Bucs all banged up

Bryce Alderton

Orange Coast College’s football team will attempt to play

streak-buster against visiting Santa Ana when the two face each other

in a Mission Conference matchup at 6 tonight in LeBard Stadium.

The Dons come in 4-0, their best start in 14 years, and are

relatively healthy. The same cannot be said for the Pirates (2-2),

who have been decimated by injuries.

Sophomore defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona and freshman quarterback

Beau Budde will both likely miss the rest of the season with severe

injuries. Mahelona broke the fifth metatarsal on his right foot in

OCC’s 18-14 win over Glendale in the opener Sept. 6, but finished

that game The 6-foot-2, 294-pounder saw action against Saddleback two

weeks later before the pain became too great after the first half of

Saturday’s 24-9 loss to Fullerton, causing Mahelona to sit out the

final two quarters.

Budde tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after

sustaining a powerful blow in the first quarter against Fullerton and

will have surgery to repair the damage.

“I’d like everyone to be healthier, but we can’t put the flag up,”

Coast Coach Mike Taylor said. “The kids have to play harder, they

told me so. But we don’t need to get ourselves in a situation to

score and have some mistakes. We need to get into the end zone.”

Coast has scored just five offensive touchdowns and ranks 11th

among 12 conference teams in total offense at 283 yards per game.

“Five touchdowns in four games is not going to produce many wins

unless [the other] team doesn’t have any offense,” Taylor said.

Sophomore Kelika Higa will start in Budde’s place.

The Dons rank fifth in the conference in total offense (340.5

yards per game) and have found the end zone 14 times.

Freshman tailback Dartangan Johnson, Newport Harbor High’s career

rushing leader (3,397 yards), leads the conference in rushing (165

yards per game) and has scored six touchdowns.

“Dartangan runs hard and they will give him a lot of touches,”

Taylor said. “They like to mix in the pass and play-action scheme.

They line up in one of five basic formations and are as tough a team

as we will face up front.” A.J. Slater, a first-team All-Sea View

League tackle as a Newport Harbor senior last fall, is the lone

freshman to start on the Dons’ offensive line.

Despite allowing 54 points the last two games, Coast still leads

the conference in total defense, allowing 234.8 yards per game. The

Pirates are the best in the conference against the pass, allowing a

paltry 129.3 yards per game and only three touchdowns through the

air.

Freshman defensive end Justin Williams, who had four sacks in

Coast’s 20-0 win over Los Angeles Southwest Sept. 13, missed last

week’s game because of a sprained knee. But he returns to a line that

features two tackles making their first starts of the season.

Freshman fullback Tim Ioane volunteered to start at one tackle spot

alongside Alec Tafoga because Ryan Davis and Nick Moghaddam (Newport

Harbor) are both nursing knee injuries. Sophomore Brian Meers, who

has 22 tackles, will line up at the other end. Davis may play

tonight, but Moghaddam, who has nine tackles this season, will not,

Taylor said.

The linebackers and secondary have keyed the defense thus far for

OCC. Free safety Nick Dominelli leads the team with 41 tackles and

three interceptions. Dominelli intercepted two passes last week and

returned one 14 yards for a touchdown while amassing 18 tackles.

“[Dominelli] did everything but drive the bus,” Taylor said

Linebackers Joe Mitchell and Dallas DeFries have 37 and 33

tackles, respectively. DeFries forced and recovered one fumble last

week against Fullerton.

“I am pleased with the defense and we are still No. 1 in the

conference despite the injuries,” Taylor said.

“[OCC] always plays sound defense, I expect a nice fight,” Santa

Ana Coach Geoff Jones said.