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
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
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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]
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]
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.”
“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.”
