JC Football: OCC falls to GWC
David Carrillo Peñaloza learned to read because of the newspaper. At breakfast, it was his job to translate stories to his parents, who were unable to read in English. He now tells stories as a high school sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, the New York Times and the Sacramento Bee.
Much of the spotlight this year with the Golden West College football team has been on wide receiver Zimari Manning. The freshman from Long Beach leads the state in touchdown catches and receiving yards per game.
The Rustlers showed on Saturday night that they have another No. 1 wideout. His name is Quest Truxton. He’s No. 1 because of his jersey number, not because of where he ranks in the state as a receiver.
Nevertheless, the Rustlers targeted Truxton early on, and the freshman delivered. Truxton has played at Orange Coast College before in a high school game or two during his Newport Harbor career, but he’s never performed on the field like he did on Saturday.
In his ninth junior college game, Truxton turned in his best all-around effort at LeBard Stadium.
Truxton, not Manning, produced the Rustlers’ first offensive touchdown in a 55-7 blowout of the Pirates in the 47th edition of the West Coast Showdown. Truxton found the end zone twice, on a six-yard catch in the first quarter and then on hook-and-ladder play to close out the first half.
Truxton and the Rustlers ended the first half in style. With four seconds left before halftime, receiver Mike Covelli caught a 16-yard pass from quarterback Chris d’Entremont and ran left, before he tossed the ball back to the 20-yard line to Truxton. From there, Truxton outran defenders to the right, toward the sideline, giving the Rustlers a 35-0 lead.
Truxton gets the credit for a 20-yard touchdown catch on the trick play, and he played a vital role to Golden West (7-2, 4-1 in the Southern Conference) beating the Pirates for the fifth straight time. Truxton and Manning each finished with two first-half touchdowns, Manning on grabs of 52 and seven yards.
“He’s an animal,” Truxton said of Manning, who’s 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. “I’m just doing my part, doing everything I can.”
Neither Truxton, who finished with eight receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns, nor Manning was the first player to find the end zone for the Rustlers. Not even two minutes had passed, and Golden West safety Jacob Anderson returned a fumble 47 yards for a touchdown.
A couple of minutes later, the Pirates (2-7, 1-4) turned the ball over again, this time on downs. With the defensive stand on Golden West’s 25-yard line, the Rustlers went to Truxton right away. d’Entremont completed a 13-yard pass to Truxton, and then another for three yards.
The two almost hooked up for a 20-yard pass over the middle, inside the Pirates’ 40-yard line, but Truxton was unable to hold onto the ball. He made sure to corral the ball in later in the first quarter, even though it initially bounced off his hands.
Truxton eventually secured the 46-yard pass from d’Entremont, setting up the Rustlers just inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. After d’Entremont, who completed 17 of 26 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns, went elsewhere on consecutive passes, he found Truxton again. On third-and-seven, Truxton moved the chains on a 10-yard reception. A play later, Truxton ran a slant, and d’Entremont hit him, with Truxton extending the ball over the goal line for a six-yard touchdown. The Rustlers took a 14-0 lead with 1:44 left in the first quarter.
Truxton, also the team’s punt returner, gave Golden West great field position, near midfield with a 16-yard punt return early in the second quarter. The Rustlers began to go to Manning, his first reception, a 17-yarder on fourth-and-four, converted a first down. Manning’s second catch capped a nine-play, 57-yard scoring drive, giving him 20 touchdowns on the season.
Manning added his 21st touchdown catch at the 4:39 mark in the second quarter. d’Entremont, who went into the matchup with issues with his right-throwing shoulder, threw one up for grabs inside the five-yard line and Manning came down with it and a 52-yard touchdown.
The game featured two of the top receivers in the state, Manning, and Orange Coast sophomore Mark Munson, who went into the evening ranked No. 2 in the state in receptions (61) and yards per game (117).
Munson didn’t last. Midway through the opening quarter, Anderson and safety Johnny Johnson knocked him out trying to haul in a Cody Whitaker (29 of 53 passing for 230 yards and one TD) pass over the middle. Munson lost the ball and his helmet, forcing him to leave the game with blood on his face. Munson finished with five catches for 37 yards.
The big plays kept coming for the Rustlers. Truxton produced one with no time left in the first half.
“I’m always preaching to get [the hook-and-ladder play] called in the game,” Truxton said. “We finally called it and it worked perfectly.”
Truxton almost went the distance on the opening kickoff to the second half.
Truxton fielded the kickoff on the eight, and he bolted for the Pirates’ sideline. He was 14 yards away from his third touchdown in three quarters, but the Pirates took Truxton down on the 14, and he wound up with a 78-yard return, his longest of the season.
The services of Truxton and Manning weren’t needed in much of the second half, as the Rustlers won their fourth straight game. Despite the victory, the Rustlers cannot win the Southern Conference.
The title went to Fullerton, which wrapped up its second consecutive undefeated season in conference play with a 38-17 win against Palomar College on Saturday afternoon. Golden West can wrap up second place with a win against Saddleback (4-5, 3-2) at LeBard Stadium on Nov. 15, and possibly qualify for the playoffs.
“We were in the same place last year, [when] we were fifth, looking to get into the top four,” Rustlers Coach Nick Mitchell said. “We’re in that same place again. Somebody has to lose, and we obviously have to beat Saddleback in our final [regular-season game]. We’re looking for the at-large, the fourth seed, which we got last year. [The competition] looks a little stiffer this year [to earn the No. 4 seed]. It’s Mt. SAC, Riverside and Long Beach City. We’re on the outside looking in.”
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Golden West 55, Orange Coast 7
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Golden West 14 –21 – 13 – 7 — 55
Orange Coast 0 – 0 – 7 – 0 — 7
FIRST QUARTER
GWC – Anderson 47 fumble return (Avila kick), 13:14.
GWC – Truxton 6 pass from d’Entremont (Avila kick), 1:44.
SECOND QUARTER
GWC – Manning 7 pass from d’Entremont (Avila kick), 10:19.
GWC – Manning 52 pass from d’Entremont (Avila kick), 4:39.
GWC – Truxton 35 pass from d’Entremont (Avila kick), :00.
THIRD QUARTER
GWC – d’Entremont 4 run (Avila kick), 14:13.
OCC – Hagger 55 pass from Whitaker (Amies kick), 12:54.
GWC – Hills 57 run (kick failed), :00.
FOURTH QUARTER
GWC – Akengue 7 run (Avila kick), 3:28.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
GWC – Hills, 5-84, 1 TD.
OCC – White, 14-67.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
GWC – d’Entremont, 17-26-0, 258, 4 TDs.
OCC – Whitaker, 29-53-0, 230, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
GWC – Truxton, 8-113, 2 TDs.
OCC – Hagger, 8-101, 1 TD.