Pirates hope to regroup after tough loss to Jaguars

COSTA MESA -- The 2025 football season is a marathon, not a sprint and for the Orange Coast College football team, they look to regain their stride this weekend as the Pirates travel to Mt. San Jacinto College to take on the Eagles on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m.

It was a hard day at the office for the Pirates (0-2) last weekend for their home opener as the Jags came in and rolled to a 71-10 win. 

Sonny Tierney threw for 194 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 20-of-34 passing before giving way to Mike Kearns who threw for 40 yards on 7-of-7 passing and showed some rushing ability as well with 21 yards on just three carries.

Nine different OCC receivers caught at least one pass, including Joseph Flannigan, who caught five passes for 36 yards, including OCC's lone touchdown of the night.

As for the Eagles, they're coming off of a solid 52-20 win over Long Beach City College, bouncing back from a 31-13 Week 1 loss to Golden West.  In the win, MSJC pulled away from the Vikings by scoring the final 28 points of the game, turning a 24-20 nailbiter into a blowout. 

Mt. San Jacinto used a balanced offense for 303 total yards (186 passing and 117 rushing), in spite of 20 penalties for 217 yards against and a very limited time of possession (19 minutes, 46 seconds).

Julian Silva threw for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-15 passing, while William Ford led the ground game with 66 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Four different receivers hauled in touchdown passes, including Roman Lonzo, Dante Sams, Jackson Weng and Keon Gantt. Ford led the way with a team-best six receptions out of the backfield.

"Tough loss last week, but we are working hard to fix our issues so we can bounce back this week," OCC head coach Bubba Gonzalez said. "MSJC will be another tough opponent. We will need to be disciplined and play with energy and passion to give ourselves a chance. We are determined to get back on track this week."

This is the first between between the two schools since 2022, won my MSJC on Oct. 1 of that season (31-0).