COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : OCC Beats Golden West for Division Title, Bowl Invitation

Five weeks ago when Orange Coast College started play in the Mission Conference Central Division, the Pirates turned the ball over eight times and lost by 28 points.

But five games later, the Pirates are divisional champions and headed for a bowl game for the first time since 1975. OCC, which has won four in a row, clinched the division title and a share of the conference title Saturday with a 17-6 victory over Golden West at Orange Coast.

OCC (8-2, 4-1 in the division) will get a bid in the Orange County Bowl today. El Camino, champions of the Northern Division, will be offered the other bid, according to bowl committee member Bill Otta.

OCC’s victory came as the Pirates overcame yet another injury at quarterback. Greg Angelovic started the first seven games but injuried his throwing shoulder and sat out last week. He was replaced by Donnie Smith who made his second consecutive start Saturday. But Smith left the game after being hit by defensive back Greg Szuba in the final minute of the first half.

Angelovic played two plays of the half, then led OCC to a pair of second-half touchdowns. Both scores came on Golden West mistakes.

OCC took the lead, 10-6, on a five-yard touchdown run by Mark Recktenwald with 5:20 left in the third quarter. The play capped a 93-yard drive that took about seven minutes. But it was a drive that should never have resulted in a touchdown. Golden West stopped OCC at the Pirate 25 and OCC was set to punt. But Golden West was called for roughing the kicker and the drive continued with a first down at the OCC 40.

In the fourth quarter, OCC took a 17-6 lead when Angelovic completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Reilly at the 9:29 mark. The score was set up by a Golden West fumble at its own nine and OCC’s John Bloomquist recovered.

Wayne Duplantis kicked a pair of 32-yard field goals for Golden West (5-5, 1-4) in the first quarter. Mike Wade had a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter for OCC.