Pirates ready to kick off 2025 season this weekend

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College football team will take the field to kick off the 2025 season this Saturday as the Pirates travel to Santa Maria for a 2 p.m. matchup with Allan Hancock College.

"The kids have done an amazing job in the offseason, working hard with our new strength and conditioning coach, who is bringing in a different type of mentality and different type of training," OCC head coach Bubba Gonzalez said. "It was difficult at first, but why I think I'm more excited about this season is that we've got guys on this team, who aren't afraid of a little adversity. We have some tough guys on this team and as we know, football is a game of toughness, it's a game of struggle and the team that handles that struggle the best is usually the one who will be the most successful. I'm seeing our guys learn from mistakes and struggle and making changes and doing things differently and for me as a coach, that's all you can really ask of your guys. They're not satisfied with where they're at, they're constantly pushing, if they do something wrong, they own it, we fix it and we move on. Those are the things we've been working out over the course of the offseason and the guys have done a great job of buying into that concept."

Here's a breakdown of the Pirates as they head into the season opener ... 

OFFENSIVE LINE

Anchored by returner Enoka Fatuesi, the OCC offensive line is bigger and deeper than it's been in years, according to Gonzalez. "Each year, our recruiting has gotten better and better ... not just in size and quality of athlete, but of the quality of the kid as well," Gonzalez said. "For me, the trenches are crucial for our success and for us, we've gotta have some size in the middle. We've recruited some size this offseason ... same thing with our D-Line. We're stout in the middle and we've got some length and height on the edges. Especially this week against a big team like Allan Hancock, this game will be won or lost in the trenches and for us all season, that's where we will need to be successful for us to be competitive.

"Our O-line is a resilient group. Enoka struggled a little bit last year coming into a new environment and to see him grow and become more comfortable with what we are trying to do has really solidified him and I expect him to be an anchor in our offensive line. The rest are young, but more than capable. One player in particular is Dominic Ulloa. He's a center/guard combo, but he's accepted the position he plays and he takes great pride in his position. If those guys get rolling, then I think the rest of the positions seem to take care of themselves."

RUNNING BACKS

After cutting their teeth as a freshmen-heavy group last year, the running backs in 2025 will bring experience and depth as well as options out of the backfield for the Pirates. "A few of them had that 'deer in the headlights' look in their eyes last year, but this year, I've seen nothing but growth out of them," Gonzalez said. "Guys like Anthony Osorio, Daniel Sonnenberg, Dorian Webster, Ocean Nihipali ... all these guys have grown emotionally as well as physically. They run the ball with authority, they understand the physical nature of the game and I expect them to continue to be a big factor for us. But this year, with that maturity and growth, that's going to be a good group to watch. They're capable of get those tough, nasty yards in clutch times and they're not afraid to get after it now. When they have to bounce it outside, there's a couple of guys who can turn on the jets and make that happen as well."

QUARTERBACKS

Heading into Week 1, the keys to the car have been given to sophomore quarterback Sonny Tierney, a greyshirt sophomore who has been with the OCC program and learned from previous two-year starter, Zach Congalton and is ready to take over the reins. "He's a kid who has put in is time and has earned the spot," Gonzalez said. "He was able to see through Zach's play what works, what didn't work and he can now apply that knowledge into what his skill sets are, because he's a bit of a different QB than Zach was. He can run if he needs to, but he's more of an in-the-pocket kind of guy, a game manager and take what is given to him out there. He's got good knowledge of defensive structure and he knows he doesn't need to take the game into his own hands. He's got enough guys who know what to do with the ball and his job is to get it to them."

If Tierney is not in, expect to see sophomore transfer Mike Kearns, a player to came to OCC by way of Feather River College. "He's got ability you just can't ignore," Gonzalez said of Burns. "He's a little behind Sonny in terms of knowing our system and getting caught up on things, but once he gets there, he's got a skill set that's fun to watch."

TIGHT ENDS

Another newcomber to OCC that will help anchor the TE spot is sophomore transfer D'Vonta Peoples, who brings some Texas high school football experience (Red Oak HS) to the Pirates. "We started him off as a receiver but we saw how tough and tenacious he was with his blocking abilities so we've asked him to come to tight end and help us develop our running game more while providing some added punch up front," Gonzalez said. "He's been nothing but a great surprise and a great addition for that."

Returning tight end, Joseph Flannigan comes back to the Pirates after missing 2024. As a freshman in 2023, he was second on the team with 42 receptions for a team-best 454 yards and four touchdowns. "He was our main pass-catcher a couple years ago and now, he's bigger and stronger than he was, so we are excited to see what he can do for us this year," Gonzalez said. "I really expect that tight end group to not only catch some passes and gain some yards for us, but I also expect them to really help our ground game be more successful as well."

WIDE RECEIVERS

Highlighting this group after missing 2024 is returning sophomore Marcus Royster. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver played in seven games for OCC in 2023 and had 26 catches for 224 yards, but Gonzalez sees bigger numbers from his top target. "Just the fact that he's 6'4 and can go up and get the ball, makes him a dangerous weapon for us," Gonzalez said. "His maturity in the offseason and understanding what we want to get done out there will definitely help his success this year. He's motivated to show what he can do and what our offense can do and ultimately, what our team can do."

Joining Royster back into the lineup include sophomores Kaleb Stamps and Grady Chancellor and with newcomer Keahonuimaikeakua Takao Noah (Nui) Ka'apana. "Nui is a talented kid, who came to us from Hawaii and was one of only a few non-five-star athletes who played in the Polynesian Bowl All-Star Game in Hawaii in high school, which is a big deal and when he came out, we understood why he was selected to play. He's shifty, works hard and if you throw a ball anywhere in his vicinity, he's coming down with it, so we are excited to see what he's going to be able to do for us this year as well."

DEFENSIVE LINE

It didn't take long for Gonzalez to describe his 2025 defensive line with just one word ... "Scrappy" he said. "We've got experience back in returners J.T. Mendevil and Eric Gage as well as newcomer Carter Roberts. Gage (19 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss) is a second-team, all-conference guy coming back and he's gotten bigger and stronger, so we are excited to see what he can do this year. All of our D-line guys have it in their mind that they are just going to grind it out this year and give us everything they have on every play. They know the challenge set before them and they're not running away from that challenge. They've been responsive to our teaching. They know Hancock is enormous and good every time we play them and I don't expect anything different this weekend."

LINEBACKERS

Led by standout returner Jayden Niumata and his team-best 60 tackles last year (39 solo), 2.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, the OCC linebacker corps will be flying all around the field, making plays for the Pirates in 2025. "He's just a next-level guy and it shows on the field," Gonzalez said of Niumata. "To me, he's a Division I type of linebacker who plays the game with very little regard to his own body and he's a smart player. We've got a young, but talented group of new guys, including A.J. Leonard, Mike Lozano and Carter Roberts ... all great character guys, leader guys and when I'm asking for a big play on defense, they're the ones who are giving me that big play. They can run, they're athletic and I'm expecting them and our D-Line to make things difficult for the other team's running game and controlling the line of scrimmage."

SECONDARY

Sophomore returner Josiah Meggs helps spearhead an OCC secondary who will look to hold down the final line of defense for the Pirates in 2025. Meggs had 17 tackles (14 total) to go along with a fumble recovery and an interception last season. Fellow returner Brody Roman (eight tackles) looks to bring added depth and experience as well. "In addition to them, we've added some athleticism to that group and some height and hopefully we can now play with some of those bigger, taller wide receivers that are out there," Gonzalez said. "They've been working their butts off and we know what our conference brings game in and game out as far as talented receivers go. I expect them to be a productive group as well."

SPECIAL TEAMS

Sometimes an under-appreciated part of the game, the special teams group for the Pirates in 2025 has been a focus for Gonzalez and his coaching staff and the early offseason impressions have been favorable. "I think for us, it's about organization and the kids understanding the importance of that part of the game," Gonzalez said. "In a close game, special teams can make or break what's going on out there, so it's important for all of our guys to do their jobs on the field when those situations come up and to be ready when those times come up. Contain our guys, support our partners ... I'm excited for that entire group and my hope and expectations are that they add value to our team and help us excel in that facet of the game."

Sophomore kicker Talan Samosky is the OCC's kicker and punter heading into 2025 and the preseason eyeball test has been favorable. "This kid has a good strong leg on him, that's for sure," Gonzalez said. "We've seen him kick 50-yard field goals and he's got the leg strength to make them from that distance. He's still working on being more consistent from those distances, but we are hoping he's a guy we can count on to get us those three big points from farther out that we couldn't look to in years past."

Top returners for the Pirates include sophomore Tyson Walter and Nui Ka'apana, according to Gonzalez.

OVERALL GOALS

For Gonzalez, the message is clear ... "For me, I just want our guys to go out there every day and compete," he said. "There's a lot that goes into winning and losing -- some that is in our control and some that is not in our control. For us, we're just going into every game being as competitive as we can. We understand that winning on Saturdays comes from preparing during the week and so far, our guys understand that. As for me, I'm having a lot more fun and that's mainly because I've got a bunch of guys who want to be successful and are getting after it every day. We can 'want' it all we want, but when it comes to game day, we've got to prove that we want it. I'm excited to see what these guys can do. I'm hoping we can surprise some people and that we play our brand of football, we keep things competitive and when our opportunities come, we take advantage of those opportunities and we get things done. I don't mind the underdog mentality and I know my guys are OK with it too."