MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO -- Eyes of anticipation and words of encouragement spread like wild fire on the sidelines before the season’s first tackle-football game at the Paige Field House Football Field aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Tuesday.
The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Titans opened their season with a 16-0 shut out against Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s School of Infantry Rough Riders.
“Our offensive line had good pass protection and allowed us to throw for two touchdowns, said Sgt. Mike L. Morales, Titans team captain and defensive end. “Manipulating the run and pass routes, to the outside as well as the inside, came naturally to our running backs and our tight end.”
The game opened with the kickoff to the Rough Riders. The offensive drive was quickly stopped by the Titans in the first series of downs, forcing a punt.
The defensive line also played aggressively, stopping almost every running play resulting in a loss of yards for the Rough Riders. The intensity and conviction of the depot’s defense to penetrate the pocket forced many bad passes, added Morales, from Bronx N.Y., who had 12 tackles and one sack for the game.
Unable to generate momentum early in the game, the depot was incapable of scoring until the end of the first quarter.
After a 40-yard drive by the depot’s offense, quarterback Master Sgt. William R. Barr, from Carlisle, Pa., sent a streaming pass to wide-receiver Cpl. Kyle Ochoa, from Coos Bay, Ore., for the first touchdown of the game. Barr had 66 yards passing for the game.
“When you practice like you play, game time comes natural,” said Ochoa who had one touchdown and 40-yards for the day. “The team came together to play solid. It was a good start.”
After the first touchdown, the Titan’s tight-end Cpl. Jonathan S. Molloy joined the rally, scoring in the second quarter on an untouched pass route from the 10-yard line to the end zone.
“The defense set us up all day giving us great field position,” said Molloy from Syracuse, N.Y.
The next depot tackle-football game is Sept. 18 at the Paige Field House Football Field, Camp Pendleton. For more information, contact Rafael Aceves at (619) 524-8382.