Sauk’s Big Plays Overshadow OCC’s Uniform Switch

Orange Coast’s football team, looking for inspiration after losing its first three games, wore red pants for the first time in the history of the program Saturday.

The Pirates went through pregame drills in their silver pants and returned to the locker room. They then switched to red before coming out for the opening kickoff.

But it was the courage of quarterback Matt Sauk, not the flashy pants, that helped OCC beat district-rival Golden West, 31-28.

Sauk started the game with a heavily taped ankle that was sprained during a 30-7 loss to Mt. San Antonio the week before. He injured the ankle again when he was hit while throwing a 56-yard touchdown pass that put OCC ahead, 28-7, early in the second quarter. Sauk was five of six for 145 yards and three touchdowns at that point but left the game.

OCC Coach Bill Workman hoped to rest Sauk for the remainder of the evening. But the offense struggled and Sauk, from Woodbridge High, was forced to return early in the third quarter. He often limped, and was slow getting up a few times but remained in the rest of the way.

Sauk said afterward that his ankle felt fine because his team had won.

“There was no way I was staying out,” Sauk said. “I knew I would go back in.”

Golden West rallied to tie, 28-28, but Sauk had two key completions as OCC drove for a game-winning 48-yard field goal by Nate Bennett with about five minutes left.

Sauk finished 11 of 17 for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

*

Football poll: El Camino (4-0) is still No. 1 in the Southland Poll. Los Angeles Valley (5-0) is second, Long Beach (4-0) third, San Bernardino Valley (5-0) fourth, Mt. San Antonio (4-0) fifth, Hancock (4-0) sixth, Bakersfield (3-1) seventh, Citrus (4-0) eighth, Moorpark (4-1) ninth and Rancho Santiago (2-2) 10th.

In Saturday’s games: Rancho Santiago (2-2, 1-0) plays Golden West (2-3, 0-1) at 1:30 p.m. at Orange Coast and Fullerton (0-3-1, 0-0) is at Saddleback (2-2, 1-0) at 7 p.m. in Mission Conference Central Division games.

Orange Coast (1-3) plays host to San Diego Mesa (0-4) at 7 p.m. At halftime, OCC will honor its 1975 team that went 11-0 and won the J.C. Grid-Wire national championship under retired Coach Dick Tucker.

*

Good advice: Al Siddons, the cross-country coach at Rancho Santiago, had some important words for the runners at the starting line of the Irvine Invitational Saturday in Irvine Regional Park. Just before sending the more than 120 runners on their way, he said “The course is well-marked but if you don’t know where you’re going, don’t lead.”

*

Water polo: Golden West took a firm hold on the state’s top ranking by beating the second- and third-ranked teams Saturday in the Citrus Tournament. Golden West (16-1-1) beat No. 3 Citrus, 14-6, in the final. The Rustlers beat No. 2 Ventura, 12-4, in the semifinal round also Saturday.

Andre Doria Araujo, from Brazil, scored five goals against Citrus and had 15 goals in 19 shots during the week for the Rustlers.

*

Women’s soccer update: Fullerton’s Jamie Simpson, who has 10 goals, is the leading scorer among the Orange County teams. Robyn Camarillo of Rancho Santiago is second with eight.

Cypress goalie Jessica Lubman leads in shutouts with seven and Rancho Santiago’s Sandra Toscano and Fullerton’s Larissa Noriega each have six.

Cypress is the top-ranked team in the state and Orange Coast is fourth.

*

Top coaches: The Orange Empire Conference athletic directors recently announced their selections for the 1994-95 coaches of the year. The winners were Chris Boyle, the Saddleback men’s tennis coach, and Marian Dorn, the Cypress men’s golf coach.

Boyle led Saddleback to a 20-0 record, winning the Orange Empire Conference and State titles.

Dorn’s team finished fourth in the State, the best performance in the history of the Cypress program. She also coached Brian Ricketts, who won the State tournament.

Notes

Saddleback is honoring nine members of its 1992 national championship football team Saturday at halftime of the Gauchos’ 7 p.m. game against Fullerton. The players being inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame are: quarterback Tim Snowden, running back Marcellus Chrishon, offensive lineman Mark Welker, punter Thomas Mikler, defensive lineman Bernie Johnson, linebackers Jeff Pease and Scott von der Ahe and defensive backs Bernie Chapman and Jeremy Brion.