Pirates drop conference opener to Owls, 31-6

COSTA MESA -- Another strong effort by the Orange Coast College football team against a sound Citrus College program resulted in a 31-6 loss to kick off the American Metro Conference portion of the schedule for both teams on Saturday at LeBard Stadium.

The Pirate defense did a solid job of containing the Owls explosive offense throughout the game, a 105-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the game by Drew Merrill inflated the margin of victory down the stretch.

Running back J.P. Segura rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries against a tough Owls' defense and Pirate linebacker Jake Hall was all over the field with a game-high 12 tackles (11 solo) to go along with two sacks and an interception.

The OCC passing game struggled against the undefeated Owls (6-0, 1-0), as the Pirates (1-5, 0-1) could only muster up 83 yards through the air.

With the focus on containing Citrus quarterback Adam Urena, Coast held the standout pass-thrower to his second-lowest passing total of the season as the went 20-for-30 for 209 yards and a touchdown. Heading into today's game, Urena had not thrown an interception all year, but on his second attempt of the afternoon, that streak stopped at 176 attempts as Hall stepped up and picked Urena off. 

OCC's lone score came in the second quarter as a pair of big Segura runs (18 and 37 yards) helped set Coast up with first-and-goal on the Owls' 8-yard line. Quarterback Brandon Cannella rolled to his right and found tight end Isaiah Alonso for an 8-yard TD catch to put the Pirates on the scoreboard.

The Owls played inspired football following the death of their teammate Luke Pruitt, who passed away on Oct. 4 from a motorcycle accident at the age of 19. OCC held a moment of silence to honor the Owls' fallen teammate prior to the game.

The Pirates will return to action on Saturday at home against Glendale College, beginning at 1 p.m. inside LeBard Stadium.