OCC fails to cash in

COSTA MESA — Pasadena is known for its parade route, but this was ridiculous.

The Orange Coast College football team spent more time in Pasadena territory Saturday than New Year’s Day busses full of bands, drill teams and float technicians.

But all the Pirates had to show for it was a 27-25 loss to the visiting Lancers in a Mission Conference inter-division clash that will likely have OCC players and coaches long lamenting missed scoring opportunities.

The Pirates (1-2) had six first-half possessions, eight overall, that reached Pasadena territory and failed to produce points. OCC started one first-half possession at the Lancers’ 38-yard line and another at the visitors’ 25. One second-half offensive series began at the Pasadena 36.

But a missed 40-yard field goal attempt and two punts, respectively, were all that came to pass.

Lancers sophomore quarterback David Pittman, however, also came to pass, and pass, and pass. He launched 30 aerials in the first half alone, on his way to completing 31 of 43 for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Pittman, who triggers an offense that came in leading the state in yards per game and has now amassed 1,707 yards in three victories, also ran for a touchdown that erased Orange Coast’s final lead with 6:25 left in the game.

But despite allowing 410 total yards Saturday, the OCC defense and special teams arguably deserved a much better fate, had the Pirates’ offense not consistently faltered in the first two quarters, as well as its final three possessions.

OCC had minus-three rushing yards at intermission and 57 total yards on offense.

But Pirates punter David Harrington kept pinning Pasadena inside its own 10-yard line with boots that either angled out of bounds, or dropped, checked up and were downed by OCC players.

Harrington, a freshman, pouched one punt 38 yards to the Pasadena one, and another 43 yards to the Lancers two, before halftime. In the second half, two of his punts aimed at the sideline gave Pasadena possession at its own six, and its own four.

The Lancers’ average field position on its 15 possessions was its own 23.

Eventually, OCC cashed in.

Shad Baichtal returned a short punt 12 yards to the Pasadena 25 with 1:55 left in the first half, and a personal foul penalty — one of 19 Pasadena infractions that produced 160 penalty yards — moved the ball to the 12.

Three plays later, Sean Hakes hit Craig Villapando on a crossing pattern for an 11-yard touchdown and Shea Curran’s conversion kick tied the score, 7-7, with 1:26 left in the half.

But Pasadena, which opened the scoring with a 90-yard, 11-play procession that ended on a 36-yard Pittman touchdown pass to Owen Dixon, needed just seven plays and 63 seconds to regain the lead before the break.

Pittman hit David Reed for the six-yard capper that made it 13-7.

OCC came out strong in the third quarter, marching 54 yards on seven plays with the opening kickoff to take a 14-13 lead. Hakes capped the march with a two-yard sneak.

OCC’s next possession, after a Pasadena punt, began at the Lancers’ 41 and ended with a 32-yard Curran field goal that gave the hosts a 17-13 advantage.

But OCC, aiming to dribble the ensuing kickoff 10 yards, catching the Pasadena front line retreating and recovering the ball to maintain possession, failed to execute.

Instead, kicker Cody Morrow produced a straight, swift bounding ball, more typical of a traditional onside kick, that was fallen on by Pasadena’s Kapena Fonseca at the OCC 45.

“It was a miscommunication,” OCC Coach Mike Taylor said of the botched onside opportunity. “It was something I got talked into and I blame myself.”

Pasadena cashed in, using just six plays, including converting a fourth-and-two situation with a five-yard shovel pass, to produce a 19-17 lead with 4:39 left in the third quarter.

OCC regained the lead after a short punt set it up at the Pasadena 37 early in the fourth quarter. Hakes capped a 10-play drive with a fortuitous touchdown pass that caromed high off receiver Wes Taylor, who was just past the goal line, and was snatched by OCC teammate Cameron Hall who tapped one toe just inside the back of the end zone with 7:50 left.

Hakes hit Nathan Barnett with a two-point conversion pass to up the Pirates’ lead to 25-19.

But Pittman needed just five plays, two completions, a lateral to the flats and two Pittman runs, to tie the game 85 seconds later.

Pasadena’s Gabe Tuata swept right, barely breaking the plane, for the two-point conversion run to finalize the scoring.

OCC had two possessions to rally, but failed to cross midfield.

“We just ran out of time,” Taylor said.

PASADENA 27, ORANGE COAST 25

SECOND QUARTER

Pas – Dixon 36 pass from Pittman (Lopez kick), 3:35.

OCC – Villapando 11 pass from Hakes (Curran kick), 1:26.

PCC – Reed 6 pass from Pittman (kick failed, 0:23.

THIRD QUARTER

OCC – Hakes 2 run (Curran kick), 11:40.

OCC – Morrow 32 FG, 6:43.

Pas – Tuata 34 pass from Pittman (run failed), 4:39.

FOURTH QUARTER

OCC – Hall 5 pass fr4om Hakes (Barnett pass from Hakes), 7:50.

Pas – Pittman 6 run (Tuata run), 6:25.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Pas – Pittman, 13-26, 1 TD; Anderson, 2-30; Guthrie, 9-25; Tuata, 3-20; Morgan, 2-5.

OCC – Ah-Hi, 21-57; Villa, 2-10; Banks, 3-9; Hakes, 18-minus-6, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Pas – Pittman 31-43-0, 304, 3 TDs.

OCC – Hakes, 13-27-0, 130, 2 TDs; Hall, 1-1-0, 7.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Pas – Reed, 11-91, 1 TD; Dizon, 6-87, 1 TD; Guthrie, 5-42; Tuata, 2-38, 1 TD; Haines, 1-25; Douglas, 3-11, Anderson, 3-10.

OCC – Villapondo, 3-36, 1 TD; Hall, 4-20, 1 TD; Barnett, 2-35; Brown, 2-18; Taylor, 1-16; Villa, 2-12.