Pierce Overpowers Harbor in Conference Opener, 23-0

Harbor College ran into a buzz saw of sorts Saturday when the Seahawks entertained Pierce College in a rare afternoon game at Casey Field.

The result was a convincing 23-0 victory for the Brahmas in a Western State Conference interdivisional game.

Pierce (1-1, 1-0 in conference play), which had lost to powerful Palomar, 40-0, on Sept. 11, controlled the action from the start, with quarterback Davis Delmatoff inflicting heavy aerial damage to the Seahawk secondary.

Harbor (1-1, 0-1) couldn’t generate any offense and had only 182 yards. The Seahawks turned the ball over seven times, including five interceptions. Sadi, who opened at quarterback for Harbor, had two picked off and did not complete any of his seven attempts. Backup Rino Marconi (seven of 19 for 80 yards) threw three interceptions.

The Seahawks threatened seriously only twice but came away empty-handed. They marched to the Brahma 14 halfway through the first quarter but Jon Williams missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt, and they reached the Pierce 16 line just before the half but Kalonji Watts intercepted a pass by Marconi after it was deflected by a Harbor player.

Delmatoff, a freshman from Hart High, completed 16 of 36 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He had excellent protection from the Brahma offensive line and was able to locate his receivers without difficulty.

“We had a swarming defense today,” Pierce Coach Bill Norton said. “(The Brahmas) really pressured the quarterback when they threw the football.”