Coasters: The new season

Steve Virgen

It’s that foolproof game plan in football. It’s what some coaches

and players say after a game, supplying the reason they won. You know the

one.

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.Well, at Orange

Coast College, you’ll be hard-pressed to find that player. At midseason,

before they open play in the Central Division of the Mission Conference,

the Pirates are definitely at a crossroads. And while they have shown

plenty of bright spots, they seem to be overmatched in their quest to

defend their conference title.

The story for the Bucs is definitely different from last year. Yet,

they enter conference division play with the same record, 2-3. But some

of the strengths missing are the playmakers and momentum.

The team with the most momentum in the division? The Saddleback

Gauchos. By causing seven turnovers and using their running game, the

Gauchos upset El Camino on the road to improve to 3-2 before the break.

The Warriors had just defeated Central Division favorite Palomar, which

hosted the matchup the previous week.

Saddleback will continue to surprise teams in the second half of the

season. OCC does not meet the Gauchos until the final week of the season.

First things first. The Bucs are preparing for rival Golden West,

which, earlier this season, recorded its first win in three years.

The Battle for the Bell comes at a perfect time for Orange Coast. The

Bucs can build momentum and confidence as they head out to Palomar the

following week. Some of the big-time players who may step up for the Bucs

will be running back Niles Mittasch for the offense and cornerback Adrian

Calloway for the defense. Both are very talented freshmen who are quite

capable of making big-time plays.

Mittasch earned Mission Conference Player of the Week honors after

posting OCC’s first 100-yard rushing game in the 27-10 loss to Pasadena.

The all-state running back from Oregon’s Churchill High ran in a

double wing offense for Jack Wigmore. Coast Coach Mike Taylor, Wigmore’s

brother-in-law, remained patient and confident the young runner would

adjust to OCC’s West Coast-type offense. The results have Mittasch

improving each week and he seems to be the tailback who has emerged from

what once was a deep backfield.The Bucs’ defense, on the other hand, is

struggling a bit. The unit, coordinated by Taylor, is what will make the

difference in the second half of the season. Without leaders Marvin

Simmons, Travis Loidolt and Dan Stringer, all out with injuries, the Bucs

will be even more challenged.

The OCC defense will determine whether the Bucs can claim another

conference division title. I just don’t see a repeat happening, though.

Palomar has too much and the Comets will host the Bucs this year. I

really like the Gauchos and I’m picking them to win the title. The pick

is proof of how wide open and competitive the central division really is.

Regardless, Saddleback Coach Mark McElroy believes Palomar remains the

favorite to win the championship.

“The road to the title goes through Palomar,” McElroy said. “Palomar

definitely has the most talent. There are other teams that are good, but

not too many teams have the same amount of talent, including us. But

talent doesn’t always win football games.”

Santa Ana (2-3) and Fullerton (3-2) will also strongly contend for the

title. Santa Ana lost to OCC in overtime last year and Fullerton, with

trick plays galore, stunned the Bucs last season.

The Orange Coast women’s water polo team is having a season for the

ages. Undefeated and No. 1 in the state, the Pirates won their second

tournament this season with a dominating performance in the Citrus

College Tournament, completed Saturday. In their 17-1 second-round win

over College of the Canyons, the Pirates displayed discipline.

To ensure the score didn’t get out of hand, OCC assistant coach Mike

Giles called a special offense. It wasn’t so much a spread, because the

Pirates had already won the game by halftime. So, Giles told his girls to

have each player touch the ball, to practice on passing, before

attempting to score. Also, goalies played up in the game.

So do the Pirates have a shot at sweeping away everything in sight

this season?

“We do have a shot to run the table,” Giles said. “We’ll have to play

two (Division I) teams in the UC Irvine Tournament (Oct. 27). We’ll play

UCI and UC San Diego. Then, we’ll have a legit chance to win the state

title.”

The Pirates’ best defense throughout the season has been their

offense. Their two-meter players have been red hot and they go five deep

without missing a beat.Led by Devon Wright, the offense continues to

attack along with others, including Neisha Hoagland, Nicole Sonnenfield

and Erica Nicholson. Courtney Brown and Amy Contreras also give coaches

Giles and Don Watson confidence against any team in the Orange Empire

Conference.

And, they have a great last-line-of-defense in goalie Heather Deyden.