Pirates powerful after half

COSTA MESA — Shad Baichtal said he was frustrated, while sophomore reserve quarterback Taylor Hughes said he was anxious, as their Orange Coast College football team trailed visiting Santa Monica, 3-0, at halftime of their season-opening nonconference football game Saturday night.

Both showed they knew how to rectify the situation, as each had big second halves to lead the Pirates to a 27-3 triumph.

Baichtal, a returning all-division free safety, returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown to cap a 21-point third quarter. He also had 56 yards on six punt returns, including his best of 28 yards to set up a four-play, 20-yard touchdown mini-drive that put the Pirates ahead for good. He also produced 40 yards on two kickoff returns.

Hughes, a Corona del Mar High product who played sparingly last season and waited his turn behind freshman starter Sean Reilly (10 of 16 passing for 76 yards and an interception in a scoreless first half), threw for one touchdown and ran for another to help spark the offense after intermission.

Hughes misfired on his first pass attempt, but completed his final six, including a softly lofted 38-yard sideline streak that hit freshman Keali’i Doll in stride to finalize the scoring midway through the fourth quarter. That scoring strike capped a 12-play, 72-yard procession.

Hughes made the best of a broken play for the Pirates’ second touchdown, running 11 yards on an impromptu bootleg with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

“We knew we could better than we were playing,” Baichtal said of his team’s halftime mind-set. “We had a little talk and decided to come out and play better.”

Hughes was informed at halftime that he would be starting the third quarter and he shared the determination expressed by his teammates.

“It was just a matter of time,” Hughes said. “Our line held up great and I had great go-to guys. Our defense kept their offense off the field and got us on the field, so we could do what we do.”

The Pirates did little, offensively, in the first two quarters, when they failed on two field-goal attempts. A 37-yard try that was blocked and a 44-yard attempt by freshman Brian Casano was wide left.

But a holding call and a defensive stand by OCC after the second-half kickoff, set the stage for Baichtal’s 28-yard punt return. Four plays later, sophomore tailback Kevin Ah-Hi bounced off a tackle for a 10-yard touchdown run around the left side and the Pirates never trailed again.

Ah-Hi finished with 78 yards on 18 rushing attempts to lead a methodical ground attack. OCC’s two scoring runs accounted all but one of their rushing plays of more than nine yards.

Hughes, whose first completion of 35 yards to running back Ray Holley was set up by his scrambling ability, provided a spark with his legs as well as his arm.

“[Reilly] did some things in the first half, but we decided to take a chance and let Taylor do his thing in the second half,” OCC Coach Mike Taylor said. “[Hughes] brings a different dimension to the offense with his ability to run. That play that he scored on wasn’t even the play. It was like old-time football. He just ran around the left side and everybody else went the other way.”

Hughes admitted his TD run started with a mistake.

“I was supposed to fake the handoff and roll the other way, but I screwed up,” Hughes said with a smile. “But it ended up working out.”

The OCC defense worked hard and well most of the night, as freshman middle linebacker Matt Henry had 10 tackles and sophomore end Dean DeLeone added nine, including the Pirates’ lone sack.

Sophomore free safety Benjamin Soza, who sat out last season with an injury after earning all-division honors in 2006, had an interception to help OCC win the turnover battle, 2-1.

Sophomore wideout Cameron Hall finished with 48 yards on a team-best six catches to help Orange Coast outgain the Corsairs, 291-212, in total offense.

“We know we have a No. 1 defense, but we just needed to prove it,” Baichtal said. “I think we did that in the second half. I think we really showed what we can do tonight in the second half.”

It was OCC’s fourth straight win in an opener and the Pirates have won seven of their last eight season debuts.

The win also puts the Pirates at 299 all-time wins.

OCC will try to get No. 300 Saturday against visiting Los Angeles Southwest at 6 p.m.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].