photo by Kevin Warn]

Only 16 more yards

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
Ray Holley is so close to the record.

Holley led the Pirates with a 30- and 21-yard runs and scored on a two-yard run to give OCC a 31-28 lead.

Holley needed 253 yards to break the record set by Jeff Clayton in 1993 (1,442 yards in a season).

But the Vikings were once again quick to counter. Genesis Fonoimoana, who scored earlier on an interception, returned the kickoff for a 88-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 35-31 lead with 12:44 left.

First and 10 on the 34 yard line with 12:24 left in the game.

Scoring update 3

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
Vikings did not wait long to answer back Ray Holley's touchdown.

Long Beach traveled down 78 yards on eight plays to score on Ruben Laurente's one-yard run and take a 28-24 lead (pictured).

After both teams exchanged possessions with punts, the Pirates now have the ball on the Vikings 45 yard line at the end of the third quarter.

Holley also has 184 yards - 68 more yards for the school record.

LBCC 28, OCC 24.

[Photo courtesy of JohnoMoto Photography]

Only 100 more yards!

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
Ray Holley needs only 100 more yards to break the OCC rushing record.

On the first drive of the second half Holley scored on a 13-yard TD run; he also had runs of 10 and 15 in that drive.

The score is now 24-21, advantage OCC, with 11:46 left in the third quarter.

Quick strike

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
The Vikings weren't down for long, despite having less than two minutes left in the half.

Quarterback Kevin Lubner (pictured), with 20 seconds left in the half, throws a perfect fade pass to wide receiver Darrius Young for a 32-yard touchdown.

However, Coast coaches talked to the referees after the play for what I can only assume as the coach's asking why an offensive pass interference wasn't called.

Score is 21-17 at the half, in favor of Long Beach CC.

[Photo courtesy of JohnoMoto Photography]

Scoring update 2

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
The Pirates stopped the Vikings and forced another three-and-out.

Coast's Joe Galvez, who muffed his last punt return, had a much better returned on his second try and returned it for 18 yards.


Ray Holley (pictured) was once again Coast's main offensive weapon as he got the Pirates' first 20 yards, 10 from a reception. However, Coast failed to get it field goal range and was forced to punt.


Pirates defense forced another three-and-out and Bryce Brantley added a sack, but Galvez muffed his second punt of the night.


On the Viking's second offensive life, the Pirates forced a fumble on the very next play.

Coast capitalized off that turnover and scored. Holley also added a 33-,10 and 9-yard run in that drive and has 105 yards in the game. The nine-yard run was for a touchdown with 1:52 left in the half.

Holley need 147 yards for the school record.

14-7 Coast.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Naughty, naughty

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
The Vikings take a 14-3 lead after a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Genesis Fonoimoana, but he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for "crip walking" after his TD.

But Kyle Manning quickly answered back with a 26-yard completion to wide receiver Kyle Burdett to put behind the interception.

Ray Holley added 30 yards to this drive and scored on a one-yard run with 12:53 left in the second quarter.

Holley now has 36 yards on 11 carries with one TD. He needs 216 more yards to break the school's all-time rushing record.

[Photo courtesy of Getty Images]

Vikings take the lead

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
The Pirates stopped Long Beach with a three and out but Joe Galvez muffed he punt and gave the ball back to the Vikings at the 30-yard line.

Long Beach's Daveon Barner eventually scored on a one-yard run with 4:48 left in the first quarter. David Covey's extra point attempt was good.

Score is 7-3, advantage Vikings.

Scoring update 1

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
Long Beach stated the game with a 21-yard run by Daveon Barner but failed to get into field goal range in the Pirates 49.

The Pirates went three and out after Calvin Brister dropped a perfectly thrown pass from quarterback Kyle Manning, but recovered the ball on the 29-yard line after the Vikings muffed the punt.

After three runs from Ray Holley for six yards and no pass completions, the Pirates put up three with a 40-yard Lucas Vandeman (pictured) field goal.

Score, 3-0 Pirates, with 9:40 left in the first quarter.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Holley Watch

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College's sophomore running back Ray Holley needs 252 yards to break the school single-season rushing record of 1,442 yards set by Jeff Clayton in 1993.

Holley averages 132.3 yards per game but has been held below 100 yards per game in the last three contests. He is still ranked No. 3 in the state.

During the game, there will be constant updates on Holley's progress, under "Holley Watch."

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Final football game of the season: OCC at Long Beach CC

By Tony Lee On Saturday, November 14, 2009 0 comments
This is a copy of a report from the Daily Pilot's Barry Faulkner

Key Pirates:
  • Sophomore running back Ray Holley (1,191 yards and 13 TDs on 269 rushing attempts)
  • Sophomore outside linebacker Jimmy Keating (56 tackles, 11 for losses)
  • Freshman outside linebacker Travis McNaughton (47 tackles)
  • Sophomore free safety Keahi Raikes (three interceptions)
Breakdown:
  • The Pirates (5-4, 1-4 in the National Division), ranked No. 14 in Southern California, end their regular season against the Vikings (2-7, 1-4).
  • Holley needs 252 yards to break the school single-season rushing record of 1,442 yards set by Jeff Clayton in 1993 ... Holley ranks No. 3 in the state in rushing yards per game (132.3).
  • OCC’s defense is No. 4 in the state in rushing yards allowed per game (68.4).
  • The Pirates’ rank No. 70 among 71 schools in passing rating and have completed just 36.5% of their passes. OCC quarterbacks have four TD passes and 16 interceptions.
  • Both teams’ lone division win was against Santa Ana Collge.
  • LBCC has allowed 40.8 points per game.

Postseason splash

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 0 comments
Impressive showings by Orange Coast College's men's and women's water polo squads earned the Pirates a spot at the Southern California Regional Tournament at Pasadena City College, starting on Thursday (Nov. 12).

The lady Pirates, led by Brittany Daniels' five goals (right), defeated Saddleback College and the No. 1 seeded Golden West College at the Orange Empire Conference Tournament over the weekend to advance to the championship match.

Unfortunately, Coast fell to Riverside Community College 9-4 to finish in second place, but the impressive OEC Tournament showing earned the lady Pirates a No. 3 seed at SoCal Regionals.

Against Saddleback and Golden West, Mary Jane Cooney and Alex Garcia added a total of three goals while Jamie Bee added two.

Coast, 20-9 overall this season, faces Chaffey College Friday at 2 p.m. in the first round of the playoffs.

The men's team, led by Casey Sullivan's nine goals in the OEC Tournament (left), finished one-step behind the ladies as the Pirates finished third overall.

After beating Santa Ana College 18-9, the Pirates lost to Riverside 12-7 in the semifinals but bounced back to beat Saddleback for third place.

This showing earned the Pirates, 19-9 overall record this season, a No. 7 seed in the SoCal Regionals and will face the 10th-seeded Saddleback Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at PCC.

Against Saddleback in the OEC Tournament, Adam Smith was the team leader with three goals, while Kyle Thorsness and Adam Thomas each added two goals.

If the men's team defeat the Gauchos, then the Pirates take on the No. 2 seed Long Beach City College later that day, starting at 5:45 p.m.


[Photos courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Lucky No. 13

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 0 comments
The top 16 teams in the northern and southern region make the postseason for men's and women's soccer.

At the moment, according to ccsoccernews.com, both Orange Coast College's men's and women's soccer teams are ranked 13th and staying alive with one game to go.

The Pirates (8-9-3, 5-5-3 in Orange Empire Conference) will play the No. 12 ranked Riverside Community College, away, at 3 p.m. Friday (Nov. 13) which may affect the postseason seeding for Coast.

The lady Pirates (13-5-1, 9-5-1) will finish the season off with a guaranteed-win Friday due to a forfeit by Irvine Valley College because of a lack of healthy players.

Check back on the OCC Sports Blog on Saturday to see the official playoff bracket of both teams.

Excellence on and off the field

By Tony Lee On Sunday, November 08, 2009 0 comments
Over 50 percent of Orange Coast College's athletes achieved honor roll status for the spring 2009 semester and it is the best record Athletic Director Barbara Bond can remember in her recent years.

Out of the 316 athletes in the 14 spring sports, 159 - or 51 percent - earned a 3.0 GPA or higher in addition to completing a minimum of 12 units and playing their sport.

Bond said in a press release that Coast athletes' honor roll rate is around 47 percent but was pleasantly surprised to see it go over the 50 percent mark.
17 athletes had a perfect 4.0 GPA and 55 others had 3.5 GPA or better.

Women's swimming and diving team led the OCC athletics with a combined 3.2 GPA.
“More of our coaches are encouraging them to do well,” Bond said of Coast's academic success in the press release.

The athletic program recently introduced study hall for student athletes at the Student Success Center. Even if the athletes don’t take advantage of free tutoring and study services, the message is clear: “grades are important,” Bond said in the press release.

[Photo by Tony Lee]

Nov. 4 issue of the Coast Report

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, November 04, 2009 0 comments
This week's top headline of the Coast Report's sports page is the men's water polo team making the playoffs. The Pirates will face Santa Ana Friday (Nov. 6) at Fullerton College.

Also, the Pirates of the Week are Russel Westphal and Jane Kerner from the OCC cross country team.

The football team lost its second-straight National Division game and the Pirates' bowl game hopes seems to be unattainable.

In pages four and five of the Coast Report, "Sports stretched with fewer games and assistant coaches" talks about how the statewide budget cuts have affected OCC's sports program.

Sports column "It's Me, Tony Lee" is only available to view on the OCC Sports Blog this week.

All the articles are available on www.coastreportonline.com.

It's Me, Tony Lee: What didn't kill them made them stronger

By Tony Lee On Wednesday, November 04, 2009 0 comments
There’s an unspoken law when it comes to sports when you play a rival.

It doesn’t matter if you are injured, tired or trailing by 100 points. You never give up, you play with all the effort in your body and, most importantly, don’t let the rival embarrass you.

Ever.

But for the Orange Coast College women’s volleyball team, the lady Pirates did get embarrassed, badly, at home, to cross-town rivals Golden West College and I wondered how it’ll affect the team going forward.

Coast had a 23-17 lead in the fourth set and needed only two more points to win, but the lady Pirates let the Rustlers go on an 8-1 run and lost its first match of the season on Oct. 7.

Coast came into that match not even losing a single set for the season. But after losing its first set, the lady Pirates folded like a lawn chair and choked against its toughest opponent this season.

“I’m completely disappointed in my team’s performance, especially in game four.” Coast head coach Chuck Cutenese said back in Oct. 7 when his team lost 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 29-27.

“We came out in game one and played well, then we got flat in game two and flat in game three. You know, good teams don’t lose (after leading) 24-21. We lost our focus. People couldn’t put the ball away. We weren’t swinging to win; we were swinging not to lose.”

This was the turning point in Coast’s season. If the women fail to bounce back from this embarrassing loss, then the No. 3 ranked lady Pirates might throw away a potential state championship-winning team.

In that match, many of the fans were even pro-Rustlers. OCC fans were outnumbered in a good five-to-one ratio.

Coast libero Nikki Osuna (bottom) said “It didn’t even seem like our own gym” and outside hitter Rachel Freeno (top) said "We're a lot better than we played - a whole lot better. And we'll get them next time in their gym."

There’s something to be said about getting embarrassed – not lose but completely get pummeled by a rival – because the lady Pirates bounced back strong since then.

Since Oct. 7, Coast has won its last seven matches – three sweeps and three hard-fought five-set matches – and moved back up to No. 5 in the state rankings.

But most importantly, Freeno was right. The lady Pirates did get Golden West Friday (Oct. 30) by sweeping the No. 11 ranked Rustlers 25‐16, 25‐15, 25‐20.

What didn’t kill the lady Pirates made them stronger. If Coast makes it to the state championship, it’ll be because of how the team bounced back from that embarrassing loss to a rival.

EDIT
The lady Pirates' winning streak came to a halt Wednesday (Nov. 4) when the seventh-ranked Cypress College defeated Coast in five sets 25-13, 22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-13.

I guess I jinxed it huh?

To read that game summary written by OCC's Sports Information Director Tony Altobelli, click here.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Bucs football pummeled at home

By Tony Lee On Sunday, November 01, 2009 0 comments
Christmas came early for Saddleback College as the Orange Coast College football team turned the ball over five times in the first half en route to a 52-14 blowout at the LeBard Stadium on Halloween night.

“That obviously gets you off on the wrong foot against a good football team and we really never recovered,” OCC head coach Mike Taylor said of Coast (5-3, 1-3 in the National Division) starting the game trailing 31-0, 28 of those coming off a Coast turnover.


On top of the turnovers, Saddleback (7-2, 3-2) contained Ray Holley, the No. 2 running back in the state, as he averaged less than three-yards per carry in the first half and finished with 96 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns.

“For the most part, (teams) are stacking the box because it’s the way to go,” Holley said. “The teams that are doing it and doing it well are stopping us.”

Holley now has 1,144 yards this season and is OCC’s No. 5 all-time rusher. According to OCC’s Sports Information Director Tony Altobelli, Holley is 11 yards behind Tony Accomondo’s mark set in 1975 and 298 behind Jeff Clayton’s all-time total of 1,442 yards, set in 1993.

However, Coast quarterback Kyle Manning, who completed nine-of-15 passes for 155 yards in the first half, gave a spark to a struggling Pirates’ passing game that averaged only 128.2 yards per game this season.

Manning finished the game completing 19-of-50 passes for 231 yards but was one pass attempt shy of holding OCC’s record of number of pass attempts in a game, set by Alvin White in 1972 against Mt. San Antonio College, by himself.

He would’ve had the record to himself but on his last pass attempt, Manning was sacked — one of his five sacks on the night. He was also on the opposing end of Saddleback’s three roughing the passer penalties.

“I’ll be a little sore tomorrow but it’s football,” Manning said. “But like I said, when we looked good today, we looked good.”

Coast’s last home game is Saturday against Palomar College at 1 p.m. The Pirates finish off its season Nov. 14 at Long Beach City College, starting at 6 p.m.

“Now the potentials gone way down,” Holley said of the team having a bowl game opportunity. “We have two more games and we have to win them both and that doesn’t guarantee us a third game. It hurts, it sucks but we got to move on and keep our heads up.”

Saddleback scores back to back

By Tony Lee On Saturday, October 31, 2009 0 comments
Saddleback's Aziz Spellman-Smith scores on a 23-yard wide receiver crossing run to make the score 52-14.

Coast's Lano Fuentes returned the kickoff to the 48-yard line but was tackled by Saddleback's kicker Michael Frisina.

With 10:40 left in the game, Pirates need to score 38 points to tie the game.

Man(ning) in charge

By Tony Lee On Saturday, October 31, 2009 0 comments
Last time Orange Coast College Kyle Manning started at LeBard Stadium, he was replaced by his backup Ethan Whitsell after throwing two interceptions on 1-of-6 completions.

On Halloween night, Manning is not watching from the sidelines and instead leading the Pirates' comeback charge.

In the opening driver, Manning guided Coast to a 6:50, 13 play, 69 yards drive that was capped by another one-yard Ray Holley touchdown.

Score is 38-14 in favor of Saddleback.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

First half scores

By Tony Lee On Saturday, October 31, 2009 0 comments
Saddleback - Cameron Chadwick four-yard run (Michael Frisina kick), 7-0
Saddleback - Frisina 26-yard field goal, 10-0
Saddleback - Marc Moody 29-yard pass from Brad Curtis (Frisina kick), 17,0
Saddleback - Chadwick four-yard run (Frisina kick), 24,0
Saddleback - Jeremy Rodenburg 62-yard interception return (Frisina kick), 31-0
Orange Coast - Ray Holley one-yard run (Lucas Vandeman kick), 31-7
Saddleback - Tre Villahermosa 13-yard pass from Curtis (Frisina kick), 38-7

Christmas comes early for Saddleback

By Tony Lee On Saturday, October 31, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College football team has fumbled the ball four times, gave up 179 total offensive yards, star running back Ray Holley is averaging less than three yards a carry and the lone interception was returned for a 62-yard touchdown.

This has led to a nice gift for the Saddleback College Gauchos as they are up 38-7 on Halloween
night.

On a bright note, Coast's Kyle Manning is throwing the ball well (9-of-15 for 155 yards).

Pirates will have the ball to start the second half.

Fastest of them all

By Tony Lee On Saturday, October 31, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College's cross country teams proved Friday that both men's and women's squads are the team to beat for the 2009 state championship.

At the Orange Empire Conference Cross Country Tournament in Huntington Beach's Central Park, the men's squad finished first with 26 points - beating out Riverside Community College (53) and Fullerton College (75).

The Pirates were led by Russel Westphal's (right) second place finish of 20:30.6 in the men's four-mile run.

Coast's Jake Dawson finished third (20:39.9), Eric Dyson fourth (20:47.0), Sergio Olivarrias eighth (21:07.3), Jorge Torres ninth (21:07.9) and Francisco Baquero tenth (21:10.9).

The lady Pirates finished first in the women's 5K run with 18 points beating Riverside (52) and Fullerton (96) easily.

Top three runners in the event were all from Coast - first playing being Kimone Hewitt's (left) 18:31.4.

In fact, seven out of the top 10 runners were lady Pirates.

Coast's Jane Kerner finished second (18:39.9), Margaret McDuffee third (18:48.5), Hillary Labelle fifth (19:02.3), Andrea Guerra seventh (19:17.2), Sara Toberty eight (19:22.5) and Andrea Gayton-Jacob ninth (19:28.5).

All times and results can be viewed at DirectAthletics.com.

[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Game preview: Saddleback vs. OCC

By Tony Lee On Saturday, October 31, 2009 0 comments
Orange Coast College's football team (5-2, 1-2 in the National Division) will host Saddleback College (6-2, 2-2) at LeBard Stadium on Halloween night at 7 p.m.

Both teams lost last week: the Pirates to Grossmont College 43-12 and the Gauchos to Fullerton College 22-13.

The No. 12 ranked Pirates are led by running back Ray Holley (pictured) on offense (1,048 yards, 11 TDs rushing) and by linebacker Jimmy Keating on defense (49 tackles, nine for loss).

Coast's run defense is ranked No. 2 in the state with a 42.1 yards per game allowed average.

However, the passing defense last week was torched for 416 yards.

Another weakness of the Pirates is its passing game. Coast quarterbacks have completed only 36.8 percent of their passes with 13 interceptions to three touchdown passes.


Saddleback, ranked No. 11 in SoCal and No. 17 in the state, is led by running back Jai Morris (pictured) with his 110.1 all-purpose yards per game average on offense.

Morris, quarterback David Ingram (157.9 passing yards per game) and wide receiver T.J. Knowles (73.9 yards per game) led a potent Saddleback offense that averages 35.6 points per game.

This game will be covered live on the OCC Sports Blog and Twitterstarting at 7 p.m. today (Oct. 31).

Also, you can
view the blog on your smartphone by typing in http://mippin.com/occsports.

[Photo of Holley courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout, photo of Morris courtesy of JCGridiron.com]


OCC Sports Blog for your iPhone, Blackberry

By Tony Lee On Sunday, October 25, 2009 0 comments

The OCC Sports Blog is now friendly for your iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre or any other smartphones available.

To view the blog on your phone, type in http://mippin.com/occsports. To read more about it, click here ->

[Photo courtesy of djvibe.com]
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What loss to Golden West?

By Tony Lee On Sunday, October 25, 2009 0 comments
After the Orange Coast College women's volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season, the lady Pirates have won five-straight games - the latest on Friday (Oct. 23) against Santa Ana College.

A variety of Coast (12-1, 6-1 in the Orange Empire Conference) players filled up the box score Friday at the Peterson Gym as the fifth-ranked lady Pirates beat the Dons 25-19, 25-15, 25-13 in straight sets.


Sophomore Briana Fields (pictured) and freshman Kristin Rice each had seven kills to lead Coast.

Sophomore libero Nikki Osuna tallied 14 digs, while teammates Khrystilin Santos and Alyssa Huotari each added 11 digs.


Freshman setter Catherine Cameron dished out 24 assists.


The win keeps the lady Pirates tied at the top of the OEC standings with Fullerton College and Golden West College.


Santa Ana's Teuila Hernandez led the Dons with eight kills.


Coast returns home to Peterson Gym Wednesday (Oct. 28) to play against Saddleback College at 6 p.m.


EDIT
The lady Pirates defeated Golden West College Friday (Oct. 30) and has not lost since Oct. 7. Additional game information will be up on the blog later this week.


[Photo courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

A Gross defeat

By Tony Lee On Sunday, October 25, 2009 0 comments
The halftime score of the National Division game between Orange Coast College and host Grossmont College was close - 10-3 in favor of the Griffins.

But when the final whistle blew, the Pirates (5-2, 1-2 in the division) suffered its most lopsided loss in 73 games Saturday with a 43-12 loss at Mashin-Roth Memorial Stadium, according to Daily Pilot's Barry Faulkner.

Grossmont (7-1, 2-1) was led by sophomore quarterback Matt Jarvis who completed 16-of-30 passes for 367 yards and touchdown passes of 61, 60, 50 and 37 yards.

However, the Griffins did not find success running as the Pirates defense allowed only 28 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

Coast also couldn't find success running the ball as the Pirates' No. 1 offensive weapon Ray Holley ran 26 times for just 50 yards with no touchdowns.

In Holley's last game against Santa Ana College on Oct 10., he ran for 191 yards on 42 carries with three touchdowns.

Coast's quarterback Ethan Whitsell, who recently earned the starting job, made his first start of the season and finished with 14-of-42 passes for 155 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Former starter Kyle Manning came in the game with 4:49 left in the game after Grossmont's Nick Cary threw a 16-yard touchdown to Jacob Podpora - making the score 43-6.

Manning completed 1-of-6 passes for seven-yards and was intercepted in the a two-point conversion attempt.

Pirates' lone touchdown came from Israel Lee's four-yard run. Kicker Lucas Vandeman converted field goals from 47 and 33 yards for the other two scores. Vandeman also had a field goal blocked from 27 yards.

For complete box score of the game, click here.

The Pirates return home to LeBard Stadium Saturday (Oct. 31) to play against Saddleback College at 6 p.m.


Where are the champs?

By Tony Lee On Tuesday, October 20, 2009 0 comments
The OCC Sports Blog suffered because yours truly went to visit potential colleges to transfer to next year.

For the loyal readers who missed out on a week's worth of Orange Coast College athletics, I am truly sorry.

But to continue on the topic of college transfers, here are some of the players from the 2009 state champion Pirate baseball team that moved onto other places.


The MVP of the state championship playoffs, starting catcher D.J.Arellano (right), is at New Mexico State University.

Pirates' lead off outfielder Ryan Sheeks is now a member of Concordia University Irvine Eagles.

Infielder Ryan Dunn, who was benched for the Super Regional Playoffs after a rough regular season but returned to the starting lineup in the State Championship to hit 7-for-14 with a home run, seven runs scored and six runs batted in (RBI), is at Oregon State University.

Pitcher Calvin Drummond, as a freshman, has transferred to University of San Diego.

As reported earlier, Brett Williams and Beck Wheeler are still going to USC and UC Santa Barbara, respectively.

Brett Wallach, the 2009 Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round in the latest baseball draft.

After he signed with the Dodgers, Wallach (left), in 12 appearances with a Dodges affiliate Ogden Raptors, compiled a 0-1 record with a 5.23 earned run average (ERA) in 31 innings pitched wth 38 strikeouts.

Starting third baseman Drew Hillman, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 38th round, is at UC Irvine to continue his baseball career.

Starting center fielder Mykal Stokes, drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 46th round, is back at Coast as a sophomore.

Head coach John Altobelli said in about two months, he'll have a better idea for the 2010 roster for the Pirates.

[Photos courtesy of Hank Schellingerhout]

Orange Coast College's running back Ray Holley (pictured) was literally like a Pirate Saturday because he was playing on only one good leg against Santa Ana College.

Holley suffered a MCL sprain in Coast's first offensive possession but he came came back to run 42 times for 191-yards and three touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a 33-27, triple-overtime victory Saturday at the LeBard Stadium.


"He's such a great kid and such a great player," head coach Mike Taylor said. "He kind of bit the bullet and played and got stronger even though he was playing on one leg."

The Pirates' defense was led by Jimmy Keating's 14 tackles (three for loss), 1.5 sacks and one pass breakup. He also added a game-ending interception to his stats that brought the 2,000 members at the LeBard Stadium to their feet.


"I just wanted to put the team on my shoulders and rep it," Keating said. "It was a make-or-break game for our season. If we would’ve lost, we would’ve gone 0-2 in league and no way we would’ve gone to a bowl game."

Pirates are now 5-1, 1-1 in conference play, and the Dons are 3-3, 0-2 in conference. To see complete stats of the game, click here.

To read more about the triple-overtime coverage on OCC Sports Blog's Twitter,
click here.

To read Coast's Sports Information Director Tony Altobelli's game summary,
click here.

Or click on the "
football" tag and read the OCC Sports Blog's live-coverage of the game.

[Photo courtesy of Hank
Schellingerhout]

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