JC Football Preview: Orange Coast vs. Grossmont

Orange Coast (2-4, 0-1) vs. Grossmont (4-2, 0-1)

When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Grossmont

Key Pirates: So. QB Kody Whitaker; Fr. WR Joey Cox; Fr. DE Daniel Garcia; Fr. RB Derrick Hunt.

Key Griffins: So. WR Adrian Tolbert; So. RB Nehemiah Brown; So. LB Cole Kidd; So. DB Jordan Ellis.

Breakdown: The Pirates opened Southern Conference play with a heartbreaking loss at Palomar, in which the Comets scored with 17 seconds left for a 28-27 triumph…OCC posted a 475-350 advantage in offensive yards at Palomar…Grossmont was thumped, 79-18, by Fullerton in its conference opener, as the Hornets scored a school-record 11 touchdowns…The Griffins are ranked No. 14 in the state and No. 7 in Southern California…Cox has 30 receptions for 403 yards and his seven touchdown catches lead the conference…Whitaker has thrown for 1,143 yards and OCC ranks No. 9 in the 37-school Southern California Football Assn. in rushing yards (1,024)…Grossmont ranks No. 28 in rushing yards (749)…Garcia has a team-best 31 tackles for OCC…The Pirates are even in turnover ratio, while Grossmont is plus-two…Ellis has five interceptions for Grossmont, one more than OCC leader Sharky Reza, a freshman cornerback…OCC defeated Grossmont, 52-21, last season and has won two straight, after the Griffins had won six straight meetings.

— Barry Faulkner