OCC back in mix

Coast grid pre for Sat.Unbeaten Warriors, ranked No. 2 in SoCal, visit for 5 p.m. clash today with No. 15-ranked Bucs.Today’s football game between Orange Coast College and visiting El Camino, with kickoff set for 5 p.m., is a matter of “National” security.

The Pirates (3-2), ranked No.15 in Southern California, are attempting to secure their place as Mission Conference National Division contenders against the No. 2-ranked Warriors (5-0).

The 12-team Mission Conference is divided into six-team divisions. Each team’s record in division games determines whether or not they will advance to a postseason bowl game. This week marks the beginning of National Division play.

El Camino and No. 5-ranked Santa Ana (4-1) have established themselves as National Division favorites, with Orange Coast joining No. 8-ranked Saddleback (3-2) atop the chase pack that also includes Cerritos (2-3) and Golden West (1-4).

“We’re excited to play,” said OCC Coach Mike Taylor, whose team comes off a bye week following its 16-0 home loss to Riverside Oct. 1. “We’ve had a good week of practice, offensively.”

Taylor, however, was candid about the severity of the challenge El Camino presents.

“Obviously, El Camino is a very good team, probably the best we’ve faced,” Taylor said. “We’ll definitely have to play an A-plus game to have a chance.”

The Pirates have graded out highly on defense, leading the 12-team conference in fewest yards allowed (just shy of 263 per game).

OCC, however, has struggled offensively, ranking 12th among Mission teams with 204 yards per contest.

Only half of the Pirates’ 12 touchdowns this season have been produced by their offense, a ratio that must improve if the Pirates are to maintain bowl aspirations.

El Camino running back Brian Flowers has seven touchdowns this fall, while quarterback Lyle Moevao has nine TD passes.

The OCC defense is led by sophomore defensive end Justin Williams, sophomore linebackers Dave Ronning and Aaron Miller, as well as freshman cornerback Cory Nicol.

Ronning has a team-high 53 tackles and two interceptions, while Williams’ 47 tackles include a team-leading six sacks. Nicol’s four interceptions rank No. 2 in the Mission Conference, behind El Camino’s Nate Ness (five).

ORANGE COAST STARTERS