Edison overcomes sluggish start, holds on to win thriller against Tesoro

The first Friday night of the high school football season provided fans everything they could possibly want and then some.

It was also the kind of game that Edison High quarterback Griffin O’Connor hopes he never has to play again.

After the Chargers offense sputtered in the first half, Edison rallied into the lead against Tesoro. Then O’Connor and company had to watch nervously from the sideline with the opposing offense on the field in the final moments.

However, kicker Joey Rizkallah’s 37-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide on the last play, and the Jeff Grady era at Edison began with a spectacular 48-47 nonleague victory.

“It’s my alma mater,” said Grady, the Chargers’ new coach. “I’m proud to be back. It’s just a heck of a night. It’s a great night.”

O’Connor was 22 of 43 passing for 247 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Most of the production — 176 yards through the air — came in the second half. He also rushed for 43 yards and another score.

“That’s a nail-biter,” O’Connor said. “It’s something that you never want to be in. It’s something I hope we’re not in later on in the season. I hope we put it away sooner.”

David Atencio had five catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns for Edison. Mateo Gallego caught 10 balls for 75 yards, while McCade Barrett chipped in with six catches for 55 yards.

Jack Carmichael carried the ball 15 times for 67 yards and a fourth-quarter score.

Edison held a 48-35 edge after Cameron Eden turned a short pass over the middle into a pick-six for the Chargers’ defense with 9:44 left.

The defense did its part again, forcing a three-and-out, but O’Connor turned the ball over on the next possession. Under pressure from the blind-side rush, he fired into the waiting arms of Titans linebacker Nathan Bernhard.

Tesoro capitalized on the short field. Chase Petersen, a transfer from Mission Viejo, threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to John Cody. A missed extra point left the margin at 48-41 with 6:01 to go.

The Titans got the ball back with 3:20 remaining and quickly found pay dirt. Petersen leapt threw the sea of humanity, extending his arm across the goal line to make it 48-47.

There was 1:45 left in the game, and the Titans opted to go for a two-point conversion. Petersen’s pass found Seth Gilmore going to the ground. After a review on a sideline monitor, the call on the field stood — incomplete.

Edison had its chance to finish the game with a first down. The offense was unable to pick it up, however, and the punt that followed gave Tesoro great field position at the Chargers’ 38.

The Titans had the ball inside the Edison 20 with approximately 15 seconds to go when Petersen took the snap and took off at a sprint. Recognizing that he was sealed off from the end zone and the sideline, the Titan quarterback attempted to hurdle over a defender.

Flags flew and confusion followed. The penalty, which occurred with the clock running, did not result in the game ending. Grady wanted an explanation that he did not get.

Rizkallah was allowed to line up for a hurried field goal. He did not appear set when the clock began to run. Forced to snap the ball prematurely, the kick was long enough, but it did not go between the uprights.

“I thought that the clock should have expired,” Grady said. “It was an offensive penalty with 4.2 seconds left, and I thought there was a run-off.”

Tesoro did not have a first down in the second half until its final drive of the third quarter. It was a miraculous play with 1:17 left in the frame that resembled the Immaculate Reception, the play made famous by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Franco Harris in 1972. On a third-and-10 from his own 10, Petersen fired up field to his left. His pass deflected off the hands of intended receiver Seth Gilmore, only to ricochet to Cody, who took it 87 yards to the Chargers 3.

Edison had rallied from a 28-14 halftime deficit, but in a flash, the play turned the game on its head. Two plays later, Petersen hooked up with Gilmore as the Titans retook the lead at 35-34 with nine seconds left in the third quarter.

“Everything came together on that play,” Petersen said. “Stuff doesn’t happen sometimes, but luck takes over. We had the right guys in the right places at the right time. It just really helped kick-start everything back.”

When he learned that the long deflection play had resulted in Tesoro’s initial first down of the second half, Grady gave credit where it was due, but he also issued a challenge going forward.

“Our defense played really well in that third quarter, and our offense responded,” Grady assessed. “I think as a team, when you have a team down, you’ve got to learn how to put them away.”

Petersen was 21 of 38 passing for 322 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

Joe Morenc caught nine passes for 112 yards, and Cody had four receptions for 111 yards for the Titans.

A defending champion is likely going to see the best punch that every opponent has to offer. Edison, which won the CIF Southern Section Division 3 title last year, saw it from Tesoro. The Titans offered up their roundhouse effort from the start.

On the first play from scrimmage, Petersen kept the ball on an option play and took it 76 yards for a goal-to-go series. The Chargers’ defense stiffened, but the Titans ultimately got the desired result when Petersen converted a sneak play on fourth down from the Edison 1.

The Chargers’ offense stumbled out of the gate. O’Connor was off target, completing just three of 11 passes in the first quarter for 16 yards and an interception. The turnover proved costly, as Zach Wran’s pick at the Edison 31 was turned into a score on the next play. Morenc caught Petersen’s pass 10 yards down field, broke a single tackle and he was gone for end zone.

Edison trailed, 14-0, after the first quarter, but the Chargers got on the board with an 11-play drive that ended with O’Connor running it in from three yards out.

It would not break the Titans’ momentum. Kyle Schaefers took the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards to re-establish Tesoro’s two-score advantage at 21-7.

Tesoro took its biggest lead of 28-7 on Petersen’s 35-yard strike to Gilmore, but O’Connor had the answer. His touchdown pass to Barrett completed a nine-play drive at the half to make it 28-14.

O’Connor said that Grady delivered an impassioned speech at halftime. It had the effect of making his players want to fight back.

“It was an inspiring speech,” O’Connor said. “He was screaming to us, but in a passionate way. It kind of fired us all up, and the guys were ready to get out there and get after it.”

Edison 48, Tesoro 47

Edison……..0 14 20 14 — 48

Tesoro…….14 14 7 12 — 47

FIRST QUARTER

Tes — Petersen 1 run (Rizkallah kick), 10:51.

Tes — Morenc 31 pass from Petersen (Rizkallah kick), 3:18.

SECOND QUARTER

Ed — O’Connor 1 run (Morrell kick), 8:52.

Tes — Schaefers 90 kick return (Rizkallah kick), 8:39.

Tes — Gilmore 35 pass from Petersen (Rizkallah kick), 4:54.

Ed — Barrett 5 pass from O’Connor (Morrell kick), 1:35.

THIRD QUARTER

Ed — Atencio 56 pass from O’Connor (Morrell kick), 9:43.

Ed — Morrell 42 FG, 7:54.

Ed — Morrell 39 FG, 5:24.

Ed — Atencio 49 pass from O’Connor (Morrell kick), 4:18.

Tes — Gilmore 3 pass from Petersen (Rizkallah kick), 0:09.

FOURTH QUARTER

Ed — Carmichael 13 run (Morrell kick), 9:57.

Ed — Eden 13 interception return (Morrell kick), 9:44.

Tes — Cody 7 pass from Petersen (Rizkallah kick failed), 6:01.

Tes — Petersen 1 run (Petersen pass failed)

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Ed — Carmichael, 15-67, 1 TD.

Tes — Petersen, 14-72, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Ed — O’Connor, 22-43-2, 247, 3 TDs.

Tes — Petersen, 21-38-1, 322, 4 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Ed — Atencio, 5-124, 2 TDs.

Tes — Morenc, 9-112, 1 TD.

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner